Ecosystem services of forests

Ecosystem services mean the various benefits and amenities that nature offers to humans. Many of these benefits are in fact vital for humans and other living organisms. Ecosystem services provided by forests include the production of wood as raw material for processing and manufacturing, production of berries and mushrooms, sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere to the growing stock, preventing soil erosion, and various forms of recreation. Biodiversity is the foundation of ecosystem services, allowing nature to renew and adapt.

Nature and the ecosystem services it offers must be utilized in a sustainable manner so that the future generations will also benefit from them. It is important to recognize the interdependencies between the various ecosystem services and manage them in a sustainable way, taking advantage of all the available research.

Related links
Productisation of ecosystem services (TAPIO) (in Finnish)