The Joensuu Research Unit is a multidisciplinary expert organisation acting on both, national and international level. The Research Units goal is to promote and to develop - through research - regional economic and enterprise activities based on forests and forestry products, especially in Eastern Finland.

The research profile of the Joensuu Unit consists of six focus areas: forest management planning, silviculture and the impacts of forestry on the environment, wood science and technology, forest technology, forest enterprise economics and international forestry, especially focused on Russia and countries with economic in transition. The Joensuu Unit is actively cooperating with numerous universities, research institutes and forest organisations in and outside Finland. Furthermore it is participating in international forest policy processes and in international forest organisations.

The Finnish Forest Research Institute started its activities in Joensuu in 1981. During the past 27 years Metla Joensuu has been developed into a powerful forest expert organisation in Eastern Finland. Especially during 2000-2008 Metla Joensuu has been expanded considerably, as a consequence of the Finnish Government policy to strengthen the forest research in Joensuu. The Government policy was to emphasize regional development through the production and transfer of expertise and new information. The total number of staff working at the Unit in the beginning of 2009 was 130. Of these 80 were researchers; almost half of them holding a doctoral degree. The number of permanent employees was 81. Six of Metla´s 19 research professorships are located at Metla Joensuu.

The staff of Metla Joensuu moved into its new facilities, the Metla House (pdf), in November 2004. This first large wooden office building in Finland has aroused an unexpected amount of interest because of its unique architecture and working environment in both, in Finland and abroad. The Metla House is located at the Joensuu University campus.