The forest cluster

Forests have maintained their position as a major source of work and income in Finland. Put the cluster’s gears in place – can you make the wheels of the Finnish forest industry turn?

The forest sector comprises forestry and the forest industry. Forestry ensures the sustainable supply of renewable wood raw material to the forest industry. The mechanical and chemical forest industry processes raw materials into end products. The mechanical forest industry manufactures sawn timber, wood-based panels, and further-processed products, such as timber-frame houses, doors and furniture. The chemical forest industry manufactures chemical and mechanical pulp, and processes these into paper, board, and bio-oil, which is then processed into plastics. When the processing takes place in Finland, more profits remain in the country, as well.

The forest sector involves major R&D activities, experts and supervision, transport and other logistics, as well as machinery production and maintenance. The forest sector and the related sectors are collectively called the forest cluster. In addition, many other sectors that are not traditionally included in the forest cluster are linked to the forests either directly or indirectly.