Going forward, a voluntary sales promotion fee will be paid for completed timber sales
Starting April 2021, Finsilva will make a donation to the Finnish Forest Foundation for its each completed timber trade.
– For us, it is important to do our part in promoting ecological, financial and social welfare in Finland. As forest owners, we feel that we are an important part of the forestry value chain. We want to contribute to marketing efforts around the bio-based economy and having forestry seen as an important source of wellbeing in Finland, says Harri Viitaniemi, Managing Director at Finsilva.
The Finnish Forest Foundation is a non-profit foundation for timber sellers, buyers, and other involved parties. The foundation aims to promote the interests of forestry and the forest industry and the increased use of wood and wood-based products. The foundation’s operations are funded through voluntary sales promotion fees.
– Promoting Finnish forestry as a livelihood is a shared cause for the entire industry. It is important that everyone working in forestry feels that the Finnish Forest Foundation’s work is important and that they want to contribute to our committed, long-term work to support forestry. It is great to have the major forest owner Finsilva onboard, says Erno Järvinen, Managing Director at the Finnish Forest Foundation.
The Finnish Forest Foundation uses the donations to provide grants that annually amount to as much as €1.9 million. For example, the Finnish Forest Foundation funds projects that support the vitality of forestry and help discover new potential from wood and forests. The foundation also funds social and economic research related to forestry, supports forest-related education among children and youth, and educates decision-makers and influencers on the use and future potential of forests.
– For example, we launched the Forest Finland communication project last year to promote the diversity of Finnish forests. The campaign is scheduled to continue in 2021 and its goal is to raise general awareness of the possibilities and societal importance of forestry as a livelihood, says Järvinen.
The voluntary sales promotion fee, also known as the Forest Foundation fee, amounts to 0.2% of the value of stumpage sales and 0.1% of the sales at delivered price. The minimum fee is €8. When a forest owner funds the Finnish Forest Foundation, the buyer also undertakes to pay an equal fee to the foundation. This way, the amount doubles with each trade.
