The Finnish Forest Industries Federation has announced its vision for the future of Finland’s forests up to the year 2025. The plan is designed to ensure Finland gets the most out of its forestry resources.

The vision was crafted in cooperation with industry companies and stakeholders and follows on from the approval of a national bioeconomy strategy by the Finnish government earlier this year.

— The forest-based sector will make the bioeconomy into a profitable business alongside existing operations, says Timo Jaatinen, Director General of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation.

Earlier this month, the Federation pledged to invest almost 1.5 billion euros in the industry, increasing the country’s use of wood by around ten million cubic metres every year.

In addition, several forest companies have pledged a further 1.9 billion euros to Northern Europe’s softwood fibre-based industry aimed at diversifying the range of products manufactured.

The hope is to allow firms to shift their focus from newsprint and commodity packaging grades towards bio-products that are made from wood fibre, which will help the region reduce its dependence on fossil fuels through greater use of alternative energy supplies.

Last year, the forest-based sector accounted for about 20 per cent of all Finnish exports.

Source: www.goodnewsfinland.com after www.forestindustries.fi

Photo: City Tourist Board of Helsinki