Getting Finnish timber moving out of the forest to safeguard wood supply is the most significant challenge facing the newly updated National Forest Programme, according to the Finnish Forest Industries Federation.
The programme’s update for 2015, published this month, has the aim of ensuring sustainable felling opportunities are utilised to their full extent.
“Over a fifth of sustainable felling opportunities are left untapped annually because wood does not come onto the market,” said Anders Portin, FFIF’s head of forestry and infrastructure.
“A forest policy that facilitates the market entry of wood is needed to safeguard timber supply, in addition to which we need counseling and marketing services that activate forest owners as well as a shared desire to ensure a secure supply of wood on the part of all the actors in the forest-based sector.”
According to the Finnish Forest Research Institute, some 70 million m³ of wood can be extracted sustainably from Finland’s forests each year.
