Metsä Group and 4H in Finland have signed a new cooperation agreement for the period 2025-2026, with the aim of improving young people's knowledge of forests and strengthening the relationship with forests.
A key part of the cooperation will be Metsä Group Forest Days for secondary school students, where forest use themes and contents will be examined from ecological, economic, social and cultural perspectives. The Forest Days are organised in cooperation with schools, either in the school's local forests or on commercial forest sites throughout Finland.
"In cooperation with Metsä Group, we are taking thousands of secondary school students into the forest to learn about Finnish forests and forest use. The Forest Days will introduce them to tree growth, the carbon cycle, climate issues and the life cycle of wood products. In the spring we plant tree saplings and in the autumn we get behind the wheel of a forestry machine," says Sampo Juhajoki, manager in 4H. "The lessons learned at Forest Day complement what we learnt at school and support the development of young people's relationship with the forest.
National Metsä Group Forest Days have been organised since 2021 and the aim is to organise 40 Forest Days for 2,500 young people annually in various parts of Finland.
"It is important for Metsä Group that young people understand the importance of forests and see how sustainable forest use promotes well-being, combats climate change, safeguards biodiversity and prevents deforestation. At the same time, we want to raise young people's awareness of the economic importance of the forest sector both locally and globally. Cooperation with the 4H League provides an excellent opportunity to concretise these important themes," says Katariina Saelan, SVP communications.
Source: metsagroup.com