Different felling methods

Timely felling ensures that your forest yield remains good throughout the forest cycle. Our local forest specialist will help you choose the right management method for your forest.

Different methods are used for different purposes, but they all aim to ensure good forest growth. A well-managed forest offers its owner greater value growth than an unmanaged one. Diversity and nature sites are also taken into account in all felling operations.

Forests can be managed using either even-aged forest management or continuous cover forestry. Even-aged forest management means that after the seedling stage, 2–3 thinnings are carried out in the forest and finally a regeneration felling, after which a new forest is established.

In continuous cover forestry, trees are removed from the forest in small batches, which keeps the forest at least partly forested at all times.

When choosing the right felling method, it is important to consider both your own goals and the characteristics of the forest. Our forestry specialists can help you with this and tell you about the benefits and differences of the various felling methods available.

Harvesting under even-aged forest management

First thinning

First thinning

The first thinning is the first intermediate felling that produces marketable roundwood. The goal is to remove poor-quality and unhealthy trees, and improve the growing conditions for the remaining trees. The main aim of the first thinning is to improve the quality of the stand so that it grows and matures more quickly. It is best carried out when the trees have reached a height of 12–16 metres, depending on the species and site. In southern Finland, this usually takes 25–30 years, and in northern Finland 30–40 years, after forest regeneration.
Thinning

Thinning

A subsequent thinning should be carried out 15–25 years after the first, when the growing stock has reached an average diameter of at least 16 centimetres at a height of 1.3 metres. This thinning produces pulpwood and log wood. The goal of thinning is to remove part of the growing stock to improve the growing conditions for the remaining trees. Healthy, strong trees of high quality are left to grow. The increased growing space accelerates the development from pulpwood into more valuable log wood.
Regeneration felling

Regeneration felling

Regeneration felling removes the old generation of trees. The goal can be to regenerate the forest by cultivation or natural regeneration. We carry out regeneration felling in accordance with our principles of regenerative forestry. Read more about Lue lisää our principles of regenerative forestry.

Regeneration felling is timely when the forest owner stands to gain more from regenerating the forest than from letting it grow. After regeneration felling, the goal is to quickly establish a new stand.

Clear cutting is a method used in regeneration felling in which the entire growing stock is removed from the area except for retention trees, naturally growing seedling groups, buffer zones and protective thickets, as well as protected nature sites. The area is then cultivated by planting seedlings or sowing seeds.

Seed-tree and shelterwood cutting are methods of natural forest regeneration. Their success depends on good seed years. Seed-tree cutting is primarily used in the regeneration of sub-xeric and xeric pine heath forests. Shelterwood cutting is used to regenerate spruce forests.

Only some trees are removed each time under continuous cover forestry

In continuous cover forestry, the forest is not regenerated and grown as a single generation of trees that are all the same age. Instead, the forest is home to trees of different ages and sizes. Harvesting is never carried out over the entire area but in stages to ensure that the forest always has some tree cover. Various felling methods such as selection cutting and group selection cutting, or a combination of them, are used in continuous cover forestry.

Continuous cover forestry is particularly suitable for lush peatlands, where it reduces greenhouse gas emissions and watercourse impacts. Read more here.

Continuous cover forestry generally relies on natural regeneration, so the site must offer favourable conditions for successful natural regeneration. It is also possible to combine cultivation with natural regeneration.

Metsä Group Plus aims to increase forest biodiversity

We pay an additional bonus per hectare for thinning and regeneration felling conducted in accordance with the terms of the Metsä Group Plus management model.

Learn more about the Metsä Group Plus

Request an offer

Submit a request for an offer for wood sales to our forest specialist. They can help you with all questions related to wood trade. Start by selecting the municipality where your forest is located from the list. You can also request an offer in the Metsäverkko service. This service is only available in Finland.

Forest location (municipality)

See also

Harvesting under even-aged forest management

First thinning

Thinning

Regeneration felling

Only some trees are removed each time under continuous cover forestry

Metsä Group Plus aims to increase forest biodiversity

Request an offer