The Finnish Forest Centre processes a wide range of information related to forest management and forest use. The information, its intended use and processing are regulated by the Act on the Finnish Forest Centre's Forest Information System. The information on private persons included in the Finnish Forest Centre's information system forms a personal register.
What is personal information used for?
Personal information is used to carry out public administration tasks, such as updating forest resource information as well as consulting, training, and informing private landowners. The information is also used in the management of the Finnish Forest Centre's administrative matters, planning and reporting tasks, as well as in various tasks related to the promotion of forest-based industries, the preservation of forest biodiversity and other forms of environmental protection.
You can check your data in the Forest Information System
Everyone has the right to know what information about them is included in the Forest Information System. You can request information either on the ready-made form found on our website or in a free-form letter that you have signed yourself. If you notice an error in your information in the register, you can request that the error be corrected, for example with a free-form letter.
You can prohibit the disclosure of your contact information
Information on natural persons may be disclosed from the Forest Information System under the conditions provided for in the Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act, the Act on the Openness of Government Activities, and the Forest Data Act. The contact information of the landowner may be disclosed for direct marketing as well as for opinion surveys and market research related to forestry, unless specifically prohibited by the landowner. In this case, a telephone number may also be provided as contact information for telephone marketing, but not, for example, for direct electronic marketing by text or picture messages.
Landowners may prohibit the disclosure of their contact information for direct marketing as well as for opinion surveys and market research related to forestry, either using the Finnish Forest Centre's form or by otherwise submitting the corresponding information to the Finnish Forest Centre. The possibility to refuse to provide the contact information only applies to natural persons. The ban can be revoked by notifying the Finnish Forest Centre.
Forest resource data and other public environmental information are freely available
Forest resource data is public environmental information. The Finnish Forest Centre shares information on forests and nature in the Metsään.fi service and on the Metsäkeskus.fi website. The open forest information on the website does not include, among other things, the names, contact information, parcel limits and property codes of landowners. If, in addition to forest resource information, the name and contact information or personal identity number of a private person is disclosed, or if the information to be disclosed is identified on the basis of name, contact information or personal identification number, a request for information must be submitted to the Finnish Forest Centre. The request for information shall, among other things, state the grounds on which the person receiving information may process the personal data requested. If this person connects open forest information with owner information, he or she must ensure that the obligations regarding the protection of personal data are complied with.
The Forest Data Act in a nutshell
- The act applies to the processing of forest data of private forest owners (natural persons) at the Finnish Forest Centre. The Forest Information System of the Finnish Forest Centre may also include information on non-private forest owners.
- The information included in the Finnish Forest Centre's Forest Information System is public in accordance with the Act on the Openness of Government Activities.
- Information related to private forest owners may be personal information and its processing is subject to the same privacy restrictions as other personal data, except for freely available environmental information.
- Environmental information is freely available from the Finnish Forest Centre. Environmental information includes forest resource information as well as public information on forest use notifications and Kemera documents, which do not include the names, contact information or personal identification numbers of individuals. The disclosure of other personal data requires that the recipient has the right to process such data in accordance with the provisions concerning the protection of personal data.
- Private forest owners may prohibit the disclosure of their contact information for direct marketing as well as for opinion surveys and market research.