From sustainable timber production to sustainable forest bioeconomy

Forest Sciences’ Day 23 October 2024

#metsätiede2024

#sivistys2024

The Forest Sciences’ Day was organised this year for the 32^th time. We gathered in the Viikki Campus of the University of Helsinki on 23 October 2024. Our general topic was “From sustainable timber production to sustainable forest bioeconomy”. We studied the Day’s topic from historic, current and future perspective.

The sustainability concept was first introduced in Germany in early 1800s in the forestry context. At that time, the concept referred only to sustaining or increasing timber production over time. The wide concept of sustainable development is much younger. It became generally known through the publication of the Brutland Commission report in 1987. The sustainability concept has widened also in forestry to securing of ecosystem functions and diversity. In forest bioeconomy, the forests do not provide just timber but also several ecosystem services. Some of them have economic value, like the forest carbon sinks, while others are genuinely immaterial, like health effects of forests. Wood can be used for various other uses than traditional timber. New uses of forests and mitigation of the environmental change call for extensive review of the sustainability concept.

The Forest Sciences’ Day 2024 offered an in-depth review on the concept and practice of sustainability. We learned from the history for understanding year 2024 and looked to the future.

Programme

Morning Plenary Session 9:00 – 12:00, Lecture Hall 110

Links to the recordings of the plenary talks are on the Finnish page of Forest Sciences’ Day. All talks were given in Finnish.

9:00-9:10	Opening of the Forest Sciences’ Day	Vice-chair Liisa Tyrväinen, Finnish Society of Forest Science
9:10-9:30	Forest and sustainability – Different viewpoints	University Lecturer Jaana Laine, LUT University
9:30-9:50	Sustainability, responsibility and green investments	Senior Scientist Esa-Jussi Viitala, Natural Resources Institute Finland
9:50-10:10	Sustainability in the forest development scenarios – Result of the assumptions, materials or methods?	Professor Jari Vauhkonen, University of Eastern Finland
10:10-10:40	Coffee break
10:40-11:00	Responsibility in the wood procurement of a global Finnish forest enterprise	Head of International Forest Sustainability Antti Marjokorpi, Stora Enso
11:00-11:20	Transitions in the forest bioeconomy – Requirements and challenges	Project Researcher Jakob Donner-Amnell, University of Eastern Finland
11:20-12:00	Common discussion	Plenary speakers

Lunch Break 12:00 – 13:15

At own expense

Afternoon Parallel Sessions 13:15 – 16:00

In the afternoon, the Science Clubs of the Finnish Society of Forest Science organised six parallel sessions. The programme of the parallel sessions was composed of talks received through an open call and partly of invited talks. The main language of the afternoon sessions was Finnish but some talks will be in English. Check programme of each session for language information. If the talk was delivered in English, the recording can be accessed through the English page of the session. The Finnish page contains links to all talks, recording of which was allowed by the speaker.

Topic	Organiser	Contact person
Ecological sustainability as a dynamic concept (Hall 108)	Forest Biology Club	Hannes Pasanen; hannes . pasanen () uef . fi
Sustainability of forest bioeconomy (Hall 540, 5th floor)	Forest Economist Club	Sampo Pihlainen; sampo . pihlainen () syke . fi
What is not yet working in forest management from the point of view of overall sustainability? (Hall 106)	Silviculture Club	Timo Saksa; ext.timo . saksa () luke . fi
Forest, sustainability and dialogue? (Hall 107)	Human-Forest Relationship Research Club	Annukka Näyhä; annukka . nayha () jyu . fi and Karoliina Lummaa; karoliina . lummaa () bios . fi
Evaluation of sustainability in forest bioeconomy (Hall 105)	Forest Mensuration Club	Sanna Sirparanta; sanna . sirparanta () metsakeskus . fi
Managing sustainability in our wood supply chain (Hall 340, 3rd floor)	Technology Club	Kalle Kärhä; kalle . karha () uef . fi

Afternoon Plenary Session: Finnish Society of Forest Science 115 years 16:15 – 17:15, Lecture Hall 108

• Opening of the 115th anniversary celebration of the Finnish Society of Forest Science
• Music performance
• Speech, Research Professor Emeritus Jarkko Hantula
• Scientific recognitions of the Society
• Introduction of the new editor-in-chief of Silva Fennica
• Closing words

Buffet Dinner 17:30 – 20:00 (Restaurant Viikuna, Building EE, Agnes Sjöbergin katu 2)

Organising Committee

Chair: Liisa Tyrväinen, Natural Resources Institute Finland / Vice-Chair of Finnish Society of Forest Science

Tel. +358 29 532 4553, e-mail liisa . tyrvainen () luke . 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: Timo Saksa, Natural Resources Institute Finland, timo . saksa () luke . fi

Human-Forest Relationship Research Club: Annukka Näyhä, University of Jyväskylä, annukka . nayha () jyu . fi

Forest Mensuration Club: Sanna Sirparanta, Finnish Forest Centre, sanna . sirparanta () metsakeskus . fi

Technology Club: Kalle Kärhä, University of Eastern Finland, kalle . karha () uef . 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 annually with the support from foundation Metsämiesten säätiö.