The National Emergency Supply Agency of Finland has introduced a new concept of “secure supply forests” for use in emergency situations in the country.
According to the CEO of Metsähallitus Metsätalous, Jussi Kumpula, and the Director of the Finnish Forest Centre, Ari Eini, the term “secure supply forest” most likely refers to ensuring the availability of forest energy during a crisis.
Last week, at the National Forest Days organised by the Finnish Forest Association, the association's CEO Janne Känkänen (Janne Känkänen) put forward the idea of “forest supply security”. “Of course, the most important issue regarding secure supply forests is the speed at which wood can be made available for use in an energy plant,” said J. Känkänen.
The idea of linking forests to supply security is new in the forestry sector. The CEO did not provide further details regarding the type of forest, ownership, or location in Finland that he might have had in mind.
The discussion about the availability of wood energy began when Russia attacked Ukraine on 24 February and timber imports from Russia to Finland were halted. Of the wood fuel used in Finland last year, 13% was of Russian origin.
“State forests would be just a drop in the ocean”
It is possible that the idea of secure supply forests prompted many to turn their attention to Metsähallitus, which manages Finland’s state forests. However, Jussi Kumpula draws attention to private forest owners in Finland, whose numbers exceed 600,000. “The key role belongs to owners whose forests are located close to populated areas where energy is produced,” said Jussi Kumpula.
Metsähallitus and NESA have not discussed issues regarding forest security, although Kumpula says he had a brief conversation with J. Känkänen at the opening of the National Forest Days.
“After the opening, I only exchanged a few words with J. Känkänen. I told him that if necessary, we are ready to assist NESA with our expertise. I also said that we know where harvesting is planned, but that the energy wood obtained from there would be just a drop in the ocean,” noted Jussi Kumpula.
J. Kumpula says that the share of marketable timber produced in Finland by Metsähallitus is about eight percent, and its share in the extraction of energy wood is even smaller. The state-owned forests grow on poor soils, consist mainly of pine, and are located in the east and north of Finland, where there are few populated areas.
“Transporting surplus forest wood is only profitable up to a distance of one hundred kilometres. If energy wood is harvested in places where it is not profitable under current price conditions, someone must be found to pay for it,” Jussi Kumpula told the portal forest.fi.
Another factor reducing the availability of forest energy in Finland is nature conservation
We do not have forests that are suitable only for the production of energy wood. Forests produce sawlogs, pulpwood, logging residues, or small-diameter wood that is not accepted by pulp mills or sawmills.
“A few years ago, when we decided to leave rotting and dead wood in the forest to improve biodiversity, the volume of Metsähallitus energy wood decreased by half. Before that, it was harvested for energy,” explains J. Kumpula.
In regeneration fellings on lands managed by Metsähallitus, the proportion of continuous-cover silviculture is 25%. This reduces the availability of forest chips, as logging residues are not collected for energy in these areas.
J. Kumpula believes that, overall, when talking about “energy forests”, it is easy for misconceptions to arise. The Finnish Forest Centre indicates that there have been conversations on this topic.
The Finnish Forest Centre is legally obliged to provide administrative assistance in emergency situations if requested. Forest Centre Director Ari Eini says that the centre has had discussions with NESA, but no actual talks about secure supply forests have taken place. Forest Centre Director Ari Eini states that the Centre has had discussions with NESA, but no actual talks about secure supply forests have taken place. A. Eini notes that NESA and the Forest Centre will jointly review current regulations and legislation regarding forests.
“If we find that something is missing, we could start talking in more detail about the concept of “secure supply forests””, explained A. Eini. According to A. Eini, forest resource data can be used and is indeed used to identify suitable locations for harvesting energy wood. Furthermore, forest resource data can also be used in fighting forest fires.
Jussi Kumpula mentions the creation of mandatory stockpiles, which applies to oil and other petroleum products.