Sustainable growth and carbon sequestration through targeted forest fertilization

Participants

Finnish Forest Centre, Natural Resources Institute (LUKE), Metsäteho Oy

Project description

Duration: 2022-2024

Forest fertilization is the fastest way to increase forest growth, improve the profitability of forestry
and to increase carbon sinks of the forests. In order to ensure the holistic sustainability of forestry
and, among other things, to avoid adverse effects on water bodies, forest fertilizations should be
targeted to the places where the fertilizations have the strongest effects on increasing growth and
carbon sequestration, but the environmental effects of fertilization can be minimized.

The criteria for the selection of forest fertilization sites is based on research data, which is developed as a large-scale collaboration in the project, enabling the overall sustainable targeting of fertilization to the right sites and increasing the acceptability of fertilization. It is possible for forest operators to produce spatial data on potential fertilization sites at the national level using the operating model and guidelines of this project. This spatial data concretises the fertilization potential in a completely new way and enables the information to be utilized in the marketing of fertilization services.

The project will provide a compilation of research data on the effects of forest fertilization
together with trainings, training materials and spatial data, to improve the ability of forest industry
actors to meet the information needs of forest owners related to fertilization and to justify
fertilization solutions. This reduces misconceptions and prejudices related to forest fertilization.

The project will promote the implementation of forest fertilization research results into normal
forest management. Thanks to the project, forest operators have a clear set of criteria for
implementing fertilizations. In addition, forest professionals are more aware of the importance of
fertilization in carbon sequestration and in growing trees. Open spatial data has been developed
for locating fertilization sites, and operators can use it to target and market fertilizers. The aim is to increase forest owners' awareness of the profitability of forest fertilization and its climate benefits.

Additional information
Forest management specialist Tatu Viitasaari, tel. +358 50 314 0472, tatu.viitasaari@metsakeskus.fi

More information on the project's web page (in Finnish)