Forest protection 1.1.2019

• At the beginning of 2019, Finland had a total of 2.9 million hectares of protected forests. The area of protected forests consists of forests in statutory protected areas (2.4 million hectares) and biodiversity conservation sites in commercial forests (0.5 million hectares). Compared with the previous statistics compiled in 2016, the area of protected forests in the whole of Finland increased from 12% to 13%.

• The majority of Finland’s protected forests where no forestry is allowed, are found in nature conservation areas established under the Nature Conservation Act and in areas reserved for nature conservation on the basis of conservation programmes, as well as in wilderness reserves. In 2019, the total area of these forests was 2.2 million hectares, comprising 10% of the total area of forests (i.e. forest land and poorly productive forest land). The area of forest land where no forestry is allowed totalled 1.2 million hectares, accounting for 6% of the total area of forest land.

• The majority of protected forest areas, nearly 80%, are located in the Northern Finland (Northern Ostrobothina, Kainuu and Lapland), where their area totals 2.3 million hectares, or 20% of the total forest area in the region. In Southern Finland, protected forests covered 0.6 million hectares, comprising 5% of the forest area. Of the protected forests in Northern Finland, forest land covered 1.2 million hectares (13%). In Southern Finland, the corresponding area was 0.5 million hectares (5%). Compared with the previous statistics compiled in 2016, the area of protected forests increased from 19% to 20% in Northern Finland, whereas it remained at 5% in Southern Finland.

• Of the total area of forestry land (including forest land, poorly productive forest land, unproductive land and forest roads, depots etc.), protected areas covered 4.7 million hectares, comprising 18% of the area of forestry land. Of this, forests in statutory protected areas covered 4.0 million and in biodiversity conservation sites in commercial forests 0.7 million hectares.

• In addition to forests in statutory protected areas and biodiversity conservation sites in commercial forests, forests supporting the protection of nature values in restricted forestry use, not classified as protected forests in the statistics, covered 0.4 million hectares.

In the forest protection statistics ‘forest’ means the area of forest land and poorly productive forest land, which together form an area covered by trees, i.e. a forest. Protected forests include the total area of forest land and poorly productive forest land located in statutory protected areas and biodiversity conservation sites in commercial forests.

Text has been updated on 20th of November 2022

Explanations for graphics:
1A+1B+1C Statutory protected areas, total
1A Nature reserves and sites reserved for nature conservation
1BEH Other statutory protected areas, no fellings
1BH Other statutory protected areas, cautious fellings possible
1C Fixed-term protection areas on privately owned land
2A+2B Biodiversity conservation sites in commercial forests, total
2A Biodiversity conservation sites in commercial forests, no forestry measures
2B Biodiversity sites in commercial forests, restricted forestry use
3 Forests supporting conservation of nature values, restricted forestry use