Sää- ja ilmastotiedot sekä uudet palvelut auttavat metsäbiotaloutta sopeutumaan ilmastonmuutokseen
Authors:   Finnish Meteorological Institute, Venäläinen Ari , Luhtala Sanna , Laapas Mikko , Hyvärinen Otto , Gregow Hilppa , Strahlendorff Mikko ,   Natural Resources Institute Finland, Peltoniemi Mikko , Suvanto Susanne , Nevalainen Seppo ,   University of Eastern Finland, Peltola Heli ,   Finnish Forest Centre, Leskinen Leena A. , Ala-Honkola Hannu , Niskanen Yrjö ,   Metsäteho Oy, Poikela Asko ,   Pellervo Economic Research PTT, Maidell Marjo , Horne Paula , Ruuskanen Olli-Pekka 
Published: January 2021

Climate change will increase weather induced risks to forests, and thus effective adaptation measures are needed. In Säätyö project funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, we have summarized the data that facilitate adaptation measures, developed weather and climate services that benefit forestry, and mapped what kind of new weather and climate services are needed in forestry. In addition, we have recorded key further development needs to promote adaptation. The Säätyö project developed a service product describing the harvesting conditions of trees based on the soil moisture assessment. The output includes an analysis of the current situation and a 10-day forecast. In the project we also tested the usefulness of long forecasts beyond three months. The weather forecasting service is sidelined and supplemented by another co-operation project between the Finnish Meteorological Institute and Metsäteho called HarvesterSeasons (https://harvesterseasons.com/). The HarvesterSeasons service utilizes long-term forecasts of up to 6 months to assess terrain bearing conditions. A test version of a wind damage risk tool was developed in cooperation with the Department of Forest Sciences of the University of Eastern Finland and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. It can be used to calculate the wind speeds required in a forest area for wind damage (falling trees). It is currently only suitable for researcher use. In the Säätyö project the possibility of locating the most severe wind damage areas immediately after a storm was also tested. The method is based on the spatial interpolation of wind observations. The method was used to analyze storms that caused forest damages in the summer and fall of 2020. The produced maps were considered illustrative and useful to those responsible for compiling the situational picture. The accumulation of snow on tree branches, can be modeled using weather data such as rainfall, temperature, air humidity, and wind speed. In the Säätyö project, the snow damage risk assessment model was further developed in such a way that, in addition to the accumulated snow load amount, the characteristics of the stand and the variations in terrain height were also taken into account. According to the verification performed, the importance of abiotic factors increased under extreme snow load conditions (winter 2017-2018). In ordinary winters, the importance of biotic factors was emphasized. According to the comparison, the actual snow damage could be explained well with the tested model. In the interviews and workshop, the uses of information products, their benefits, the conditions for their introduction and development opportunities were mapped. According to the results, diverse uses and benefits of information products and services were seen. Information products would make it possible to develop proactive forest management, which would reduce the economic costs caused by wind and snow damages. A more up-to-date understanding of harvesting conditions, enabled by information products, would enhance the implementation of harvesting and harvesting operations and the management of timber stocks, as well as reduce terrain, trunk and root damage. According to the study, the introduction of information is particularly affected by the availability of timeliness. Although the interviewees were not currently willing to pay for the information products developed in the project, the interviews highlighted several suggestions for the development of information products, which could make it possible to commercialize them.