Description of Forest resources statistic

Description and information content

Forest resources contains data derived from the National Forest Inventory (NFI) on the surface areas, growing stock volume, biomass, growth, forest health, biodiversity, and felling potential based on NFI data.

The most recent results relevant to forest resources are published cover both the national and regional level. The results of previous inventories are usually presented on national level only. From NFI 11 the results are also presented by regional level. Information about earlier inventories is available in Finnish Statistical Yearbooks of Forestry.

Categories

Data on forest resources is presented on national and regional levels. Based on the timber production capability, the data are categorised into forest land, poorly productive forest land, and unproductive land.  Most of the published data relate to forests growing in forest land and poorly productive forest land.

Data collection methods, and source of information

The forest resource data are based on the National Forest Inventories that have been conducted in Finland since the 1920s. The NFI materials comprise data samples that cover all of Finland. In the current system, one inventory measures almost 60 000 sample plots and 500 000 trees on forestry land in the course of five years.

The estimates of maximum sustained yield are based on the use of a large-scale forest planning system MELA with the National Forest Inventory data. More information about felling potential estimates: Felling potential estimates

Update frequency

The National Forest Inventory is carried out every 5 years.

Preparation or publication schedule

New results can usually be calculated annually by using the most recent measuring data, but decisions on publishing the results are made separately each year, and they depend on the situation.

Time series

National Forest Inventories by the Finnish Forest Research Institute have been carried out since the 1920s.

NFI 1, 1921–1924

NFI 2, 1936–1938

NFI 3, 1951–1953

NFI 4, 1960–1963

NFI 5, 1964–1970

NFI 6, 1971–1976

NFI 7, 1977–1984

NFI 8, 1986–1994

NFI 9, 1996–2003

NFI 10, 2004–2008

NFI 11, 2009–2013

NFI 12, 2014–2018