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Common interest in natural resources The administrative sector touches upon the everyday life of the Finns in various ways, in both work and leisure. The objective of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is to create and maintain the precondit...

Forest resources in Finland More than 75% of Finland’s land area is covered with forest. In relative terms, Finland is the most forested country in Europe. A total of 20.3 million hectares is suitable for wood production and 2.6 million hectares i...

Forest resources information In international comparison, Finland’s forest resources are very well known. Already since the 1920s the National Forest Inventories have produced reliable data on the forest resources. The natural resources Institute ...

Genetic resources Genetic resources that are vital for Finnish agriculture and forestry have adapted to the local natural and environmental conditions over thousands of years, which makes them unique. The conservation of genetic resources ensures ...

Protection of forests in Finland In Finland, national parks and strict nature reserves constitute the basic framework of the nature conservation network. Other areas dedicated to biodiversity conservation include, inter alia, strictly protected zo...

Sectoral research institutes In its administrative branch, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry steers two research institutes: the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and the National Land Survey of Finland (NLS / Finnish Geospatial Re...

Conservation of forest genetic resources Sufficient genetic diversity ensures the success of our forest tree species in a highly variable environment. Safeguarding genetic diversity and resources is an important part of biodiversity conservation a...

This international event brings together experts, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to advance nature credit markets and environmental innovations in agriculture across Europe. The programme combines high-level discussions, practical case examples, and networking opportunities to strengthen collaboration under EU frameworks such as CAP and Horizon Europe.

Sustainable forest management Sustainability means that future generations will have the same opportunities to meet their needs as the present ones, or even better. Securing sufficient forest resources and biodiversity as well as climate change mi...

22.9.2026 | A newly proposed model gives organisations a common framework for managing and developing their biodiversity work. The model was co-created and piloted with six organisations that took part in a development programme.

Forest bioeconomy Forest bioeconomy comprises various industrial and production sectors and operations that are based on wood or forests. Operations such as the processing of forest biomass in the forest, energy, chemical or food industries are al...

Forest bioeconomy Forest bioeconomy comprises various industrial and production sectors and operations that are based on wood or forests. Operations such as the processing of forest biomass in the forest, energy, chemical or food industries are al...

1.2.2024 | The Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) will replace the experimental cowshed in Minkiö, Jokioinen with a new one. The planning of the project and competitive tendering and planning the implementation of the construction work will be carried out during 2024. The construction of the new cowshed will take place in 2025 and the aim is to take it into use by the end of the year. 

1.2.2024 | The Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) will replace the experimental cowshed in Minkiö, Jokioinen with a new one. The planning of the project and competitive tendering and planning the implementation of the construction work will be carried out during 2024. The construction of the new cowshed will take place in 2025 and the aim is to take it into use by the end of the year. 

Forestry in Finland Forests are a major source of both economic and social wellbeing for Finland. About one in seven Finns come from families who own forests. The material resources and amenity values of forests provide a wide range of opportuniti...

16.5.2025 | The Nordic Conference on Climate Change Adaptation (NOCCA 2025) on 14–15 May 2025 brought together 160 experts to Rovaniemi to share the most recent scientific knowledge and examples related to the preparation for climate risks.

3.6.2026 | In their declaration, the European ministers responsible for forests committed to strengthening the role of sustainable forest management in safeguarding the future of Europe’s forests amid rapidly changing environmental, economic, social and geopolitical conditions. In addition, at their meeting in Stockholm on 2–3 June 2026, the ministers reaffirmed their support for the recovery and sustainable management of Ukraine’s forests and the rebuilding of its forest sector.

Most of renewable energy in Finland is bioenergy Renewable energy sources mean wood-based fuels, other fuels of plant or animal origin, biogas, biodegradable fractions of fuels derived from recycling or wastes, hydropower, windpower, solar energy ...

21.8.2024 | For Forest+ is a group dedicated to advocating for the interests of the forested Member States within the EU. Ministers from the group’s member states – Austria, France, Slovenia and Sweden – and their representatives visited Finland on the invitation of the Finnish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah between 20 and 21 August 2024. During their visit, the ministers discussed next st...

13.11.2025 | The Conference on Energy Transition in Capture Fisheries discussed the opportunities offered by new energy sources and electricity and ways to reduce the use of energy. The conference gave wide support to the declaration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on boosting energy transition in the fisheries sector.

4.9.2025 | For Forest + is a group that promotes the interests of the forested Member States in the EU. Now Italy and Latvia are also members, besides Austria, Finland, France, Slovenia and Sweden. The For Forest Group + held the first meeting in its new composition in Slovenia on 28–30 August 2025.

25.11.2024 | Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah visits Canada with a delegation of the Finnish forestry and bioeconomy actors on 24–28 November. Minister Essayah will deliver the keynote speech at the Scaling Up Bioeconomy Conference 2024 in Ottawa. Finland is the Feature Country of this year’s conference. In addition, the Minister and the business delegation will visit the province of Quebec.

8.11.2022 | The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is hosting three side events at the COP27 Climate Change Conference in Egypt on 10 and 12 November in cooperation with the Nordic Council of Ministers. The events will present the Catch the Carbon package of climate measures and discuss research on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands. The discussions will be streamed live as a webcast.

18.12.2024 | On November 21, 2024, the Scientific Café, organized by the project coordinator and national partner MMM for Finland, explored the theme “Strengthening Biodiversity in Finnish Forests". Held at the House of Science and Hope (Puistokatu 4) in Helsinki, the event took place on a stormy Thursday evening, creating an intimate café-like atmosphere complemented by coffee and light refreshments. Despite ...

12.3.2025 | The last projects of the Catch the Carbon package of climate measures ended at the end of 2024. The implementation of the knowledge and climate change resilient solutions produced in the package of 180 measures will continue and be further intensified through cooperation in different parts of the country. The processes to support this include the activities of the National Climate Unit of the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres).

5.12.2023 | The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will organise two side events and act as a partner in several other events at the UN Climate Conference COP28 in Dubai. The programme themes are sustainable food systems, climate change adaptation and low-carbon construction.

13.11.2023 | The Finnish Catch the Carbon package of climate measures has developed various methods to guide climate-smart land use and to reconcile different forms of land use. This week, two key projects are presented at the international emission reduction forum of OECD countries in Paris.

9.9.2020 | The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland is pleased to announce the release of a new policy paper on “Science diplomacy for plant health”. The paper, published by the prestigious peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Plants, was initiated as part of the International Year of Plant Health 2020.

12.6.2018 | The demand for solutions that recycle and save water is growing dramatically and food production is increasing in water areas. When the public and private sectors engage in goal-oriented collaboration, Finland can offer competitive solutions to the world's challenges. The priority areas of research and expertise supporting sustainable business activities in the blue bioeconomy have been defined in wide-ranging cooperation.

11.2.2022 | The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry funds five new research and innovation projects from the Catch the Carbon package of climate measures for the land use sector that is based on the Government Programme. These multidisciplinary projects will study and develop the comprehensive resilience of agriculture, forestry and other types of land use. After these funding decisions, the total number of Catch the Carbon project rises to 80, of which 15 are research and innovation projects.

10.9.2021 | On 6 October, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will open a new call for applications concerning funding to be targeted to research, innovation and development projects under the Catch the Carbon package of climate measures. About EUR 13 million in funding is available for the new projects. The calls for applications will be open until 4 November 2021.

23.2.2021 | The funding decisions for the Catch the Carbon research and innovation programme’s first round of applications have been made by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. A total of EUR 10.7 million was granted to ten research and innovation projects. This funding is part of the government programme’s climate action package for the land use sector. It is a significant public investment in the sector’s climate objectives, including agriculture and forestry. 

24.2.2022 | The new Catch the Carbon projects will develop and pilot regional and local climate work, carbon markets and offsetting schemes in agriculture, forestry and other land use, and strengthen the knowledge base for greenhouse gas inventories.

11.6.2018 | Ladies and Gentlemen, Colleagues and Friends, It is a great pleasure to have the opportunity to be here in this important and interesting conference, where we can share information on scientific research results and novel practices, and significantly advance nutrient circulation in all our countries.

3.11.2020 | Mexican and Finnish forest experts will strengthen their cooperation in forest sector. Forest cooperation between the two countries is based on a five-year Memorandum of Understanding. The parties to the MoU are the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland and National Forestry Commission of Mexico CONAFOR. Topical topics in cooperation include e.g. forest inventories, drafting of national forest programmes and role of forests in mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

Forest industry In Finland the processing of raw materials from forests into sawn wood and paper products started at the end of the 19th century. Besides wood products and paper, today wood is also utilised for the manufacture of fabrics, medicine...

Wood fuels for energy production Electricity and heat is generated from black liquor, bark, and sawdust Wood-based energy is derived from by-products of wood processing, such as bark, sawdust, and waste liquor from pulp production. Additionally, t...

Forest Governance The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry directs and develops forest policy and legislation in Finland and participates in EU decision-making through the Government. Metsähallitus (State Forests), the Natural Resources Institute ...

Wildlife and game administration The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is the supreme authority responsible for managing and supervising hunting and game management activities. The Ministry’s responsibilities include preparing hunting legislati...

Conservation of the genetic diversity of agricultural plants and animals The preservation, conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of agricultural plants and animals are regulated by Finland’s National Genetic Resources Programme...