Afforestation support can be granted mainly to natural persons, their communities and associations, and jointly owned forests. Support may be granted for areas other than agricultural lands and forest lands.
Afforestation support finances the afforestation of treeless unproductive lands suitable for silviculture, such as former peat production areas. Support for regeneration on a sparsely forested site or a site with low-value forest is not eligible. Nor can support be granted for areas of significant environmental and natural value.
The support is granted in the form of a flat-rate payment based on the area size. The support is granted in the form of de minimis aid. The amount of aid per hectare varies according to the type of land in the area, the way the forest is regenerated and the tree species to be grown.
The afforestation support consists of two parts
1. Reimbursement of costs for the establishment of a seedling stand (weed control, soil preparation, afforestation fertilization, clearing of sprouts in slightly areas overgrown with sprouts and planting / sowing). The cost compensation will be paid as an average calculated lump sum when the establishment measures have been completed and the implementation notification has been made, submitted to the Finnish Forest Centre, and approved.
- 2,000 euros / ha on peaty soils (planting)
- 1,500 euros / ha on mineral soils (planting and sowing). On mineral soils, the support may be increased by EUR 300 / ha if at least 25% of the minimum growing density of the main tree species is planted with deciduous trees or alder.
- In former peat production areas, EUR 1,000 / ha (sowing) or EUR 1,500 / ha (planting).
2. An management fee to compensate for the costs of work carried out to ensure the further development of the seedling stand (restocking, fertilization, weed copntrol, clearing). The management fee will be paid in two equal installments of EUR 450 two and eight years after the notification of afforestation, once the seedling stand has been tended properly.
The management fee on all soils totals 900 euros / ha.