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Safeguarding water and soil in forests and plantations

Our sustainable forestry practices support healthy water resources and soil in forests and plantations. We are continuously improving our approach as part of our Forest Action program.

Clean water and productive soil in forests and plantations are crucial for maintaining forest health, supporting tree growth, sustaining biodiversity, and regulating carbon and nutrient cycles. Our sustainable forest management practices aim to reduce negative impacts while supporting the health of these ecosystems.

Safeguarding water systems

Sustainable forestry plays a key role in water cycles. The flow of surface and ground water regulated by forests helps to prevent soil erosion into watercourses, reduce storm water runoff, and recharge aquifers. Forest soils act as a natural filter removing pollutants as water moves through them from small rivers to the seas.
Trees in forests and plantations consume rainwater during growth, with a large portion transpired back into the atmosphere as vapor. Vegetation absorbs and purifies water before it evaporates and returns to the atmosphere.

Forests also help regulate groundwater levels and soil humidity, while controlling flooding and erosion by slowing down surface runoff. Aquatic habitats in forests serve as vital links between water and forest ecosystems. Sustainable forest management, therefore, carries the responsibility to protect water—both in quality and quantity.

Our efforts to safeguard water systems are included in our Forest Action program. The basic requirements are laid down in legislation, forest certification standards, and in recommendations and guidelines issued by authorities and forestry organizations.

Based on research and follow-up of best practices, we are constantly working to improve our water-related efforts and use a broad array of solutions for managing the impacts of forestry.

Forests act as a natural filter removing pollutants as water moves through them from small rivers to the seas.

Our commitment to water systems

Continuous-cover forestry

We transition to continuous-cover forestry in nutrient-rich spruce mires in Finland.

Responsible use of fertilizers

We use fertilizers in a responsible way to minimize environmental impacts.

Protective buffer zones

We don’t harvest along watercourses and aquatic habitats.

Excavation breaks and infiltration fields

We prevent leaching and filter out solids and nutrients before runoff reaches water systems.

Minimal runoffs

We utilize the vegetation’s own ability to absorb water where needed.

Groundwater protection

We follow specific guidelines, including restrictions on fertilizing and ditching in Finland.

Sustainable site selection

We establish plantations in Uruguay where water is sufficient and leave natural drainage areas unplanted.

Non-irrigated plantations

Only our tree nurseries require irrigation to support growth.

Ensuring soil productivity

Healthy and productive soil is fundamental to the long-term prosperity of forests and plantations. It is key to forest regeneration, providing nutrients for seed germination and creating the conditions necessary for growth by absorbing organic plant matter. As the largest terrestrial carbon store, soil is also crucial for enhancing forest resilience to climate change.

Forest management activities can have both positive and negative impacts on soil, making it vital for foresters to understand these effects and apply mitigation measures where needed.

Our sustainable forest management practices follow national best practice guidelines, which include actions to protect soil and water, conserve biodiversity, and safeguard environmentally valuable habitats and culturally significant sites. These guidelines are fully integrated into our management systems.

Our commitment to healthy soils

Healthy soils

We match the right tree species with the right soil type

Pioneering practices

Our innovative forestry methods improve soil and prevent damage.

Minimal impacts

We prevent or control the erosion, pollution and harmful use of soil.

Best techniques

We minimize compaction and maximize nutrient cycling

As the largest terrestrial carbon store, soil is crucial for enhancing forest resilience to climate change.

Soil conservation in Uruguay

We ensure that the land areas where plantations are established in Uruguay are well conserved to maintain the soil productivity of forest plantations for the next 50 years or more.
Our plantations in Uruguay are mostly established on Forest Priority Soils (FPS), defined by the Uruguayan State as part of modern land use planning since the late 1980s.

FPS areas have low productivity for traditional land uses in Uruguay, such as dairy production and agriculture, but they offer good productivity for forest plantations.
Before planting a new area, we coordinate with national authorities in the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment to establish a plantation project.

Eucalyptus plantations require only small amounts of nutrients to grow and are highly efficient in utilizing available nutrients. Our harvesting method further supports soil health by leaving leaves, branches, and bark on the ground to decompose, recycling nutrients back into the soil, and maintaining high productivity.