|
|
Contribution of forest sector to gross domestic
product (GDP)
 |
| The share of forest sector in the total
regional GDP by forestry centre, 2008.
|
The contribution of forestry and the manufacturing of wood
and paper products to GDP indicates the forest sector’s macroeconomic
importance. It can also be used for the assessment
of how forest management contributes to overall sustainable
development, more specifically in regional analysis to evaluate
the significance of the forest sector as a source of employment
in rural areas and development, and whether this contribution
is sustainable.
Forest activities, wood processing and the pulp and paper industry
combined contribute one percent to GDP in Europe as
a whole, but the significance varies considerable among the
countries. The contribution of the forest sector to GDP is decreasing
as other sectors of the economy grow faster. Europe’s
pulp and paper industry has experienced a steep decline over
the past decade.
In 2010 the forest sector contributes about 4,8% of Finland’s
GDP. Regionally, however, the percentage may be as high as
10%, for instance in South-Eastern and Eastern Finland and in
Kainuu region. The economic recession of 2008–2009 caused a
reduction of nearly 20% in production capacity in the pulp and
paper industries, and jobs were lost in the forest industry in Finland.
In 2009, the year of economic recession, the total contribution of the forest sector to the GDP was EUR 6 billion.
Contribution of forest sector to GDP, 2010.
|
