State-owned forests still represent a significant carbon sink, unlike Finnish forests as a whole.
According to recent calculations by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), state forests formed a total carbon sink of 6.8 million tonnes in 2019–23. This represents the amount of climate emissions they removed from the atmosphere, known as carbon sequestration.
All of Finland's forests, on the other hand, constituted a source of emissions of over 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide instead of a sink.
However, the carbon sink of state-owned woodlands has also decreased. It averaged 9.6 million tonnes in 2014–18, a reduction of almost 30 percent. Luke's calculations are based on the national forest inventory, logging statistics and projections of tree growth.
The state forest management company Metsähallitus has a target for carbon sinks, based on the state ownership steering policy. It said that the sink in state-owned forests should increase by 10 percent from the 2018 level by 2035. Finland aims to become carbon-neutral by that year, a commitment enshrined the Climate Change Act that entered into force in 2022.
The target was originally set in 2020 by the government of PM Sanna Marin (SDP) and approved by Parliament in June 2022. The government of Petteri Orpo (NCP) reaffirmed the target in 2024.
Metsähallitus Forestry is the company’s division that oversees commercial operations in state-owned woodlands.
Its managing director, Jussi Kumpula, said at a press conference on Thursday that the situation is "very challenging".
"For example, when the EU targets for forests were set, there was no information on the impact of soil emissions on the sink," he said.
Metsähallitus' target for its commercial forests is related to EU climate policy in that Finland has committed to maintaining the carbon sink of all its forests at a certain level. It could face billions of euros in penalties if it fails to do so.
Finland is now on track to miss its national target, due to soil emissions and heavy logging, among other issues. Tree felling has increased in Finland in recent years, partly due to the halt in timber imports from Russia since its full-scale attack on Ukraine began three years ago.
Logging plays a minor role in state forests
The carbon sink of state forests has slumped for the same reasons as that of the forests of Finland as a whole.
One factor is that growth has slowed as forests have aged. The size of the forest canopy – the upper layer of trees – has decreased, which affects carbon sequestration. There has also been more forest destruction through natural causes such as storms.
The total forest sink has also been undermined by higher emissions from soils.
On the other hand, logging has only had a minor impact on carbon sequestration in state forests, according to Luke research scientist Jukka-Pekka Myllykangas. When the sink began to shrink, logging was only 2–4 percent higher than before, he told Yle on Thursday.
According to Myllykangas, the carbon-absorption capability of state forests has become even more crucial as other forests have become net sources of emissions.
"We’re still very strongly on the sink side. The model also predicts that the sink should start to grow," he said.
Logging volumes reduced to boost sequestration
According to Metsähallitus, the goal of increasing carbon sinks will affect future logging volumes, though.
This has already happened in Kainuu, Central and Northern Ostrobothnia, where carbon sink targets have lowered the agency’s estimates of how much logging can be carried out sustainably, by a total of 200,000 cubic metres.
"The carbon sink target has already been a limiting factor as we plan logging," said Kumpula, adding that logging will also be decreased on state lands in other parts of the country.
According to Kumpula, the sustainable logging volume on state lands has so far been estimated at nine million cubic metres per year. The carbon sink target, together with other land use restrictions, will reduce it to 6.8 million cubic metres.
Other restrictions are related to biodiversity, recreational use, reindeer husbandry and protection of indigenous Sámi culture.
In 2023, Metsähallitus felled a total of 6.3 million cubic metres of wood.
According to Kumpula, in addition to reducing logging, one way to increase the carbon sink is to leave residues, such as branches, uncollected after logging. This increases the carbon sink formed by the soil. At present, the soil’s ability to suck up carbon is decreasing.
A similar approach has been taken, for example, in neighbouring Sweden, where the forests have a significantly larger the carbon sink than in Finland.
Other ways to increase carbon sinks include planting faster-growing seedlings, growing forests more densely, and extending rotation periods.
However, the amount of fertiliser cannot be increased much, as their use is limited by water protection laws. According to Kumpula, Metsähallitus has already reduced the number of drainage ditches in peatlands. Drainage drains the soil and therefore causes emissions.
Metsähallitus also plans to increase continuous-cover cultivation in peat forests. This means that an entire stand will not be removed at once through clear-cutting. On the other hand, continuous cultivation will be reduced in areas with mineral-rich soils, according to Kumpula.
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