We create added value for nature, people and society
Metsähallitus' value creation model recognises the types of value we create through our strategy and responsibility work in the context of the economy, the environment and social perspectives alike. Recognising our societal effectiveness helps us implement and develop our strategy and creates preconditions for responsible cooperation and sustainable solutions.
Fostering our Future – Metsähallitus' strategy
The strategy built around Metsähallitus’ purpose will allow us to respond to future challenges and stakeholder expectations as well as to promote the fulfilment of international agreements, including the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
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Each Metsähallitus business and group unit has an impact on five value-generating themes: health and wellbeing, the climate, biodiversity, the economy and culture. We have also identified key UN Sustainable Development Goals on which the value our activities create has the greatest impact.
The model was put together in consultation with our stakeholders. It will be examined and the process and its indicators will be developed further in cooperation with our stakeholders.
Health and wellbeing
We bring joy, health and well-being to millions of people through our work. We enable recreation in nature through hiking, stays in cottages, berry picking, hunting and fishing. By offering accessible destinations and easy trails, we cater for different nature users. We provide more opportunities for recreation and nature and wilderness experiences that promote health and wellbeing.
In 2022, national parks, state-owned hiking areas, historical sites, nature reserves significant for recreational use, and hiking destinations attracted around 7.4 million visits, of which national parks accounted for 3.5 million. Hunters and fishers spent over half a million days in total in state-owned areas.
Climate
We promote the attainment of Finland’s climate targets and transition to a carbon-neutral society by 2035 through increasing carbon sinks, carbon storage and clean energy production as well as by cutting our emissions.
Our strategic goal is to increase the carbon sink of multiple- use forests and the carbon stock of state-owned land by 10 % by 2035.
Biodiversity
We safeguard biodiversity by examining state-owned lands as a whole in which the network vital for our country’s biodiversity consists of not only nature conservation areas but also the most important ecological sites in multiple-use forests that enhance their connectivity. The network is constantly complemented with new ecological sites in both recently protected areas and multiple-use forests. Marine and inland waterway sites in state-owned water areas are also an essential part of the network.
Restoration and ecological management measures were carried out on more than 17,000 hectares in total in 2022.
Economy
The economic wellbeing generated by Metsähallitus is distributed in the form of wages, remunerations, taxes, purchases and dividends to different sectors of Finnish society. By purchasing services from private operators, we support entrepreneurship, especially in small municipalities. We also improve our partners’ opportunities to develop safe and sustainable nature and wilderness tourism at our destinations.
In 2022, the Metsähallitus Group made a profit of EUR 150.9 million, and Metsähallitus’ work had direct impacts on society through taxes, wages, purchases of materials and services, investments and revenue generated for the state, which amounted to over EUR 500 million. The indirect economic impacts generated through procurements, value chains of outsourced work and enabling job creation amounted to approx. three billion euros.
Culture
We maintain living cultural heritage, including buildings and cultural environments related to it. We foster archaeological heritage in the areas we manage and pass on wilderness traditions from one generation to the next. We also produce new information on nature and sustainable development.
In 2022, we recorded 1.7 million visits to cultural heritage sites and visitor centres, and our guided tours, events and communications addressed to young people reached over 93,000 members of the public.