Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
) (Forststyrelsen in
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
, Meahciráđđehus in
Sami
Acronyms
* SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft
* Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company
* South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise net ...
, ''"the (Finnish) Forest Administration"'') is a state-owned enterprise in
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
.
Its two main tasks are Parks & Wildlife Finland to manage most of the
protected areas of Finland
The protected areas of Finland include national parks, nature reserves and other areas, with a purpose of conserving areas of all of Finland's ecosystems and biotopes.
Protected areas include:
* National parks of Finland (''Kansallispuisto/Nation ...
and Forestry to supply wood to the country's
forest industry
The wood industry or timber industry (sometimes lumber industry -- when referring mainly to sawed boards) is the industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of primary forest products and wood products (e.g. furnitu ...
. Metsähallitus employs approximately 1,200 people. The company administers some 120,000 square kilometres of state-owned land and water areas, which is about 35% of Finland's total surface area. Its tasks are divided into business activities and public administration duties that are primarily by the government. Separate business units have been established for different activities.
Organization
Metsähallitus Forestry Ltd.
* produces about 85 percent of Metsähallitus's revenues
* markets and sells timber, manages commercial forests
* customers include the forest industry and other Finnish and foreign companies that use timber as raw material
* forest management is based on the sustainable use of natural resources
* the objective is to encourage a varied use of forest resources
Parks and Wildlife Finland
Parks and Wildlife Finland consists of the units National Parks Finland and Wildlife Services Finland, which provide the public administration services of Metsähallitus.
Metsähallitus’ public administration duties involve, among others, managing nature conservation and hiking areas, promoting conservation and recreational use of State lands and waters and controlling hunting and fishing rights.
* management of statutory protected areas and other areas reserved for conservation
* protection and care of endangered species
* management of wilderness areas, recreational areas and other special areas
* free-of-charge hiking services for the public
* customer services for Metsähallitus as a whole
* public authority issues relating to nature protection
* game and fisheries supervision
* game, fisheries and off-road traffic permits
* forest tree seed acquisition and security storage
* duties related to floating
Metsähallitus Property Development
* specialises in plot and forest real estate business and provides rental accommodations.
* prepares area plans, markets, sells and leases land for holiday homes
* is responsible for the acquisition and assignment of real property within Metsähallitus
MH-Kivi Oy
* leases soil extraction sites and sells soil.
Siemen Forelia Oy
* produces, markets and sells seed
Key figures
* Return on investment = 100 x operating profit/subscribed capital
* Solvency ratio = 100 x shareholders' equity/balance sheet total
Land area 9 132 000 ha, water areas 3 414 000 ha, in total 12 546 000 ha.
History
In 1542
Gustav Vasa
Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföre ...
, the King of
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, which at that time also included Finland, proclaimed all uninhabited wilderness areas in his kingdom as belonging to God, the King and the Crown, thereby marking the beginning of state land ownership.
By the beginning of the 19th century, Finnish forests were already in full use. Until that time, forests were mainly used for slash-and-burn agriculture and to produce
wood tar
Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bit ...
, an important export product in those days. Tar burning, however, began to dwindle in the beginning of the 19th century, while at the same time the needs of the
sawmilling
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
industry increased.
In the mid-19th century wood use was so widespread that officials were concerned about the disappearance of Finland's forests. In 1851 a strict forest law was passed, and a provisional national board for land surveying and forest management was established to monitor compliance and minister to the state's lands. The history of the national forest and park service, today's Metsähallitus, began in 1859 when Czar Alexander II signed a declaration on the founding of a
forest management Forest management is a branch of forestry concerned with overall administrative, legal, economic, and social aspects, as well as scientific and technical aspects, such as silviculture, protection, and forest regulation. This includes management for ...
institution. Its area of operations covered state lands that were named crown parks, but monitoring private forestry, at least nominally, was also a part of the forest management institution's tasks.
The structure and tasks of Metsähallitus have changed over the years, along with many reforms in forest administration. By a 1921 decree Metsähallitus was designated a central agency under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and was given the task of “managing, monitoring and promoting Finnish forestry”. That has remained a basic mission until today, although Metsähallitus’ responsibilities no longer extend to private forestry. Since 1983 Metsähallitus has managed nature conservation tasks under the guidance of the Ministry of the Environment.
Metsähallitus became a state enterprise in 1994, at which time many administrative tasks were completely excluded from Metsähallitus’ realm of activities. Along with the new enterprise, some of Metsähallitus’ business units branched out into their own brands, such as Wild North, which offers tourism and recreation services, and Laatumaa, which specialises in the land plot and forest real estate business.
Forestry
Metsähallitus has sold wood for different needs since the very beginning of its operations, for a while mainly at auction. In the beginning of the 1900s Metsähallitus sold, among other things, railway cross-ties and
firewood
Firewood is any wooden material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form, compared to other forms of wood fuel like pellets or chips. Firewood can ...
to the national railway board, as well as timber to sawmills. Metsähallitus also established its own sawmills, which in 1932, however, were ceded to Veitsiluoto Oy, which the state had a majority holding in. The focus of the forest industry gradually switched from sawmilling to paper and board production, which, in turn, led to an increase in the use of pulpwood.
Before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
forest management began to garner more and more attention. The
regeneration
Regeneration may refer to:
Science and technology
* Regeneration (biology), the ability to recreate lost or damaged cells, tissues, organs and limbs
* Regeneration (ecology), the ability of ecosystems to regenerate biomass, using photosynthesis
...
of felling areas, initially through sowing and later by transplantation, became common in the early 1930s. The first mire drainings were carried out as early as in the 1910s, in order to expand the area of productive forestland, and after the development of mechanical ditching methods in the 1960s and 1970s, mires were drained.
During World War II, Metsähallitus had the uncharacteristic task of producing, among other things,
charcoal
Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...
and chopped firewood for wood-gas modified vehicles. Following the war, extensive fellings were carried out on Metsähallitus’ lands in order to pay for
war reparations
War reparations are compensation payments made after a war by one side to the other. They are intended to cover damage or injury inflicted during a war.
History
Making one party pay a war indemnity is a common practice with a long history.
R ...
as well as to remunerate the men returning from battle. A significant amount of Metsähallitus’ lands were also given up for resettlement purposes.
In the 1950s fellings and transportation conditions were intensely developed, and as the demand for wood products grew, fellings reached even farther into the countryside. In the 1960s and 1970s wood production received a significant amount of attention, in addition to intensive soil cultivation, sapling stand improvement and fertilisation. At the same time, forestry was mechanised; trucks, forest tractors and
chainsaws
A chainsaw (or chain saw) is a portable gasoline-, electric-, or battery-powered saw that cuts with a set of teeth attached to a rotating chain driven along a guide bar. It is used in activities such as tree felling, limbing, bucking, pruning, ...
were taken into use. The 1980s saw the arrival of harvesters and various information systems used as forestry tools, which in the next decade became a part of everyday forestry operations. In 2003, harvesters were used in around 95 percent of fellings. With the increase in mechanisation, the tasks of foresters have broadened from carrying out fellings to conducting forest management work and different planning tasks.
Large-scale public debate about the state of forests and nature protection was sparked up in the 1980s, and fellings carried out in the wilderness areas of Kessi and Talaskangas led to conflict between
conservationists
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental, and social movement that seeks to manage and protect natural resources, including animal, fungus, and plant species as well as their habitat for the f ...
and forest industry representatives. The predominant mindset of wood production did, indeed, change in the 1990s, focusing more on multiple objectives and the ecologically, socially and economically sustainable use of forests. With the help of, for example, Metsähallitus’ Environmental Guidelines to Practical Forest Management, the management of environmental matters became a part of everyday forestry. Metsähallitus’ environmental system based on the
ISO 14001
ISO 14000 is a family of standards related to environmental management that exists to help organizations (a) minimize how their operations (processes, etc.) negatively affect the environment (i.e. cause adverse changes to air, water, or land); (b ...
standard was certified in 1998, and has further increased the monitoring and continuous development of activities. At the start of the 21st century, all of Metsähallitus' commercial forests were included in the PEFC forest certification scheme.
From 1997 to 2000, comprehensive natural resource plans, which are renewed regularly, were drawn up for all state-owned land and water areas. The participatory, co-operative and open practices that were drawn up at Metsähallitus in the 1990s are complied with in the natural resource planning process.
Nature conservation and recreational services
The first forests spared from fellings and the first ‘nature parks’ on Metsähallitus’ lands were established as early as in the beginning of the 1900s. These areas, among them the Pallas-Ounastunturi and Pyhähäkki areas, were preserved for research purposes as well as for posterity.
The first official record on establishing a
national park
A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
can be found in a 1910 report of the Forest Conservation Commission. The first statutory national parks, however, were not formed until 1938. These parks, established in state lands, were defined under the administration of the Finnish Forest Research Institute (
Metla
The Finnish Forest Research Institute ( fi, Metsäntutkimuslaitos, sv, Skogsforskningsinstitutet), known as Metla, is a subordinate government agency, agency to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Government of Finland. It has statut ...
). In 1956, seventeen national and nature parks were established in Metsähallitus’ lands. A second significant expansion to the conservation area network was carried out in 1982, when a total of 16 new national and nature parks were created. Metla's national parks and its strict nature reserves, excluding the
Koli National Park
Koli National Park ( fi, Kolin kansallispuisto) is a national park in the municipalities of Joensuu, Lieksa and Kontiolahti in the North Karelia region of Finland. It covers of forested hills on the western shore of Lake Pielinen. The park wa ...
and the Malla and
Vesijako
Vesijako (also Vesijakaa) is a lake in Finland. It is situated in Padasjoki in the region of Päijänne Tavastia.Lapland, which are of equal size, are also important in terms of nature conservation. Most of Metsähallitus’ conservation sites are a part of the EU's Natura 2000 network.
Hiking became so popular after World War II that campsites with
campfires
A campfire is a fire at a campsite that provides light and warmth, and heat for cooking. It can also serve as a beacon, and an insect and predator deterrent. Established campgrounds often provide a stone or steel fire ring for safety. Campfires ...
, firewood and
latrines
A latrine is a toilet or an even simpler facility that is used as a toilet within a sanitation system. For example, it can be a communal trench in the earth in a camp to be used as emergency sanitation, a hole in the ground (pit latrine), or m ...
were a necessity. In the 1970s Metsähallitus focused special attention on expanding the existing network of wilderness huts. The first official hiking areas in accordance with Finland's Outdoor Recreation Act were established in 1979 in Kylmäluoma and Hossa. There are currently seven national hiking areas in the country.
The planning of national park management and utilisation began in 1974 with a national park working group set up by Metsähallitus. Building up of the service offering for hikers, such as routes, lean-tos and campfire sites, began in 1978 according to the first management and utilisation plans. National parks and a number of other nature conservation areas today offer hiking and recreational possibilities across the country.
For many years, Metsähallitus’ nature conservation tasks were handled as a part of forestry operations. Since the latter part of the 1970s, personnel specialised in nature conservation tasks have gradually increased, and the Nature Conservation Area office was established in 1981. Ten years later the office was changed to what is now called Natural Heritage Services. The Natural Heritage Services business unit, an ever-expanding field of activity, received its own regional organisation in 1992. Nature conservation tasks and hiking services have been developed to respond to the current conservation demands of nature's
biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
, as well as to the needs of the recreational use of nature and nature tourism.
Leadership
See also
*
Pilke House
The Pilke House is a combined office building and science centre in Rovaniemi, Finland. It was built in 2011 and is notable for its low carbon footprint and the use of sustainable wood products in its design.
Science Centre Pilke
Science Cen ...
*
Environmental racism in Europe
Environmental racism is a term used by Enikő Vincze (2013) for "the practice of environmental injustice within a racialized context", in which "socially marginalized communities and minority groups" are subjected to disproportionate exposure to e ...