What is this about?

The Metsän puolella initiative (“For the Woods”) by Kone Foundation and Dialogue Academy organised the Great Forest Dialogue Day in spring 2025, during which numerous actors organised dozens of discussions in dozens of different locations. Participants included a large variety of people, for example forestry professionals, researchers, artists, entrepreneurs, school pupils, and retirees, among others. Nearly a thousand people took part in conversations about the meaning and future of forests. 

The most common themes that emerged in the discussions have been compiled in the summary report published today. It also includes notes from the Confidential Forest Dialogues held in autumn 2024.

You can learn more about the Great Forest Dialogue Day and make use of its facilitation and other materials in more detail here.

Three main conclusions of the dialogues:

• 1. Many Finns and people living in Finland wish to take a more active part in the forest discussion. Forests and their future are seen as important issues that people want to discuss widely on a societal level. However, there is widespread dissatisfaction with the current public debate. It is perceived as exclusionary, confusing, and polarised.
• 2. A major shift is underway in how people in Finland relate to forests. Forests are now viewed in more diverse ways; numerous new actors have entered the forest sector, and the pressure to renew perceptions and uses of forests is growing. However, the overall picture of this change remains fragmented. Many actors build their understanding only from their own standpoint, use available information selectively, and plan their activities separately from others. This fragmentation makes it difficult to form a broad systemic understanding and to renew ways of thinking.
• 3. A jointly built vision for the future of forests in Finland is needed. The state of Finland’s forests, the worsening of ecological problems, and bleak economic prospects worry many. In many dialogues, participants expressed a wish that Finland could build a common, research-based vision that reconciles ecological, economic, and social perspectives.