Cold climate expertise and IT as strengths

Metsähallitus has collaborated with various operators to develop the cold climate expertise, as the Arctic conditions and sparse population increase risk factors on the field. For example, in logging and timber transportation, weather conditions have a significant effect on work safety, profitability and sustainable development.

In Lapland, Metsähallitus plays a central role in the regional economy. It buys all logging work and timber transportation, as well as a significant portion of the forest management and improvement work, as services from entrepreneurs in the industry. Workers often operate alone in an unpopulated area, and therefore the equipment, machinery and information technology in particular, among other things, must be functional and designed for the prevalent conditions.

For example, all forestry workers use smartphones, whereby they receive their job instructions electronically. A harvester operator can refer to logging instructions for information such as the right location, timber information and environmental instructions, as well as measurement and quality requirements. Information about completed logging jobs is transferred from the harvester to an office system through which timber trucks receive transportation instructions: from which warehouse the timber is to be retrieved, what is to be transported, where is it to be transported and when the timber must be delivered to the customer. Delivery goals are monitored with an enterprise resource planning system. Metsähallitus delivers wood to more than a hundred destinations.

The utilization of wood is optimized

Finnish forests are suited for a variety of economic uses in their different growth stages. Metsähallitus strives for bioeconomy, meaning that every tree is utilized for the needs of several customers. High-quality logs and pulpwood are delivered to be utilized as raw materials in the forestry and sawmill industry. Small-diameter wood, crowns and stumps are utilized in energy production. Metsähallitus optimizes the utilization of wood: every customer receives the desired wood material at the right time.

Metsähallitus also uses a geographic information system with up-to-date information about natural resources, properties, built property, procedure plans and procedures. The landscape ecological network is recorded in detail in the system. Such a system is not used in any other Arctic areas with forests.