Towards new forest thinking

If you think about how to describe the mainstream of industrial production in the world, one way might be: first you destroy the original nature, then you create a production area in its place. This is how many companies that exploit natural resources are known to operate. In the forest industry, this might mean, for example, producing raw material in an area where the natural tree species have been removed and replaced by faster-growing alien tree species.

This is why Metsä Group has made it a policy to buy and process only domestic wood species.
"This has an impact on nature," says Timo Lehesvirta, the company's leading nature expert.

"We are not, for example, switching to American softwoods such as Douglas fir or lodgepole pine, although such a move is sometimes suggested. If we did, the number of species in forests would collapse."

The new normal

This is not a new issue as such, as Metsä Group has only grown domestic species up to now. However, the policy is mentioned in an important context: it is the first point of Metsä Group's regenerative forestry programme.

Renewable forestry means improving the state of Finnish nature and managing its benefits more comprehensively, from carbon sinks to pollinators and berry harvests. The aim is that when the forest is passed on to the next generation, it will be more vital and diverse than when the previous generation had it to themselves. The number of species will increase and the trend towards extinction will also gradually come to an end. A diverse forest is also more resilient to changing climate. Thus, environmental and timber production objectives are mutually supportive.

Lehesvirta says that the policy is changing mindsets: economic growth is decoupled from the degradation of natural habitats.
"Halting nature loss is becoming the new normal. We want to be the engine on this train. It's a systemic change in the economic system that no one has done on a large scale before."

No additional protection is strived for

Lehesvirta stresses that this is not a programme to increase protection, the main aim of which is to move as much forest as possible out of economic use. Metsä Group will continue to use wood raw material, but it will do so in a way that improves the overall impact on nature.

"It is often suggested that the only way to save the planet is to take nature out of the economy. Conservation is certainly needed, but smarter production methods can also fit into future plans. Our agenda, however, is to pursue a regenerative bioeconomy."

It is also worth remembering that many of the methods are familiar, such as increasing the number of decaying and giant trees, protecting littoral forests and promoting mixed woodland.

A bright future ahead

Many forest owners are confused by the heated forestry debate, and some fear that the EU or the Finnish government will start restricting logging. Lehesvirta says the Finnish industry is a pioneer in many areas and has no worries.

"We have a bright future ahead of us. However, we need to find a wood production and business related motivation for the environmental challenges. Without intrinsic motivation, the alternative is obligation motivation."

What he means is that if the forest sector does not make changes itself, the conditions for action will be set by someone else, who may come from outside the forest sector and Finland's borders.
"We live in a world of strong images. There is a lot of information around forests, but also emotion."

The forest owner is number one

As part of a regenerative forestry approach, Metsä Group monitors how the state of forest nature and the ecosystem services it provides is evolving. The impacts of timber production are measured using science-based methods, with the aim of developing evidence-based products and value chains. Metsä Group has set itself the target that the effects of its habitat enhancement activities should be reflected in the measurement results by 2030 at the latest.

Measuring is difficult, but fortunately Finland has the best ecological data on its forests in the world," says Lehesvirta. The measurements use public spatial data, national inventory data and data collected by Metsä Group itself.
"The first measurements will be made this year and next. Each measurement is always more reliable than the last."

The regenerative forestry programme has been approved by Metsä Group's Board of Directors, and the programme has been presented to the entire owner membership. Metsä Group does not own much forest itself, but acquires most of its wood from its owner members. Together they own about half of Finland's private forests.
"The forest creates added value for forest owners, and this is the central theme of our operations."

Text: Ilkka Luukkonen

This article was originally published in issue 2/2023 of Metsä Group’s Viesti magazine