Throughout history, forest products have been the most important source of international trade for Finland. Consequently, forest education has a long tradition in Finnish schools.
Now, it has received a boost in the form of the national forest programme drawn up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Finnish forest education is based on “three principles of sustainability”. The aim is for all Finns to gain a fuller understanding of the forest environment and its protection, its cultural use and the sources of livelihood provided. Understanding these principles is particularly important as Finland’s forest ownership mostly consists of private small ownership, and approximately one in every six school pupils is a future forest owner.
The task of supporting forest education in schools has been taken on by various forest organisations in Finland, from forest industry companies, to civic organisations, and is co-ordinated by the Finnish Forest Association (FFA). It has, along with teaching authorities and teacher organisations, collated the forest education objectives into a “Forest learning trail” publication and an online databank at www.oppimispolku.fi.
Industry developments
Given recent industry developments, the education project is more important than ever. Forest protection has evolved rapidly in Finland throughout the past decade and forest management practice has also changed in line with developments in nature protection. The knowledge and understanding of teachers concerning these issues must be regularly updated and the organisations that support forest education in schools must be familiar with teaching objectives to be able to offer teachers the support they require.
Local provincial and municipal co-ordination for the scheme is managed by the Forest Centres, led by regional forestry development authorities and the Finnish 4H Federation. They have brought together a network of bodies that share a common interest in forest education. The Forest Centres and 4H each receive state funding for this undertaking.
Forest learning trail
The “Forest learning trail” provides the framework for what every Finn should know about the forest when they finish school, and the specific targets are set by the local network of each province and municipality.
So what external school assistance is available? One key resource is the web-based forest education service which contains contact information for participating bodies along with useful tips.
Teachers also get assistance in arranging forest trips and events. At provincial and municipal level a range of forest excursions, sometimes lasting days and even weeks, have been arranged. Teachers communicate their educational objectives, and the organisations suggest forest sites suited to these aims and even provide pupils with transport to the sites.
The FFA has been running its own school co-operation programme for decades. It has focused on the production of teaching materials in accordance with the teachers’ needs and on arranging training courses. The FFA also organises the national interschool forest quiz in which more than 75% of schools participate each year.
International work
The FFA, whose support is provided at no cost to the schools, also has traditions in international forest education work. The long-standing co-operation among the Nordic countries, which share similar habitats and silvicultural practices, also includes the sharing of teaching materials and ideas. Teacher exchanges are also arranged between the countries so they can benefit from each other’s experiences.
These exchanges also take place with Estonian teachers and the FFA has additionally contributed to the European forest education scheme of the FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education) in the ‘Learning about Forests’ project.
