It is in Metsä Group’s and its owner-members’ shared interest that Finnish forests continuously improve their vitality and biodiversity. To achieve this goal, Metsä Group is committed to the principles of regenerative forestry.
“Metsä Group and its owner-members want to operate in Finnish forests so that the forests stay healthy and vibrant, especially in the face of climate changes. The common understanding is that as growth conditions change, a variety of species helps forests adapt,” says Juho Rantala, SVP, Wood Trade and Forest Services at Metsä Group.
The wellbeing of forests and forest nature is protected by laws, forest certification requirements, Metsä Group’s policies and forest owners’ decisions. Metsä Group's newest measure is the Metsä Group Plus service, which is optional for owner-members. The service also follows the principles of regenerative forestry.
Chosen separately for each wood trade transaction
“Metsä Group Plus is a service for our owner-members. With the service, whenever owner-members are discussing wood trade or young stand management orders, they can also arrange measures that safeguard the state of forest nature in their forest more comprehensively than with the current standard practices,” says Juho Rantala.
The forest certification applies to either all the forest owner’s forest estates or a specific estate, depending on the certification system. The certification defines a comprehensive set of good practices for forest management. In the Metsä Group Plus model, the forest owner can choose separately for each wood trade transaction whether they want to use the more comprehensive measures under the Plus model.
Because owner-members choose the Metsä Group Plus measures separately for each trade, the results of their choices can be immediately seen in the forests when the work starts. There will be more retention trees, more high biodiversity stumps and more protective thickets. Depending on the waterway, they will have buffer zones of 10–30 metres around them.
Increased variety of species expected
The measures included in Metsä Group Plus are quite familiar, but what is new is their scale. Another new aspect is that Metsä Group reserves the right to burn retention trees left on Metsä Group Plus sites before establishing a new forest.
The goal is to increase the amount of burned wood in forests, which is currently insufficient for species that need it.
“Metsä Group Plus also increases the number of older trees and the amount of sturdy decaying trunk wood in the forest. It also diversifies the structure of the forest and creates variation in the microclimate. We expect these changes to increase the variety of forest species on Metsä Group Plus sites. The service also has an impact on the variety of tree species through measures such as restrictions of use for shoreline areas,” says Rantala.
He wants to remind people that the most significant impact on tree species comes from Metsä Group’s policy of only purchasing pine, spruce and birch, as well as aspen of less than 40 centimetres in diameter, and the company also favours mixed cultivation in its operations. Based on current understanding, increasing the number of mixed forests and avoiding the creation of forests consisting solely of spruce is considered a key method for helping forests adapt in the face of climate changes.
“It’s a good idea to discuss the establishment of a new forest at the same time as a wood trade. This ensures that you get the seedlings you want, the regeneration activities are carried out as soon as possible after the regeneration felling, and the new carbon storing forest is established as soon as possible,” says Rantala.
Costs compensated
Metsä Group pays forest owners more for certified wood than for uncertified wood.
Metsä Group will pay an additional bonus per hectare for regeneration felling carried out according to the Metsä Group Plus service’s terms. The additional bonus compensates the owner-members for the wood trade income lost as a result of the service.
The additional bonus is similar to the bonus accumulated for wood trades and forest management service sales. The bonus can be used to pay for forest management work, or it can be paid along with the next wood trade.
Text and photo: Metsä Group