Regional data on forest resources updated in Luke’s statistics portal – the growing stock volume increased especially in Northern Finland

According to the most recent data about forest resources, the growing stock volume on forest land and poorly productive forest land is 2.6 billion cubic metres and annual increment amounts to 104 million cubic metres. The mean growing stock volume on forest land is 122 cubic metres and the annual mean increment is 5 cubic metres per hectare. The most recent data are based on the National Forest Inventory prepared between 2018 and 2022.

There are 26.2 million hectares of forestry land in Finland, covering 86% of the total land area. Of forestry land, 77% is forest land. In addition to forest land, forestry land includes poorly productive forest land (10%) and completely or nearly treeless unproductive land (12%). Forest vehicle roads, storage areas and other forestry maintenance areas account for 1% of forestry land. 

"The total area covered by forest land and poorly productive forest land is often referred to as forest. The most forested region is Kainuu, where forests cover 88%, whereas the least forested regions are Åland (57%) and Varsinais-Suomi (58%). Of forestry land, peatlands account for 35%, or 9.1 million hectares", says Kari T. Korhonen, Principal Scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).

The growing stock volume increased especially in Northern Finland

The growing stock volume on forest land and poorly productive forest land totals 2,550 million cubic metres, whereas the estimate based on measurements conducted in 2019–2021 was 2,529 million cubic metres. Of the growing stock, 1,656 million cubic metres are in Southern Finland and 894 million cubic metres in Northern Finland. The volume of the growing stock did not change from the estimate published last year in Southern Finland, while it increased by 22 million cubic metres in Northern Finland. The increase in Northern Finland can largely be explained by the statistics now including the most recent data measured in Northern Lapland, whereas the previous measurements were conducted ten years ago. Here, Northern Finland consists of the regions of North Ostrobothnia, Kainuu and Lapland.

Of the growing stock volume, 88% is located on land available for wood production. Wood production land does not include conservation areas, for example. The region with the largest growing stock volume is Lapland (441 million cubic metres), while Southern Finland accounts for two thirds of the entire country’s growing stock volume overall. 

Of the growing stock volume, pine covers half, spruce 30 per cent and deciduous trees the remaining 20 per cent. Three quarters of the volume are located in mineral soils and a quarter in peatlands.

The mean growing stock volume on forest land is 122 cubic metres per hectare. The mean volume is the highest in Kanta-Häme (175 cubic metres per hectare) and the lowest in Lapland (80 cubic metres per hectare).

The annual increment of growing stock on forest land and poorly productive forest land is 104 million cubic metres. The highest annual increments are in the regions of Lapland (13.1 million cubic metres), North Ostrobothnia (10.3 million), North Karelia (9.9 million), and Pohjois-Savo (9.9 million). In Lapland, the estimated growing stock volume increased by as much as 1.4 million cubic metres, partly as a result of the most recent data measured in Northern Lapland, but the volume also increased significantly in other parts of Lapland.

The mean annual increment of growing stock on forest land is 5.0 cubic metres per hectare in the entire country. The mean annual increment is the highest in Kanta-Häme (7.6 cubic metres per hectare), Päijät-Häme (7.4), and Kymenlaakso (7.4), while it is the lowest in Lapland (2.5 cubic metres per hectare).