In the Metsä Group Plus management model, decaying wood is added to forests, as are trees of different ages and sizes that provide habitats for many plant and animal species. The management model also emphasises water protection. The objective of Metsä Group Plus is to increase forest biodiversity and improve forests’ vitality and climate resilience.
How is the Metsä Group Plus management model evident in the forest?
- Under the model, more retention trees and high biodiversity stumps are left per hectare of forest during felling.
- Wider buffer zones are left along shorelines.
- In lush drained spruce-dominated peatlands, continuous cover methods are used instead of regeneration felling, and drainage ditches are not repaired in connection with felling.
- More protective thickets are left during young stand management.
Additional bonus for thinning and regeneration felling
Metsä Group pays an additional bonus per hectare for thinning and regeneration felling conducted in accordance with the terms of the Metsä Group Plus management model. The additional Metsä Group Plus bonus is also paid for felling on lush drained spruce-dominated peatlands if continuous cover methods – group selection or selection cutting – are adopted instead of clearcutting.
The extra bonus compensates owner-members for the wood trade income lost because of the management model. The additional bonus is similar to the bonus accumulated for wood trade and forest management service sales. The bonus can be used to pay for forest management work, or it can be paid for along with the next wood trade.
