Forestry company pays landowners to leave trees to rot as researchers study biodiversity benefits

A Finnish forestry company is paying landowners to leave more living and dead trees standing in clear-cut areas, and researchers at the University of Jyväskylä are now investigating whether the approach actually boosts biodiversity, Yle reports.

PhD researcher Pia Asikainen is leading a four-year study comparing biodiversity in clear-cuts using Metsä Group’s so-called Plus model, in conventional clear-cuts, and in untreated forests. She collects data on birds, insects, soil organisms and fungi from dozens of sites using automated recording equipment, drone-based laser scanning and artificial intelligence to identify bird species from their songs.

“I want to find out which measures in the field affect biodiversity and how. The goal is to produce research-based information to support decision-making,” Asikainen said.

The Plus model is voluntary and deal-specific: landowners can decide at each timber sale whether to adopt it. In addition to normal logging revenue, they receive a payment for enhanced consideration of natural values. Landowner Finsilva, one of Finland’s largest forest owners, applies the model across all of its 130,000 hectares of commercial forest. “Leaving more living trees, deadwood and other natural values is clearly greater than in traditional forestry,” said Finsilva forest and environment manager Markus Nissinen. He added that the approach has not hurt the company’s bottom line.

This year, about one-fifth of Metsä Group’s timber deals have used the Plus model. Jussi Myllys, a forest biodiversity expert at Metsä Group, described it as a long-term investment. “When the forests of our customers are more vigorous and diverse, they better withstand the risks of climate change, such as storms, drought and pests.”

The study is part of a partnership between the University of Jyväskylä and Metsä Group, signed last year. Research leader Mikko Mönkkönen, a professor of applied ecology, said the aim is to understand how the new forestry method would affect biodiversity if applied more widely, for instance across an entire catchment area, and to identify the best practices.

Finnish forest nature has been degraded for decades in the name of timber production. More than half of forest habitat types are now threatened, and the amount of old-growth forest and deadwood has declined sharply. The forest industry has begun seeking more sustainable ways to use commercial forests to secure future wood supplies. Metsä Group calls its approach “regenerative forestry”, while UPM speaks of a net-positive impact on biodiversity. Stora Enso likewise offers landowners a biodiversity trading model.