Irja Lofstrom

Finnish Forest Research Institute

On 1st January,.2015 the Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla) merged with MTT Agrifood Research Finland and the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute (RKTL) and the statistical services of the Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Tike) to form the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) http://www.luke.fi/ and here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9212510 The Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla) was established in 1917, and started its activities in July 1918. It was a governmental, sectoral research institute, subordinate to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Metla builds the future of the forest sector of Finland by producing and disseminating information and know-how for the well-being of society Finland is Europe's most forested country - 3/4 of its land area is under forest cover. By international comparison, Finland relies more heavily on its forests than any other country in the world. Against this background it is easy to understand the importance of forest research in Finland. Metla is the main forest research institute in Finland and one of the biggest forest research institutes in the whole Europe. Metla's duties are defined by the law and statute to promote, through research, the economical, ecological, and socially sustainable management and use of forests. The research priorities include: * Forest-based enterprise and business activities * Social impact of forests * Structure and functioning of forest ecosystems and * Information data bank on forestry and the forest environment