Finland is Europe\u2019s most forested country.\u00a0 Over 75% of Finland\u2019s land area is covered by forest.\u00a0 Yet, they have few forest fires as compared to neighboring Sweden, Russia, and the rest of the world.\u00a0 Some scientists argue that Finland has too few fires.\u00a0 Too few to encourage a diversity of species and habitats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is it about Finland? Why do they have fewer forest fires? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe difference between the two Nordic countries is not explained by vegetation or climate,\u201d Finland\u2019s Forest Association said, \u201cbut is believed to be based on differences in infrastructure and forest management.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Swedish researchers say the significant difference is forest thinning and continuous cover forestry. Other researchers point to the system of firebreaks and access roads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finland has managed to bring down the area annually destroyed by wildfires from more than 100,000 hectares a century ago to now less than 1 percent of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Data and the \u201cfamily forest\u201d culture may be the biggest contributors to better forest management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Finnish Forest Centre\u2019s forest resource database is the largest in the world. Information on over 13.5 million hectares (32 million acres), covering 95% of forests in Finland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Forest owners can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
60% of Finland\u2019s forest land is owned by private forest owners, compared to 38% in the United States. The average family forest is 80 acres in size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This “family forestry” tradition has fostered a deep connection to the land and a commitment to sustainable management practices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Finland is Europe\u2019s most forested country.\u00a0 Over 75% of Finland\u2019s land area is covered by forest.\u00a0 Yet, they have few forest fires as compared to neighboring Sweden, Russia, and the rest of the world.\u00a0 Some scientists argue that Finland has too few fires.\u00a0 Too few to encourage a diversity of species and habitats. What is … <\/p>\n