Forest issues such as climate change and trade of wood are nowadays more global and need international discussions and commitments.
National Forest Programmes and other forest related
programmes
Forest programmes have played an important role in Finland for
more than 50 years both as an instrument of forest policy and in
the provision of funding for forestry. The first actual forest programme
was prepared in 1961, known by the initials of its authors
as HKNL (Heikurainen-Kuusela-Linnamies-Nyyssönen). It
was followed by Teho programmes (1962 and 1964), the Mera
programmes (1964, 1966, 1969), the Forest 2000 programme
(1985) and the New Environmental Programme for Forestry in
Finland (1994). Subsequently, National Forest Programmes have
been drawn up.
The most recent forest programme is the National Forest Programme
(NFP) 2015, which has been adopted by the Government.
Because of rapidly progressing changes in the operating
environment, NFP 2015 was revised and adopted for implementation
by a Government Decision in December 2010. The purpose
of NFP 2015 is to support the development of the forest sector
into a pioneer in the bioeconomy field and to create an operating
environment where livelihoods based on forests and wood
are competitive and profitable yet where biological diversity and
other environmental benefits are taken into account.
The new programme differs from its predecessors specifically
in that it brings forest products and services considered to offer
the greatest potential for success to the forest sector onto
a par with the ensuring of sustainable forest management, i.e.
ensuring basic production of forest resources. The National Forest
Programme was prepared in extensively broad-based cooperation
with interest groups and drawing on the operating
strategies of those interest groups. The work was supported by
the Forest Foresight project funded by the Ministry of Agriculture
and Forestry.
Apart from the National Forest Programme, the Forest Biodiversity
Programme for Southern Finland 2008–2016
(METSO) is also ongoing. The aim of the METSO programme
is to consolidate the favourable trend in forest biodiversity by
improving the maintenance of habitats and structural features
of forests vital to the survival of threatened species. New areas
and networks of areas that support forest biodiversity are being
created, and the biodiversity of existing conservation areas is
being improved. The principles of new protection methods are
voluntary participation by forest owners, preservation of ownership
and full compensation of economic losses. The current
programme was preceded by a METSO pilot phase (2002–2007),
the positive experiences from which motivated a continuation
of the programme by a Government Decision in 2008.
Regional Forest Programmes are development plans for the
forest sector in the regional units of the Finnish Forestry Centre. These are revised
regularly in accordance with the policies outlined in the
National Forest Programme. A Regional Forest Programme sets
out the needs and aims for forest growth, management and use;
forest-based business operations; and multiple use and protection
of forests. It also sets out the measures and funding to attain
the goals. They provide an overall view of the status and
development needs of forests and forest management in the
domain of each regional unit of the Finnish Forestry Centre. The programmes are prepared
and reviewed by the Finnish Forestry Centre in cooperation with the
forest owners and other interest groups in the region. These
programmes were most recently revised in 2011.
The fixed-term Strategic Programme for the Forest Sector
(MSO, first period 2009–2011, second period 2011–2015) set up by the Ministry of Employment and
the Economy aims to launch and implement projects and initiatives
to support strategic goals in the forest sector and to improve
the profitability and competitiveness of the entire value chain of the forest and wood sector. The second main objective is to monitor and predict changes in the sector, while coordinating proactive measures to secure operations. The third is to coordinate measures extending across various administrative and other sectors.The programme includes projects such as the WoodFinland
network project geared towards boosting the wood product
industry and wood construction. Some of the goals of these
projects match and complement those in the National Forest
Programme 2015.
The following is a selective list of other national programmes and
strategies related to forests and directly impacting forestry:
- Finland’s National Strategy for Sustainable Development
(2006)
- National strategy and action plan for conservation
and sustainable use of biodiversity in Finland (2006–
2016)
- National Climate and Energy Strategy (2008) and
the related Foresight Report on Long-term Climate
and Energy Policy (2009) and ‘renewable energy obligation
package’ (2010)
- Finland’s National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate
Change (2005, to be revised 2011–2013)
- Natural Resource Strategy (2009), Sitra
- National Strategy on Invasive Alien Species (2011)
- National strategy for sustainable and responsible
use and protection of mires and peatland (2011)
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