Metla Annual Report 2008

Welcome. This is the annual report of Metla in electronic format. You can scroll the view to the right and left by setting the cursor on the cow-cones. Also the scroll wheel of your mouse scrolls the view sideways. A new window will open by clicking the plus-headings (+). Close the window [x] after reading.

Director General’s message+Director General’s message
Throughout the early years of the new millennium, the forest sector has had to face a constant stream of changes: the year 2008 was no exception. The unsettled times also provide challenges and opportunities to forest research. We must meet the needs of the industries that utilise forests and wood. We must produce information about how to act under the new conditions. We must develop new innovative products and solutions in collaboration with the operators in the field. The climate change also has an impact on the preconditions of the forest sector. Climate change is creating new threats, albeit new opportunities, too. Research is required in order to understand and adapt to the changes we are going through.

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Metla building the future of the forest sector+Research Directors’ Review
Despite efficient utilisation of wood raw material, the forest resources at the disposal of the Finnish economy have constantly increased over the past decades, and the annual growth of forests will reach the limit of 100 million cubic metres perhaps already in 2009. Our expertise in silviculture is advanced and also efficient on the international scale. A high level of technology has been achieved in wood harvesting and processing. This would not have been possible without the knowledge and expertise provided by research.

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Metla’s values+ Reliability
We act responsibly by producing scientifically objective and reliable information and by meeting the commitments made to our clients.

Occupational skills, competence and well-being
We motivate our personnel by developing their skills and competence to attain our shared goals and to become a world-class leader in the field of forestry.

Interactivity
We act openly and interactively in the best interest of our clients.

Proactivity and creativity
We anticipate future needs for information and develop our practices with an open mind and without prejudice.

Forest-based enterprise and business activities+The forest-based enterprise and business activities focus area produces and disseminates information about the basics and alternatives of wood production and other forest use, the properties of wood raw material, and the competitiveness of forest-based enterprise and other business activities. Research focuses on the ecological and economical sustainability of forest use.

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Bioenergy from forests (BIO) Bioenergy from forests
Duration: 2007-2011
Director: Antti Asikainen

The programme studies and develops sustainable silvicultural methods for biomass production in forests and peatlands and examines the possibilities of increasing the cultivation of energy crops in peatlands. The programme also develops inventory and planning methods for forest biomass resources and technological and logistical solutions for forest chips procurement. New entrepreneurship and business models in the forest energy business are supported, and the impact of increasing energy use of forests on the entire forest sector from the viewpoint of various players is evaluated. Woody biomass and its processing methods are also developed.
Cost-efficiency and quality in silvicultural operations (MKL)Cost-efficiency and quality in silvicultural operations
Duration: 2007-2011
Director: Juho Rantala

The objective of the programme is to turn the upward cost trend of silvicultural operations downwards by improving the productivity of work. One of the targets is to offer a high level of information relating to technology and finance when making decisions on silvicultural operations. Preliminary results indicate that there is significant potential for increasing cost-efficiency and savings. In mechanical seedling planting, savings as high as 20–30% in the costs of planting are predicted along with new machine innovations. Major regional differences have been revealed in the quality and price/quality ratio of silvicultural procedures even within the same work method. The development of operational models and systematic quality work will bring great financial benefits.
Wellbeing from forests (HYV)Welfare effects of forests
Duration: 2008-2012
Director: Liisa Tyrväinen

The ‘Welfare effects of forest’ research programme seeks methods for versatile utilisation of the forest environment in order to meet the needs of changing society and individuals. The main themes of the programme are nature-based tourism, outdoor recreation, new products and services, and integrating different forest uses. The objective is to integrate tourism and recreational use with the other forest uses by producing information about the economic values and benefits of recreational and tourism use of forests and the demand and development trends, the social and cultural values of forest use, as well as the operating environment of nature entrepreneurship and the development of new products and services.
Renewing wood product value chains and timber procurement solutions (PUU)Renewing wood product value chains and timber procurement solutions
Duration: 2009 – 2013
Director: Henrik Heräjärvi

The programme examines the progress of wood in a comprehensive way from raw material to end use. The main themes of research are wood raw material potentials and the functioning of timber trade, timber procurement and competitiveness of the companies, and wood products and customer solutions. The programme aims to enable value chain analyses that overcome the traditional boundaries between various theme areas. Forming and utilisation of collaborative networks, as well as extension of research results into reality, are emphasised in the programme.

Social impacts of forests+Social impacts of forests
The focus area produces and disseminates information about the social significance of forests and forest-based entrepreneurship and business operations, the welfare impacts of forests, and the methods and impacts of forest policy and economy, and provides forecasts on the future of the forest sector. Research focuses on the economic, social and cultural sustainability of forest use.

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Safeguarding forest biodiversity – policy instruments and socio-economic impacts (TUK)Safeguarding forest biodiversity – policy instruments and socio-economic impacts
Duration: 2005-2010
Director: Riitta Hänninen

The programme studies how the safeguarding of forest biodiversity is integrated with other forms of forest use at the national and regional level: the types of steering and implementation methods that should be used and the social and economic impacts the safeguarding of forest biodiversity will have in a changing environment. The results of the research programme support directly, for example, the Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland (METSO 2008–2016) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the National Forest Programme 2015, and the work of the METSO monitoring working group established by the Ministry of the Environment.

The structure and functioning of forest ecosystems+The structure and functioning of forest ecosystems
The focus area produces and disseminates information about the impacts of human operations and natural factors on the structure and functioning of forest ecosystems and on the ecological criteria for alternative forest use. The research focuses on the ecological sustainability of forest use.

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Functioning of forest ecosystems and use of forest resources in changing climate (MIL)Functioning of forest ecosystems and use of forest resources in changing climate
Duration: 2007-2011
Director: Elina Vapaavuori

The programme studies extensively how climate change can be observed in the forests. It also examines the biological impacts of climate change on the functioning of trees and the forest ecosystem and their ability to adapt to the changing climate. Information is produced on the impacts of climate change, the thriving of tree species, the risks of forest pests, and the factors related to forest land. Another target is to outline the significance of the forest sector in climate issues. Moreover, reports are drawn up for the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Production forestry in drained peatlands (SUM)Production forestry in drained peatlands
Duration: 2008-2010
Director: Jukka Laine

The objective of the research programme is to generate information for use in forestry, and from that platform to develop management guidelines forest production, harvesting, forest regeneration and environmental effects to meet the practical needs of peatland forestry. Efforts are made to examine the ecological and economic approaches concurrently. Subjects related to the study include the impacts of production forestry on watercourses and water protection, new solutions for the treatment of forests on drained peatlands and harvesting of timber, and the regeneration of peatland forests.

Information reserves for forestry and the forest environment+Information reserves for forestry and the forest environment
The focus area maintains and accumulates forest information reserves for forestry and the forest environment, develops the methods of information production and management based on these, and promotes joint use of the information reserves. The focus area produces statistics, services, products and alternative calculations based on the information reserves in support of decision-making.

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Research and development programme on forest resource information systems and forest planning (MSU)Research and development programme on forest resource information systems and forest planning
Duration: 2007-2010
Director: Tuula Nuutinen

The programme supports the development of forest planning systems and forest resource information systems required for planning purposes. It also promotes the maintenance of necessary regional forest resource information in regional organisations. Furthermore, forest owners are supported in the planning of forestry and timber sales and the constant maintenance of stand level forest data required in these. The development areas include operating models for producing information needed in various planning tasks. These models integrate the forest resource information system of the planning organisation itself, forest information of other operators, and ICT applications case by case, cost-effectively and in accordance with access rights.

Tasks as a public authority+As a government sector research institute under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Metla is also responsible for several key information service and management tasks of the forest sector.

Tasks as a public authority include:

National Forest Inventory (NFI)
Forest Statistics Information Service
Estimation and reporting of greenhouse gases
Forest health monitoring
Forest tree breeding
Forest gene resources
Inspection of plant protection products
Tasks related to legislation on measuring roundwood and sawn timber
Monitoring of forest regeneration in protected forest areas

In international scientific journals: 223
In national scientific journals: 32

Non-refereed publications: 390

Metla’s own publications and a list of refereed publications are available at http://www.metla.fi/julkaisut/index-en.htm

Presentations:

international 340
national 380

Articles in scientific journals: 226

Dissertationes Forestales: 23
Working Papers of the Finnish Forest Research Institute: 38

Various analyses and measurements can be commissioned to be carried out at the Metla laboratories
In the research forests, you can learn about forest information and forest research, e.g., with the help of various routes and other observation areas.
Metla’s photo archive has thousands of photographs of forests, forest research and forestry
From the Metla library, you can order, for example, Metla's own publications
Metinfo Forest Information Services
Tailor-made research, training and consulting assignments

International activities+

As in the previous years, Metla’s international activities continued actively in 2008. The regional focus of the activities was on the nearby areas and in Europe, but operations in Asia were also strengthened especially due to collaboration with Japan. Collaboration in the Balkans was negotiated with the Croatian Forest Research Institute. A target on Metla’s development policy support was added to Metla’s international strategy and, in accordance with the target, three expert projects were prepared for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. These projects will aim to improve the preconditions of forest research in Latin America, Kenya, Vietnam and Nepal.

Metla’s researchers released more than two hundred publications in international refereed series and provided research data in support of international decision-making in forest policy. In terms of international mobility, Metla acted as host organisation for more than fifty overseas researcher trainees and a number of international delegations.

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Forests and Human Health+IUFRO (International Union of Forest Research Organizations) has launched a new Task Force on Forests and Human Health, ForHealth. Its purpose is to support the cross-sectoral dialogue between the different players in this field, especially forestry and health professionals. It will bring a global perspective to the activities carried out at the European level.

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Organisation+ Metla’s management system is based on performance management. Operations are divided into core and support processes, the development and coordination of which are the responsibility of the services and research directors.

The core processes of Metla’s operations are

production, acquisition and implementation of research results,
providing public services, and
providing research services funded by clients.

The support processes include

strategic planning and management,
internal services, and
research support functions.

   management 14
   researchers 240
   experts 24
   technical 87
   IT 43
   office 72
   laboratory 46
   research assistants 102
   maintenance 26

Entire personnel 821, of which
- 140 are fixed-term employees
- and 27 have subsidised jobs

Metla’s historyMetla was established in 1917 by decree in accordance with the proposals in a memorandum drawn up by Professor A.K. Cajander, who was subsequently Director General of Metsähallitus and Prime Minister of three governments.

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