 The area for harvesting energy wood and the amount of chipped wood doubled during the first half of the year in Finland's private forests. Young stand improvement is also more popular than ever before.
Statistics established by Tapio, the Finnish Forestry Development Centre, and the regional Forestry Centres show that in the period January - June 2009 subsidies granted under the auspices of Kemera, the Finnish Sustainable Forestry Financing Act, have accelerated energy wood harvesting on an area of almost 20,000 hectares. At the same time more than 700,000 cubic metres of wood have been chipped for energy production.
The quantities of harvested and chipped energy wood already equal the quantities of the whole year 2008. The sum of harvesting subsidies already spent is 5.3 million euro and of wood chipping subsidies 1.2 million euro.
Ms Ritva Toivonen from Tapio points out that these figures reflect the increased demand for wood chips, as well as forest owners' increased interest in young stand improvement and in producing energy wood. Finland has ambitious targets for climate and energy policy where wood and in a larger perspective forests in general have an important role to play. Harvesting energy wood also creates new jobs, Toivonen points out.
Young stand improvement is now more popular then ever. State subsidies to an amount of 13.5 million euro have been spent for that purpose during the first half of the year. These subsidies have permitted tending on an area of 75,000 hectares. However, the problem is that the budget appropriations are running out this year also.
Ms Toivonen says that in order to break this vicious circle the Forestry Centres and Tapio have demanded an additional lump sum of 20 million euro for Kemera-subsidies.
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