Finnish forest legislation under spotlight

The Finnish government has set up a group to look at changing forestry legislation.

The Finnish Forest Industries Federation has reacted to the news by saying any modernisation of forest management practices must ensure the good growth and availability of timber in the future.

FFIF said the timber yield of a forest was not always the central objective for some forest owners.

“Alternative, researched methods, which also result in the production of wood for processing, are needed for such forest owners,” it said.

But it said the introduction of new forest management methods must not lead to the proliferation of low-yielding forests.

It warned that if profitability of forestry yields was low then forest regeneration slows down.