The many meanings of the forest
“We use renewable and traceable wood to create sturdy and long-lasting products,” says Maarit Pyykko, Head of Quality and Sustainability at Lappset.
In Lappset’s home country, Finland, pine (Pinus sylvestris) grows slowly into an ideal building material for playground equipment. At Lappset, we make long-lasting, heartbeat-boosting products for play, exercise, and socialising for people of all ages around the world. In Finland, forests are grown sustainably, which means, among other things, that two or three seedlings are planted to replace each felled tree.
In Finland, forests are grown sustainably, which means, among other things, that two or three seedlings are planted to replace each felled tree.
Trees of different ages grow in forests, including old-growth forests, for example. With products made from wood, we can reduce the changes brought by global warming. In connection with growth, carbon dioxide, which, if left in the atmosphere, would cause warming in our climate, is bound to forests.
Wood binds carbon throughout its life cycle
Northern pine wood is the main raw material in most of the products we manufacture. Throughout their life cycle, the products bind carbon or provide a sink for carbon dioxide – this applies to the entire time that people of all ages use them for play, exercise, and socialising.
How do trees absorb the carbon dioxide that warms the world? To grow, trees need nutrients that they make by using sunlight as energy and converting water and carbon dioxide into sugar. This process is called photosynthesis. As a by-product of photosynthesis, oxygen is released into the atmosphere, which in turn provides the conditions for human and animal life. Trees use sugar as a nutrient to grow and stay healthy.
The tree grows its trunk, branches, leaves, and roots, where the nutrition it produces is stored. This store or warehouse is called a carbon sink. Forests are, therefore, referred to as carbon sinks. They clean the air of carbon dioxide and generate oxygen.
Only a growing forest binds carbon dioxide. Forests are, therefore, of different ages. It makes sense both economically and in terms of climate and nature. For example, the carbon absorption of a sapling stand, i.e., a planted forest about 20 years old, already curbs global warming. In contrast, as the forest ages, the growth of the carbon sink stops and remains the same size at best.
Photosynthesis
Forests mitigate climate change
Forests are vital in mitigating climate change
Forests are, therefore, important environments, communities formed by plants and organisms, which play a role in mitigating and combating climate change. When forests are healthy and sustainably managed, they help regulate the water cycle in nature, prevent soil erosion, and protect against natural disasters such as floods and landslides.
Good forest management can increase the long-term ability of forests to bind carbon. For example, afforestation and reforestation programs increase the size of forests and the creation of new forests while reducing the loss of forests from our shared planet.
Forests in Finland are mainly being certified through the PEFC scheme of forest certificates. Read more about the PEFC scheme here.
Biodiversity is a prerequisite for life
Preserving biodiversity is crucial for the health and sustainability of the planet
Biodiversity refers to the communities of plants and organisms that exist on Earth. Efforts to protect and preserve biodiversity are crucial to maintaining the health of our planet, as well as our well-being and sustainability. This requires us to take measures such as protecting nature and reducing pollution and the excessive use of natural resources. In addition, we must fight climate change or stop it so that nature as we experience it is preserved for our children who are still playing.
Diversity strengthens nature’s resistance to various kinds of damage, such as plant diseases. A thriving nature is the foundation of life on Earth. The diversity of our nature ensures that our forests will also provide people with food, recreation, and other commodities in the future.
We cannot use forests and grow them unless we take care of the biodiversity of forest nature together. By protecting the most valuable forest areas and important natural sites in commercial forests, we help preserve their biodiversity. In Finland, laws, sustainable forest management measures, and forest certificates promote and guarantee good work for biodiversity. This includes leaving retention trees, i.e., clusters of trees of different ages and species, in the forest in connection with felling, saving decayed wood, and securing protection zones for waterbodies.
The diverse significance of nature and forests
Head of Group Communications, Irma Kuukasjärvi from Lappset:
“For Finns – including Lappset – nature and forests mean many different things.
At Lappset, we get an important raw material from commercial forests, the Northern pine, which we further process into products that strengthen the heartbeat for play, exercise, and socialising for people of all ages around the world.
For us, the forest is also a place for recreation and relaxation. We hike on nature trails and in forests alone, together with our friends and family.
At Lappset, we take our customers to experience the forest and learn about Finnish forest management.
Being in the forest eases the mind
Time spent in nature calms the mind and body. According to studies, being in nature has many health effects. Hugging a tree soothes. Staying in the forest lowers blood pressure and stress levels. The mind is refreshed, and the body gets the natural exercise it needs.
From the forest, we Finns and Laplanders can pick food growing there naturally, such as berries and mushrooms.
Everyone’s rights in Finland enable free movement in nature and forests without major restrictions. It’s unique.
Forest animals live and grow in nature, bringing happiness and experiences to those who roam the forest. In Lapland, where Lappset’s head office is located, you can run into a reindeer herd on a forest hike.”
Nature and forest signify many different things to Finns