Tag: Finnish Forests

10 Fun Facts about Finnish Forests

Forests are very important to Finns.

Forests are important to Finns. Here are some fun facts about Finnish forests.

Fun Facts About Finnish Forests

1. Finland is the Most Forested Country in Europe

Forest areas cover about about 75 percent of Finland’s area. This makes Finland the most forested country in Europe.

2. About 13 % of Finland’s Forests are Protected

There are 2.94 Million hectares of protected forests in Finland. This means that about 13 percent of Finland’s forests are protected.

3. Finland’s National Tree is Birch

Silver Birch is Finland’s national tree.

4. Pine is the Most Common Tree in Finland

In Finland, there are about 30 domestic tree species. Most common are pine, spruce and birch. Pine is the most dominant. About 65 % of Finland’s forests are dominated by pine.

5. Over 100 Million Tree Seedlings a Year

Finnish forests keep growing. About 150 000 000 tree seedlings are planted in Finland every year.

6. Finnish Forests are Full of Berries

In Finnish forests grows about 50 varieties of wild berries. Of these, 37 are edible and about 20 are suitable for picking. The total amount of berries in Finnish forests is estimated to be over 500 million kg a year, but just about 3-10 % are picked.

7. Finnish Forests are Made for Mushroom Hunting

Finnish forests are great for mushroom hunting. The total yield of edible mushrooms in Finnish forests is estimated at 1000 million kg a year.

8. Bear is the King of the Finnish Forest

Brown bear is Finland’s national animal. In Finnish, bear is “karhu”. It is also referred as the king of the forest (metsän kuningas in Finnish) as it’s the biggest predator in the finnish forests.

9. Tapio is the God of the Finnish Forest

According to Finnish mythology, the god of the forrest was called Tapio. He ruled the forest with his wife Mielikki. As the bear was the biggest animal in the forest, it was sometimes thought to be a manifestation of Tapio.

10. Finns Live Near the Forest

Although most of the Finns live in cities, they haven’t moved too far from the forest. On average, Finns live about 700 meters from the nearest forest.

Sources:
Forest Finland
Arktiset Aromit

Finland is the Most Forested Country in Europe!

That’s right, Finland is the most forested country in Europe.
Although some European countries have larger total forest areas, but when comparing the proportional share of forest land, Finland is the number one!

That’s right, Finland is the most forested country in Europe.
Although some European countries, like Sweden for example, do have larger total forest areas. But when comparing the proportional share of forest land, Finland is the most forested country in Europe.

So, what put’s Finland on the first place. The fact that forest areas cover more than 75 % of Finland’s land area. Finland has over 20 million hectares on land available for wood production.
So from now on you can easily call Finland the land of forests!

Sources:
Eurostat
Ministry of Agriculture and Foresty of Finland

The Land of Forests

Forests are an important part of Finland. Forests are important to Finland’s economy, but they also have a huge impact Finns wellbeing, nature’s diversity and help to fight against climate change

Forests are an important part of Finland. If you think of a typical Finnish landscape, the most dominating element in that view is forest. Perhaps it’s no surprise to hear that Finland is covered mostly by forests.

Forests are of course important to Finland’s economy, but they also have a huge impact Finns wellbeing, are necessary to nature’s diversity and help to fight against climate change. All in all, forests are a big part of Finland’s identity.

Finland is a Land of Forests

Finland has over 20 million hectares of land available for wood production. It means that forest areas cover more than 75 per cent of the Finland’s land area. This makes Finland the most forested country in Europe when comparing proportional forest areas.

Finnish forests represent about 10 per cent of all forest areas in Europe (excluding Russia). Finland is the eight largest country in Europe, but has fifth largest wood resources only behind Russia, France, Sweden and Germany.

Finland’s Wood Resources are Growing

Finland’s wood resources have been monitored since the 1920’s and nowadays situation looks better than ever before because Finland’s green resources are growing. In 2020 the total reduction in wood resources was approximately 83,5 million cubic metres.

This includes roundwood removals (about 69 million cubic metres), logging residues left in the forest and the old trees which died for natural causes. In 2020 the total annual growth of Finnish forests was approximately 108 million cubic metres. This means that the wood resources keep on growing.

This has been the case for the past decades. Today the growing stock volume in Finland’s forests is about 2.5 billion cubic meters. This is 1.7 times the growing stock volume first recorded in the 1920’s.

Protecting the Green Assets

Forest are so important to Finland, that forests must be protected. Almost three million hectares, about 12,6 per of the Finland’s forest area is protected or under restricted use. This is the highest share in Europe. And even though every forest area isn’t protected, the destruction of forest is still prohibited in Finland. If the trees are logged down, it’s the forest owner’s responsibility to make sure that the forest is being renewed.  

Sources:
Ministry of Agriculture of Forestry of Finland
Metsähallitus
Statistics Finland