Greenhouse gas emissions and removals in land and forests

Finland has abundant forests, which have allowed the land use sector to be a significant carbon sink. Demand for forest products and bioenergy influence annual logging volumes and drive fluctuations in land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) emissions. Overall, the sink stagnated during the 2010s due to increased harvesting and increased use of wood in the energy production and forest industries. At the same time, forest growth slowed, influenced by multiple factors. According to the final inventory results for 2023, the land use sector has been a net emitter since 2018, the CO₂ emissions from peat-rich cultivated lands are significant. This cultivated peatland accounts for approximately 10 % of farmland, but is responsible for about 50–60 % of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture. Achieving climate targets requires the land use sector’s net sink to be significantly higher than it has been in recent years. While increasing long-lasting wood products is generally favoured as a policy measure, other solutions are more contested, including stopping peatland farming, limiting logging and reducing wood burning.