About us

Better return on your forest investment

The objective of our forest management strategy is to maximize value growth and thus the total long-term return on your investment. This is achieved through good, timely and well-planned forest management.

Our forest plans are always individually tailored for each plot which ensures a better return on investment. Timely thinning gives the strongest trees more space to grow and keeps the forest on the best possible value growth curve. Moreover, cost-effective and coordinated planning ensures we get the best prices for our timber.

Our forest management is sustainable, responsible and carefully planned Finnish experts

Our forest management is based on Tapio's recommendations for good forest management, as well as on the requirements for PEFC ™ and FSC® certificates. Our forest management is always individually planned for each forest plot, and whenever possible, we follow the principles of continuous cover forestry which promotes biodiversity and carbon sequestration. We prefer operating models that extend the cycle time of the forest, such as top thinning. Our goal is to grow a diverse forest with clearly more natural seedling material and variation in tree species than normally found in a traditional commercial forest. Such a forest is resistant to deforestation as well as offers more recreational value.

In final felling we always take into account all available natural seedling material to help keep the area requiring regeneration to a minimum. Natural regeneration, such as shelter and seed tree felling, is used whenever possible. This limits the size of the clear-cut areas. The correct allocation of fellings and the timeliness of silvicultural operations are ensured by an up-to-date forest plan and sufficiently frequent field visits.

Behind AARI Metsä is a highly experienced and skilled team of forestry professionals with excellent results and high customer satisfaction in managing and caring for over 110,000 hectares of forest assets on behalf of Finnish pension investors, foundations, and joint forests. AARI, together with its partner Conifer Consulting Oy, is Finland's largest independent and autonomous forest asset management company.

AARI + operating model

In all felling and forest management measures, we permanently exclude AARI (10m x 10m) per hectare from the processing. An important principle of the operating model is additionality: the AARI+ site must be left in the processing area in addition to the use restrictions required by the Forest Act and forest certification.

The operating model contributes to increasing the area that is not used in the forests we manage. The primary effects of the measure are related to the preservation of cover, which creates positive effects on the species that thrive in shady places and their successor species. Examples of these include e.g. blueberry and grouse. Different fungi, both mosses and lichens, also benefit from the cover. In addition to these, game animals and birds in need of shelter benefit from the addition of AARI+.  

Over time, areas left out of forestry will provide rotting wood, which benefits the insects and fungi that use it as their habitat. The AARI+ sites left in connection with felling also create habitats for animals that crave large individual trees, such as woodpeckers, owls and flying squirrels. Of course, this also requires a favorable surrounding environment. In the long term, dwarf and insect species of old forests will also be found at AARI+ sites. 

Recreational opportunities

For us, forests are more than just trees, logs and cubic meters which is why we are constantly looking to provide our customers with recreational opportunities in the forests me manage for them. These include building and maintaining outdoor trails, sheds, swimming areas, campfire sites and hunters’ huts.