Metsähallitus publishes its Annual Report and Corporate Social Responsibility Report

Metsähallitus has published its Annual Report for 2016. As part of the report, Metsähallitus is issuing a Corporate Social Responsibility Report that provides an extensive review of our operations and their social effects from the viewpoint of ecological, cultural, social and financial responsibility.

The year 2016 was lively and eventful for Metsähallitus. Metsähallitus performed well, despite major changes.

Forestry produces timber efficiently and responsibly on state-owned land for more than a hundred delivery locations. In multiple-use forests in forestry use, EUR 56 million was invested in securing the preconditions of biodiversity, recreational use and reindeer husbandry. For example, state-owned forests contain more decaying wood, which is important to biodiversity, than privately owned forests.

Metsähallitus takes the preconditions of the Sámi culture strongly into account. The Voluntary Akwé: Kon guidelines are applied in order to safeguard the participation of Sámi parties in various projects and plans. The Akwé: Kon process was used in 2016, in forestry planning alongside the Muddusjärvi reindeer herding co-operative.

Metsähallitus has also used a range of measures to promote ecological and cultural diversity. More and more people are interested in well-maintained protected areas as hiking destinations. The economic benefits of national parks increased. Management measures have helped endangered species; for example, successful protection measures have increased the population of the world’s most endangered seal, the Saimaa ringed seal.

The report is available online at annualreport2016.metsa.fi . It is published on a web platform, enabling each reader to compile an annual report of personally interesting themes. The Key Figures section of the report contains key figures describing Metsähallitus’ activities.

For further information, please contact:

Metsähallitus, Tuulikki Halla, Communication Manager, tuulikki.halla(at)metsa.fi