UPM-Biofore-Magazine-2-2019

about the future, because people are really demanding new products. Decarbonisation is a big driver of change,” says Sequeira. Besides being a bioeconomy forerunner, Finland has also been at the forefront of developing responsible and efficient forest management practices, allowing forests to grow longer while also preventing forest fires and damage. Despite growth in the use of wood resources, Finland’s forest reserves are today larger than ever. “New investments have revitalised the forest industry in recent years. We have a large carbon sink in our forests, and we use less than we grow. Forests also have other forms of intangible value. Many Finns like to go hiking, picking berries, mushrooming or hunting, all of which are good for physical and mental health,” explains Juha Niemelä , Director-General of the Natural Resources Department at the FinnishMinistry of Agriculture and Forestry. Political push The EU adopted a forest strategy in 2013 to coordinate its responses to forest issues, with the aim of promoting sustainable forest management among its member countries and globally. During its presidency, Finland has now started preparations for a new strategy to replace the current one, which is valid until 2020. “Forestry policy is decided on a national basis, but the sector is also affected by other spheres of Europe- wide legislation, such as EU climate, energy and finance policy. We need to analyse carefully whether a strategy paper is a powerful enough tool for responding to this new situation,” Niemelä says. While it remains to be seen how far this strategic work has progressed by the time EU forest officials meet in Croatia next year, one thing is certain: forests are set to stay in the limelight. 

SENIOR FOREST OFFICIALS from EU member countries visited Finland in September for an informal EU forest directors-general meeting. The EU does not have a common forest policy, but the meeting, held once every EU presidency, provides an opportunity to exchange views and information on national and European forest issues. During their stay, they participated in forest planting in UPM’s forest.

WELCOME TO THE FOREST As UPM has production sites in several EU member states and serves customers in all of them, the company makes a policy of striving to foster understanding and raise awareness of sustainable forest management. “We welcome every opportunity to take our stakeholders to visit our forest,” says Marko Janhunen , Director, Public Affairs at UPM. “It is very rewarding to see how people start understanding the concept of sustainable forest management when we show them the whole value chain from planting to harvesting, and how sustainability is prioritised every step of the way.”

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to acknowledge and support the role of forest owners in managing their forests and making these forests more resilient in the future,” she adds. The bioeconomy shift As we tackle the ongoing challenges of urbanisation, global population growth and climate change, there are many ways in which the forests can help us on a path towards a more sustainable future. Renewable wood-based materials – sourced from sustainably managed forests or industrial side streams – can replace fossil fuels and other carbon-intensive materials in many products and applications, such as transport fuels, plastics, textiles and construction. During their stay in Finland, the EU forest officials visited UPM and the VTT Technical Research Centre to learn about research and new applications in the field. They also participated in forest planting. “It was very interesting to see the new bio-based products that have already been developed and others on the way to the market. It is absolutely important that we are thinking

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