Forest Sciences’ Day 21 October 2025
#Metsätiede2025
Place: Viikki Campus of the University of Helsinki, Forest Sciences’ Building, Latokartanonkaari 7 and remote connection with Zoom
Time: Tuesday 21 October 2025, whole day
The traditional Forest Sciences’ Day of the Finnish Society of Forest Science will be organised this year for the 33rd time. This is the fourth hybrid Forest Sciences’ Day. The event has become the most important gathering of forest scientists and all those interested in scientific knowledge and its application on forests and forestry.
This year’s theme is “Forest layers”. Both the forests themselves and humans’ relationships with them are layered in many ways. From the natural sciences’ viewpoint, layers are formed by the layered structure of soils, vegetation and their functioning. From the societal viewpoint, decision making on forests occurs in different layers of the society, starting from the decisions of an individual forest owner up to the investments of forest industries and international regulation. Time and place layers of forest traditions and narratives are socially important, as well as everyone’s multiple forest relationships. In forest management, layering may be viewed from uneven-aged vs. even-aged forestry point. Forest layers are a challenge for remote sensing. In the study of global climate change, it is important to understand the functioning of the various forest layers and how they affect the carbon balance of a forest.
In the morning, we will have a plenary session, in which the best experts of the topic make reviews on the theme from the viewpoints of forest soils, exchange of greenhouse gases, remote sensing of forests and forest-related decision making.
In the afternoon the science clubs of the Finnish Society of Forest Science will organise six parallel sessions.
Programme
9:00 – 12:00 Morning plenary session, Auditorium 110
| 9:00-9:10 | Opening of Forest Sciences’ Day | Vice-chair Jori Uusitalo, Finnish Society of Forest Science |
| 9:10-9:30 | News from the forest floor | Senior Lecturer Sari Timonen, University of Helsinki |
| 9:30-9:50 | Layers and carbon balance of forest and their climate effects | Professor Annalea Lohila, University of Helsinki and Finnish Meteorological Institute |
| 9.50-10.10 | Forests seen from above | Research Professor Petteri Packalen, Natural Resources Institute Finland |
| 10:10-10:40 | Coffee break | |
| 10:40-11:00 | Layers in the decision support on forests – from hierarchies to networks and from combination to breakdown | Research Director Jukka Tikkanen, University of Eastern Finland |
| 11:00-11:20 | Layers of forest discourse – who speaks and whose voice is heard? | Sustainability Communications Manager Noora Moilanen, Metsä Group |
| 11:20-12:00 | Common discussion | Plenary speakers |
13:15 – 16:00 Afternoon parallel sessions
| Session topic | Organiser | Contact person |
| Tracing the biological memory of forests | Forest Biology Club | Hannes Pasanen (hannes . pasanen [] uef . fi) |
| Layers of forest economics | Forest Economist Club | Jussi Lintunen (jussi . lintunen [] luke . fi) |
| How do we affect the layering of forests through management? | Silviculture Club | Heli Viiri (heli . viiri [] upm . com) |
| The multi-layered complexity of power and agency in human-forest relationships: What does societal transformation bring along? | Human-Forest Relationship Research Club | Emmi Salmivuori (emmi . salmivuori [] uef . fi); Kaisa Vainio (kaisa . vainio [] utu . fi) |
| Layers in forest management planning and inventory | Forest Mensuration Club | Sanna Sirparanta (sanna . sirparanta [] metsakeskus . fi) |
| Multi-directional and multi-dimensional wood procurement | Technology Club | Tuomas Niinistö (tuomas . niinisto [] luke . fi) |
16:15 – 17:00 Afternoon plenary session, Auditorium 108
- Photo presentation of the excursion to Latvia in August 2025
- Short film Definition of Forest (2024). Before the screening, film maker Dr Kristiina Koskinen tells about the background of the film.
- Final words of Forest Sciences’ Day
17:15 – 20:00 Buffet dinner of Forest Sciences’ day
Restaurant Viikuna, Building EE of Viikki Campus, Agnes Sjöbergin katu 2
Register latest 15.10.2025 using this form: https://forms.gle/cSzBHq3aPTg5fszx5
Organising Committee
Chair: Jori Uusitalo, University of Helsinki / Vice-Chair of the Finnish Society of Forest Science
Tel +358 50 441 7473, e-mail jori . uusitalo {} helsinki . fi
Forest Biology Club: Hannes Pasanen, University of Eastern Finland, hannes . pasanen {} uef . fi
Forest Economist Club: Anu Laakkonen, University of Eastern Finland, anu . laakkonen {} uef . fi
Silviculture Club: Heli Viiri, UPM Forest, heli . viiri {} upm . com
Human-Forest Relationship Research Club: Kristiina Koskinen, University of Lapland, kristiina . koskinen {} ulapland . fi
Forest Mensuration Club: Sanna Sirparanta, Finnish Forest Centre, sanna . sirparanta {} metsakeskus . fi
Technology Club: Kari Väätäinen, Natural Resources Institute Finland, kari . vaatainen {} luke . fi
Secretary: Pekka Nygren, Finnish Society of Forest Science
Tel. + 358 44 558 1199, e-mail pekka . nygren {} metsatiede . org
Forest Sciences’ Day is organised with the support from foundation Metsämiesten säätiö.