The Finnish Forest Centre collects and shares information on Finnish forests. It advises forest owners on the management, use, and protection of forests. In addition, the Finnish Forest Centre monitors compliance with forest laws.
The Finnish Forest Centre also promotes that forest-related industries are as diverse as possible and that their operations are profitable. The operations of the Finnish Forest Centre are directed and financed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland.
Our services and responsibilities
You can get basic information about your own forest by logging in to the free Metsään.fi service. To log in, you need either online banking IDs, a mobile certificate, or a chip ID card. Shareholders of all jointly owned forests can also use the service.
The Metsään.fi service (in Finnish) is available in Finnish and Swedish.
In the Metsään.fi service, forest owners can:
- get an overview of their forests
- see recommended forest management and felling suggestions for their forests
- see natural sites situated in their forests
- see information about their forests on both maps and aerial photos
- receive diverse environmental information at different map levels
- report the sites in their forests on which they wish forest management to be outsourced
- search for foresters to do forest management work in their forests
- share information about their forests with the operators of their choice
- make a forest use notification or a metka aid application.
In the Metsään.fi service, operators can:
- find new customers
- search for and plan new jobs
- have access to a spatial information system and versatile maps
- with the permission of the forest owner, file a forest use notification or handle metka transactions.
The Finnish Forest Centre provides up-to-date information on Finnish forests to support forest owners' decision-making. Forest resource information includes information on, for example, forest habitats and tree stands, habitats of special importance, and forest use.
The Finnish Forest Centre’s forest resource database is the largest in the world
- There are currently 13.9 million hectares of forest resource data on private forests at the forest compartment level, and it covers 99 per cent of the entire area of private forests in Finland.
- A new forest inventory cycle began in the spring of 2026 and will increase the amount of forests to be surveyed.
Information on forest quality and tree quantity may be partially incomplete, as it is based on remote sensing data collected by laser scanning or older, terrain-collected and updated forest planning data. Therefore, forest owners should always check the information on their forests also in the terrain.
Using information
Forest and nature information is available in three forms:
- as map services
- as file compilations formed from spatial data sets
- as interfaces.
Explore forest and nature information
Most of the material collected by the Finnish Forest Centre is openly available in electronic form based on the Forest Data Act.
In connection with open forest and nature information distributed through the metsäkeskus.fi website, no personal or contact information of forest owners will be disclosed. If data users combine open forest information with forest owner data, they must ensure that the obligations regarding the protection of personal data are complied with.
It is possible to submit to the Finnish Forest Centre such forest information, which can be used to update or supplement the Finnish Forest Centre’s information.
More information about the Forest Information Act (in Finnish)
The Finnish Forest Centre finances forest and nature management work of private forest owners. The financing is based on the forms of support provided by law, the most important of which are metka aid, which is based on the Act on a Temporary Forestry Incentive Scheme.
Forest protection is supported by the Finnish Forest Centre through the METSO programme by granting forestry environmental aid and by financing nature management projects.
The forest councils are not part of the Finnish Forest Centre's activities, but their establishment is regulated by the Finnish Forest Centre Act. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry appoints forest councils based on a proposal from the Finnish Forest Centre.
Fourteen regional forest councils have been appointed for a four-year term to promote the work of forest-based industries and regional cooperation in the forest sector. The members of the forest councils represent the operators of the forest sector, public administration, non-governmental organisations, and stakeholders.
Regional forest councils are responsible for planning of the regional forest programmes and monitoring of their implementation.
The strategy and values of the Finnish Forest Centre
The Finnish Forest Centre is an expert organisation that serves and promotes overall sustainable forestry. Overall sustainable forest use combines economic, ecological, social, and climatic goals and improves the long-term benefits of forests.
The Finnish Forest Centre also brings together various parties to build good forest management and Finnish well-being.
The values of the Finnish Forest Centre
- Progressiveness
- Independence
- Responsibility
- Doing together
Responsibility
Responsibility is a core strategic value and mission of the Finnish Forest Centre. Through our activities, we strive to strengthen the overall sustainability of forestry practices and promote the sustainable use of forests for the future.
For us, responsibility means operating in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible manner while maintaining high ethical standards. We consistently and comprehensively promote the sustainability of forest use. We build trust through open interaction, broad expertise, and transparent information and governance.
The Finnish Forest Centre organisation
The Finnish Forest Centre is a process organisation in which the highest decision-making power is exercised by the board of directors. Under the board, there is a steering committee and four different services: Forest Information and Inspection Services, Business Services, Development Services and Administrative Services, and five service areas.
The Finnish Forest Centre employs approximately 450 professionals.
See also: Working at the Finnish Forest Centre
Forest Legislation and Forest Inventory is the largest unit of The Finnish Forest Centre. It employs almost half of the Centre’s personnel. The tasks of the unit are to monitor Finnish forest legislation, administer forestry subsidies as well as collect, maintain, and share forest and nature information. The unit is headed by Forest director Anna Rakemaa.
The unit of Forest Programs and Expertise prepares regional forest programmes and coordinates dozens of externally funded development projects. The unit is headed by Infomartion services director Anssi Niskanen.
The unit of Customer Relations and Communications is in charge of advising forest owners and organisations in forest-related questions and providing training. The unit also maintains and develops the Metsään.fi service, customer experience and communications. The unit is headed by Customer relations and communications director Nilla Hietamäki.
The Data Systems and Administration Unit and Administration Unit are headed by Digital Director Tapani Hämäläinen and Administrative Director Anna-Liisa Louko.
The Finnish Forest Centre has a national steering committee. The committee operates under the direction of Ari Eini, Director of the Finnish Forest Centre. The composition of the steering committee is as follows:
- Eini Ari, Director and Chairman of the Steering Committee
- Hietamäki Nilla, Communications and Customer Relations Director
- Hämäläinen Tapani, Development Director
- Kuitunen Pekka, Senior Responsibility Specialist
- Louko Anna-Liisa, Administrative Director
- Niskanen Anssi, Business Director
- Rakemaa Anna, Forest Director
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry appoints the members to the board of directors for four calendar years at a time. Each member has a personal deputy member. The board of directors of the Finnish Forest Centre has been appointed for the term from March 1, 2025 to February 28, 2029.
The members of the board of directors are:
(deputy member in brackets)
- representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry:
Anna-Leena Miettinen, Agricultural Counsellor, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
(Pasi Patrikainen, Director General, National Land Survey of Finland) - representatives of forest owners:
Marko Mäki-Hakola, Forest Director, Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners MTK
(Laura Harjunpää, Legal Advisor, Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners MTK) - Representatives of the wood processing industry:
Sami Oksa, Forest Director, Finnish Forest Industries Federation (starting from 1 February 2026)
(Tino Aalto, Managing Director, Finnish Sawmills Association - representatives of forestry businesses and regions:
Pasi Mikkonen, Managing Director, Putaan Mottimestarit Oy, Pihtipudas
(Hannu Hokkanen, Managing Director, Veljekset Hokkanen Oy, Kangasniemi) - representatives of forestry partners:
Ari Niiranen, Director General, Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for North Karelia
(Satu Sikanen, Regional Mayor, Regional Council of South Karelia)
Juha Hakkarainen, Managing Director, Finsilva Oyj
(Pekka Rehn, Director General, Digital and Population Data Services Agency) - staff representatives:
Jukka Matilainen, Senior Specialist in Forest Ownership, Finnish Forest Centre
(Taina Kokko, Human Resources Specialist, Finnish Forest Centre)
The Board is chaired by Juha Hakkarainen, Managing Director of Finsilva Oyj, and vice-chaired by Anna-Leena Miettinen, Agricultural Counsellor at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.