The best raw material for wood products grows in Finnish forests
In Finnish forests, spruce trees are sustainably grown for decades. After reaching a proper height, the trees are felled – but the story does not stop there. When a tree is felled, four saplings are planted and taken care of.
Jukka Heikkonen is a forest owner from Punkaharju, Finland. To him forests are an important part of life, passing down from generation to generation.
“First and foremost, forest gives us livelihood and guarantees us a safe life”, he says.
Heikkonen’s trees will be made into Metsä Wood’s Kerto® LVL (laminated veneer lumber) elements. The elements are then shipped to Tokyo, where they are constructed into Metsä Pavilion.
Kerto LVL is fast, light and green material to build with. Separate elements are easy to ship and fast to assemble, and since wood is a long-term carbon store, using Kerto® elements is also sustainable.
How does it make Heikkonen feel that trees grown in his forests are shipped all the way to Japan?
“It feels good to know that the trees are sustainably grown here, and that they are now used in good purpose. Many people are going to enjoy them for a long time.”