METSO is voluntary forest protection

The fundamental aim of the METSO Programme is to provide voluntary-based conservation as a competitive option for forest owners.

METSO Programme

News

  • News item
    6.3.2026 10:08

    METSO Programme exceeded targets for permanent protection, good progress in environmental subsidies and nature management in 2025

    In 2025, about 6,600 hectares of forest habitats were protected under the Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland METSO. Last year Finnish forest owners protected permanently about 3,200 hectares of forest and concluded ten-year environmental forestry subsidy agreements concerning about 3,400 hectares. The area covered by nature management works was about 180 hectares.

  • News item
    13.11.2025 10:43

    Success of METSO Programme boosts transition to next programme period

    The Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland METSO has established its position as part of nature conservation in Finland. The programme has developed a high-quality network of protected areas that already covers almost 100,000 hectares. The closing seminar of the programme period 2008–2025 presented some of the success stories of the widely appreciated METSO Programme.

  • News item
    10.3.2025 16:41

    Voluntary forest protection under METSO Programme reached its target ahead of time - next period starting in 2026 prepared

    In 2024, about 3,200 hectares of forest habitats were protected under the Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland METSO. Last year Finnish forest owners protected about 2,900 hectares of forest on a permanent basis and concluded ten-year environmental aid contracts that covered about 260 hectares. About 20 hectares of forest was protected for 20 years and nature managements works were carried out on about 200 hectares. The process is under way to prepare the next period of the METSO Programme and new targets for it.

METSO targets

The objective of METSO is to have about 96,000 hectares of forest established as permanent or temporary nature reserves. In addition, about 82,000 hectares of valuable forest habitats in commercially managed privately owned forests are to be protected by fixed-term environmental forestry subsidy agreements or to be managed or restored in nature management projects.

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