Decline or increase? The standing timber stock in Finland, 1800–1997

Abstract

In western Europe, Finland is a country that has most recently cut down its large old-growth forests. In the 18th century, nearly one-third of the forests in the southern half of the country were real old-growth forests (>200 years). In northern Finland, the proportion was almost half of the forested area. At present, the percentage of old-growth forests in the southern half is a mere 0.1 and in the northern half still a good 10. It is estimated that only 2% of the original old-growth forests now remain in the temperate regions of Finland, which are abundant with animal and plant species. Most of the profound changes in forests are attributable to human activities. In the severe Finnish climate, the utilisation of timber has been a necessity, and population growth further increased the demand for timber used for heating and other domestic purposes. Clearing fields for cultivation also reduced the forested areas, while the rise of industry also consumed increasing amounts of timber. Concurrently, since there were also factors that supported the growth of the standing timber stock, it is not self-evident that the timber volume was in constant decline. First, after the Little Ice Age (1550–1850) the average annual temperature has risen and the annual growth period has lengthened. Both of these features have stimulated the growth of trees. Second, the use of timber in industry and space heating has continued to become more efficient and economical. Third, a significant feature in the changes in space heating is that firewood has to a great extent been replaced by other energy sources. Consequently, the demand for timber in the Finnish economy has not increased steadily—at least not parallel to GDP. While the felling of timber decisively increased in the 19th century, more attention was paid to forestry in order to guarantee sustainability. Both the governmental forest policy and the actions of private landowners aimed to increase the growth of the standing timber stock. However, it took many years before forestry achieved tangible results in promoting growth. Only in the late 20th century was there unanimous agreement that the standing timber stock has been increasing, and even today, researchers do not agree on the situation before the 1950s. This paper focuses on examining the relationship between the consumption of timber and the growth of standing timber stock. The key research question is whether, during the past two centuries, Finland ever overused its forests to the extent that the annual felling exceeded the annual growth of timber.