How Metsä Group takes nature sites into account

We only procure wood from commercial forests in northern Europe. We do not purchase wood from old-growth forests, forests defined as natural forests, or forests that are or should be protected old-growth forests, forests defined as natural forests, or forests that are or should be protected. Forest harvesting is guided by legislation, official guidelines and the requirements of forest certification schemes.  In habitats included in the METSO and Helmi programmes, restrictions on use are based on voluntary agreements that forest owners conclude with the authorities.

In 2024, around 93 per cent of the wood that Metsä Group purchased from private forests was certified in accordance with the PEFC or FSC® scheme, or both. Metsä Group aims to only buy certified wood from private forests.

In the very few non-certified forests where we harvest wood, we also comply with the certification schemes.

Metsä Group has its own additional guidelines for forest nature management related to regenerative forestry. For example, the Metsä Group Plus management model raises the level of forest nature management above established practices.

Metsä Group’s forest specialist plans harvesting and the wood storage location and chooses a route for transporting the wood to the storage location. The forest specialist records all the felling site’s special features such as any nature sites in the harvesting guidelines. These are also displayed as separate map entries in the digital map used by both the harvester and forwarder operator.

A forest specialist files a forest use declaration with the Finnish Forest Centre. Based on the declaration, the Forest Centre checks whether the site is home to any nature sites that must be taken into account in forest management under the Forest Act.

If a site or species protected under the Nature Conservation Act is found in the area or its vicinity, the Forest Centre forwards the forest use declaration to the local ELY Centre, which provides further instructions for operating on the site if required. The authorities’ guidelines are submitted to the harvesting contractors and added to the information contained in the system. In addition to a forest use declaration, felling in areas covered by zoning may require a permit for landscape work under the Land Use and Building Act.

Read more about the stages of wood trade.

The machine operator is a very important link in harvesting plans. The harvester operator plans the detailed work process in the forest and decides the exact location of the harvester’s and forwarder’s tracks. The operator takes natural values, growing stock, terrain, land carrying capacity, weather conditions and any other special features of the felling site into account.

Modern harvesters feature a GPS tracking system that allows the operator to monitor the machine’s location on the map in real time. As the operator approaches the nature site, the system alerts them automatically. Moreover, the latest machines are equipped with a precision positioning device, which indicates the location of the harvester’s head down to a few centimetres.

Although nature sites are marked in the forest, the operator must observe the environment, as a sudden change in the landscape may be a sign of natural values. If the operator observes something on the felling site that deviates from the plan, they are responsible for suspending operations and contacting Metsä Group.

Find out more about harvesting here.

For nature sites to be taken into account when planning wood trade, geospatial information about them is required.

In Finland, geospatial data concerning nature sites is managed by statutory organisations such as the Finnish Forest Centre and regional ELY Centres. In addition, the Finnish Biodiversity Info Facility provides organisations with information about the occurrence of different species. We also use the nature information in our own forest information system.

In addition to geospatial data, an actual visit to the forest is often necessary because the exact location of nature sites sometimes differs from that indicated by geospatial data.

The forest specialist’s tasks include marking the nature sites requiring attention in the forest and preparing harvesting instructions that include all the necessary information about the felling site’s nature sites, and how they must be taken into account. The harvesting instructions are transferred electronically to the Woodforce system, a planning tool common in the forest industry, which is used by harvesting and forwarder operators. 

Metsä Group’s focus on forest nature management is also reflected in the personnel. For example, the company employs six national forest nature management specialists who have special expertise in identifying nature sites.

The company’s forest nature management specialists support other employees in matters such as providing environmental training, identifying sites covered by legislation, handling the process for joining certification schemes, planning the management of Metsä Group Plus-sites and the management of herb-rich forests, promoting METSO conservation projects, planning water protection measures for forestry, and preparing applications for environmental subsidies.

When wood trade is concluded through standing sales, the buyer – in this case, Metsä Group – is fully responsible for felling. In practice, harvesting and transport are handled by professional contractors. Overall, Metsä Group has more than 100 harvesting contractors, who employ around 2,000 people across Finland. Good harvesting quality in the forest is important to all parties.

The operators complete the courses prepared by Metsä Group that discuss nature site-related instructions, including statutory requirements, official guidelines, certification requirements and buffer zones around waterbodies. In addition to online courses, Metsä Group regularly organises training in the field.

The systems for communicating information are designed to relieve the operator from bearing sole responsibility for observing nature sites. Before initiating harvesting, the harvester and forwarder operators must confirm they have read the instructions. The system requires separate acknowledgement of nature sites. Alerts when approaching nature sites can also be enabled in the machines’ systems. 

Metsä Group has increased its quality and environmental inspections in recent years. In 2024, the company’s own personnel conducted more than 2,000 inspections across Finland. In addition, Metsä Group monitors the inspections conducted by its contractors and uses external assessments conducted by Tapio, a provider of forestry advisory and consulting services. Positive development has been seen in recent years. Inspections help ensure compliance with the law, official recommendations, certification criteria and Metsä Group’s operating guidelines.