Silvicultural and forest improvement work 2020

Total investments in silvicultural and forest improvement work were EUR 265 million in 2020, which was 4 per cent more than in the previous year (deflated using the wholesale price index). The costs of silviculture accounted for 78 per cent of the investments, and the share of forest improvement work was 22 per cent. Forest improvement work includes fertilisation, ditch network maintenance, and basic improvement and construction of forest roads. The total costs of ditch network maintenance and basic improvement and construction of forest roads are also included in forest improvement work.

The area of early and later pre-commercial thinning and improvement of young stands was 190,000 hectares, an increase of 12 per cent from the previous year. The area of early and later pre-commercial thinning was 148,000 and that of improvement of young stands was 43,000 hectares.

The area of artificial regeneration decreased by 5 per cent from the previous year to 95,000 hectares. Planting accounted for three quarters of the artificial regeneration area. Both planting and seeding areas decreased slightly from the previous year.

A total of 2,500 kilometres of forest roads were basic improved or constructed. Ditch network maintenance dropped to 4,700 kilometres.

On the basis of notifications of forest use, the area treated with fellings was estimated to be 711,000 hectares. Thinning and the removal of seed trees and shelterwood trees accounted for the majority of the felling area, covering 555,000 hectares. Clear cutting made up 16 per cent and seed tree and shelterwood felling 4 per cent of the total felling area.

The statistics for silviculture and forest improvement include work carried out in private, commercial and state-owned forests. Since 2015, the statistics have not included work carried out independently by forest owners in their own forests, as this is not recorded in the statistics from the data collected from forest service providers.

The statistics for silvicultural and forest improvement work by forest ownership categories in 2020 are revised October 6, 2021.

The statistics for prescribed burning in 2020 are revised January 3, 2022.