Pine, spruce and birch account for 97 per cent of the volume of Finnish forests. With all the other tree species accounting for the remaining three per cent, it is important to preserve and increase the volume of rare broadleaved trees – for the sake of forest nature and our adaptation to climate change.
Different trees are favoured by different species. For example, the great willow, which flowers early in the spring, is important to pollinators. The trees that are retained form diverse range of species that remain across rotation periods and contribute to the generation of decaying wood in commercial forests.
Species richness is thought to improve forests’ ability to remain healthy and thrive in a changing environment.
Metsä Group will not purchase for energy production rarer broadleaved trees felled in connection with young forest management and preliminary clearing.