The Finnish Forest Industries Federation and the Finnish Sawmills Association have published a roadmap (programme) for the conservation of biodiversity in Finnish forests.
A great deal is already being done in Finland's commercial forests to improve the state of biodiversity; however, the implementation of these processes needs to be improved across the entire timber supply chain. This conclusion was reached in the roadmap for ensuring biodiversity published by the Finnish Forest Industries Federation and the Finnish Sawmills Association on 12 September.
“The extensive project that led to the development and creation of this roadmap confirms that we are already taking the right steps to promote biodiversity in managed forests. This must continue! It is important to integrate these measures so that they are implemented across the entire forest management and timber supply chain,” noted Karoliina Niemi, Director of Forest Affairs at the Finnish Forest Industries Federation, and Anniina Kostilainen, Communications Manager at the Finnish Sawmills Association, in an email to the portal forest.fi (Karoliina Niemi) and (Anniina Kostilainen).
Promoting biodiversity is a shared responsibility. This goal is supported by top-level management and the entire organisation. “It requires motivation, skills, and commitment, which must be strengthened,” stress both K. Niemi and A. Kostilainen.
5+5
The new 20-page programme (roadmap) includes five practical measures and five additional supporting measures. According to K. Niemi and A. Kostilainen, research and practical implementation were used in the preparation and compilation of the material.
The aim of the first five measures is to strengthen habitats essential for forest biodiversity and their structural characteristics. Structural characteristics refer to the diversity of resources available to species in the forest, such as both living trees and various types and ages of deadwood. The deciding factors are increasing the volume of deadwood, preserving valuable natural sites, and increasing the number of broad-leaved trees.
Measures
1. Increasing the proportion of different tree species by boosting the share of broad-leaved species and the number of rarer deciduous trees.
2. Ensuring sufficient deadwood resources for all species. Increasing the quantity and diversity of deadwood.
3. Preserving valuable habitats in connection with forest management operations and promoting voluntary protection measures for them.
4. Identifying herb-rich forests and open, sunny areas in managed forests and increasing their biological value through nature conservation measures.
5. Increasing the number of fire-dependent habitats by implementing controlled burning as a method of nature management.
“In particular, we want to ensure that fire-dependent habitats, sunny sites, and herb-rich forests receive appropriate attention. In addition to our own work, we are proposing national programmes for both herb-rich forests and open, sunny areas,” emphasise K. Niemi and A. Kostilainen.
Examples of measures to support the implementation of the programme
1. Strengthening the biodiversity-related competence of forestry personnel.
2. Building cooperation and improving the climate for discussion within the forestry sector and its relations with NGOs.
3. Investments in remote sensing technologies, the development of forestry machinery, and the measurement of nature data.
4. Developing expertise and multi-disciplinary research; putting the results into practice.
5. Strengthening the motivation to support biodiversity both as an absolute value and as a guarantee for the profitability of forestry.
The conclusions outlined in the biodiversity roadmap are based on an extensive research programme conducted by representatives of the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), the University of Eastern Finland, the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, and the consultancy Tapio Palvelut Oy.
K. Niemi and A. Kostilainen point out that the situation in nature can be reliably monitored based on measurement data alone.
“More data from both research and practical monitoring are needed. We want to measure both actions and outcomes. We need data collected by various operators, as well as nationwide monitoring and inventory. The data must be freely and easily accessible in one place, which is why we are proposing the creation of a national nature data centre,” explain Karoliina Niemi, Director of Forest Affairs at the Finnish Forest Industries Federation, and Anniina Kostilainen, Communications Manager at the Finnish Sawmills Association.
https://forest.fi/article/wood-processing-industries-published-programme-to-enhance-biodiversity/#58132e15