Forestry in Finland is based on family ownership. There are over 920 000 private forest owners in Finland owning 60% of the total forest area, 67% of the growing stock and 68% of the annual increment. The average size of these family forest holdings is less than 30 hectares. In the past, most forest owners were farmers. Now most of them, around 80%, are wage earners, pensioners and entrepreneurs.
Forest management in Finland is practised with future generations in mind. The number of forest owners is large and the forestry goals they set for themselves are diverse. According to recent surveys, timber production and other economic values are a priority to 71%, recreational and leisure values to 19%, conservation to 5% and emotional values to 5% of the private forest owners.
About 80% of the domestic wood purchased by the industry comes from family forests. Forest owners make about 100 000 – 150 000 wood sale transactions every year. The average private forest owner makes a transaction in 3 – 4 year intervals, the average size of a sale being 400 m³.
