Finnish Forest Research Institute Professor Hannu Raitio Director General 10.2.2010 / Metsäntutkimuslaitos Skogsforskningsinstitutet Finnish Forest Research Institute www.metla.fi
Finnish Forest Research Institute - Metla Subordinate to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, established in 1917 Biggest forest research organization in Europe Personnel > 1000-340 researchers - 150 with PhD degree 4 Regional Units cover the whole country Budget > 50 mill. euros in 2009, of which about 80% direct government funding from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Metla's duties defined by the law and statute 1. to conduct research and development activities 2. to generate and disseminate research information and carry out knowledge and technology transfer 3. to promote national and international cooperation and networking and anticipate future development in forestry and forest research 4. to manage long-term research field experiments, research material and databases 5. to follow the development of forest resources, forest health and forest utilization, to conduct forest tree breeding and generate information for forest statistics 6. to carry out other tasks defined by the law and statute 7. to carry out tasks separately given by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Mission Metla builds the future of the forest sector by producing and disseminating information and knowhow for the well-being of society Vision To position Metla at the most influential and effective national and international institution with expertise on sustainable use of forests and one that anticipates the information needs of its clients.
Strategic objective Metla conducts research and development activities that have high scientific standards and positive societal impacts aimed to enhance sustainable use of forests as well as economic competitiveness of the forest sector. Scientific priority areas 1. Forest-based enterprise and business activities 2. Societal impact of forests 3. Structure and functioning of forest ecosystems 4. Forestry and forest environment databases
Research priorities 1. Forest-based enterprise and business activities Produces and disseminates information on the grounds and provides options for timber production and other uses of forests, on the properties of wood as raw material, and on the competitive edge involved in forest-related enterprise and business activities. The main focus of research is on the ecological and economical sustainability of forest use. Topical research targets: silvicultural methods properties of wood as raw material logistics and procedural methods of harvesting biotechnology forest-related business and entrepreneurship including eco-tourism production economy forest energy and wood construction
Research priorities 2. Societal impact of forests Produces and disseminates information on the societal importance of forests as well as on the forest-based enterprise and business activities, the societal well-being effects of forests, and on the means and effects of forest policies. It also anticipates future developments of the forest sector. The main focus of research is on the economical, social and cultural sustainability of forest use. Topical research targets: changes in the operational environment of forest policy future of forest sector development and assessment of the implemented policies balancing the needs between the various forms of forest use significance of forestry for national and regional economy preconditions for forest-linked entrepreneurship and its growth acceptability of of the forestry practices importance of forests for human health and well-being environmental performance of wood products
Research priorities 3. Structure and functioning of forest ecosystems Produces and conveys information on the impacts of human activities and natural factors on the structure and function of forest ecosystems. It also promotes the ecological approach in wood industry and the alternatives in forest use. The main focus of research is on the ecological sustainability of forest use. Topical research targets: forest development dynamics forest tree function and output in changing environmental conditions dispersion and prevention of forest damage genetic characteristics of forests and tree breeding forest biological diversity impacts of climate change for forests environmental impacts of forestry
Research priorities 4. Forestry and forest environment databases Compiles and maintains information reserves on forest economy and the environmental state of the forest ecosystem, develops methods for data collection and management, and improves the shared use of the information reserves. Produces statistics, services, products and alternative calculations based on the information reserves to support decision-making. Topical research targets: forest inventory and forest statistics forestry planning methods forest carbon pools and fluxes forest biodiversity and forest damages
Metla's Research Programmes Renewing wood product value chains and timber procurement solutions (2009-2013) Welfare effects of forests (2008-2012) Cost-efficiency and quality in silvicultural operations (2007-2011) Functioning of forest ecosystems and use of forest resources in changing climate (2007-2011) Bioenergy from Forest (2007-2011) Research and Development Programme on Forest Resource Information Systems and Forest Planning (2007-2010) Production forestry in drained peatlands (2007-2010) Safeguarding forest biodiversity - policy instruments and socio-economic impacts (2005-2010)
In addition, Metla participates in the research programmes of Forestcluster Ltd., Cleen Ltd. and the Environment and Natural Resources Consortium: Future biorefinery Intelligent and resource-efficient production technologies Sustainable fuels Climate change Baltic Sea Bioenergy Sustainable land use
Metla's publications 250 200 167 165 187 192 220 212 222 223 Silva Fennica 150 a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal of forest science published in English 100 50 Dissertationes Forestales forestry dissertations together with Helsinki and Joensuu universities 0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Amount of Metla's publications in internationally referred series Metsätieteen aikakauskirja Series comprising research articles in Finnish and Swedish Working Papers preliminary research results, proceedings and learned discourses, mainly in Finnish and in English, published in the net
Metla s international strategy Mission Metla s international activities strengthen the scientific and societal impacts of Metla s research, and promote building of the future for the forest sector Vision Metla is the most influential and policy relevant national and international expert organization on sustainable forestry that anticipates the needs of its clients for new knowledge
Metla s strategic international aims Maintaining its internationally leading position in: Forest inventory and monitoring of forest ecosystems Production ecology and material flows in Northern boreal forests Sustainable management and harvesting chains in Northern boreal forests Achieving an internationally leading position in: Bioenergy from forests Knowledge and use of wood-material properties Mitigation and adaptation to climate change Strengthening its international position in: Social acceptability of forestry and the environmental capacity of wood-based products International forest policy and development policy
Scientific Advisory Board, SAB reviews Metla s strategic goals makes initiatives on new research directions promotes co-operation and networking with other leading forest research organisations around the world acts as channel for interest towards Metla from within their scientific disciplines and geographic areas
Members of Metla Scientific Advisory Board Darius Adams, Oregon State University, USA Jan Fryk, SkogForsk, SWEDEN Jagmohan Maini, Ottawa, CANADA Luc Pâques, INRA, FRANCE Anatoly Petrov, All-Russian Institute of Continuous Education in Forestry, RUSSIA
Metla s contribution to the international forest policy MCPFE (Ministerial Conference on Protection of Forests in Europe) IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) ICP Forests (International Cooperative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on European Forests by UNECE/EC) programmes Greenhouse gas reporting dealing with forests for Finland s National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change, IPCC and the National Forest Programme Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) Participation in the Forest Criteria and Indicators (C & I) process Expert Panel on Adaptation of Forests to Climate Change, group formed under the CPF (Collaborative Partnership on Forests), IUFRO-led initiative World Forests, Society and Environment (WFSE) -> newest publication: Essential forest policies for Latin America
Metla's international cooperation partners International Union of Forest Research Organizations, IUFRO European Forest Institute, EFI Nordic Forest Research Cooperation Committee, SNS European Union, EU Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO International Energy Agency, IEA Universities, national research institutes
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