Wood consumption 2021

In 2021, roundwood was consumed 85,2 million cubic metres. Of this amount, 85% was consumed as logs and pulpwood for forest industries production and the rest was burned for energy as small- and large-sized stemwood in heating and power plants and small-scale housing.

• In 2021, a total of 85.2 million cubic metres of roundwood were consumed in Finland. The amount increased by 9% from the previous year and was the highest in the history of the statistics.
  • The majority of roundwood, 72.2 million cubic metres and 85%, was processed by the forest industries, up by 8% from the previous year. Of all roundwood consumed by forest industries, domestic was 62.4 million cubic metres and imported 9.8 million cubic metres.
  • 13.0 million cubic metres of roundwood was burned in energy generation, being 15% more than in the previous year. Of this amount, 6.5 million cubic metres were burned as firewood in small-scale housing and 6.6 cubic metres as forest chips manufactured from small-sized and large-sized stemwood at heating and power plants.
• A total of 27.7 million cubic metres of by-products and various wood residues were used, 17% more than in the previous year.
  • 9.8 million cubic metres of by-product and various wood residues was used in forest industry production as sawdust and chips.
  • A total of 18.0 million cubic metres of by-product and various wood residues was consumed in energy production. Of this, 3 million cubic metres was consumed by heating and power plants as forest chips from forest residues (logging residues and stumps) and 12.9 million cubic metres as forest industry by-products (mainly industrial wood chips, sawdust and bark). In addition, the volume includes recycled wood and wood pellets (1.7 million m3) burned by heating and power plants and various types of recycled wood, by-products and wood pellets (0.4 million m3) burned in small-scale housing.

Roundwood includes logs and pulpwood processed by the forest industry and stemwood (small-sized tree and large-sized tree) burnt in energy production in heating and power plants and in small-scale housing. It also includes imported chips and sawdust processed by the forest industry.

By-product and wood residues includes domestic wood chips and sawdust consumed in forest industry production and forest industry solid by-product wood (no liquid by-products), wood pellets and recycled wood and forest chips made from logging residues and stumps that end up in energy generation.

More information

Compared to preliminary data for 2021, roundwood consumption increased by 0.1% and by-products and wood residues by 0.9%. The change is due to revised data on the consumption of solid wood fuels in heating and power plants.

An error in the regional figures for the use of roundwood in the forest industry in 2021 has been corrected on 12.4.2023. The correction applies to the following regions: Kymenlaakso (+6 086 m³), South Karelia (+278 m³), Etelä-Savo (+346 564 m³), Pohjois-Savo (+9 034 m³), North Karelia (+123 646 m³) and Central Finland (+239 465 m³). The correction had no effect on the statistical figures for the whole country.