Finland

Rotation lengths, thinning years and intensities are usually the focus of forestry management guidelines. However, a new study has suggested that these might not be the best areas to focus on.

Forest acquired in January from private forests 2.6 million cubic meters of wood. In January, the purchased amount of trees felled by storms was estimated at 1.5 million cubic meters.

Storm damage was very localized and do not have a significant impact on the industry's annual use of wood. The storm effects were greatest in south-western Finland, where the timber trade took place livelier many times over the previous January.

UPM sells its packaging paper production to the Swedish packaging paper company Billerud. The transaction includes two packaging paper machines; one in Pietarsaari and one in Tervasaari, Finland. The enterprise value of the transaction is EUR 130 million. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval. The target is to close the transaction during the second quarter of 2012.

VTT Technical Research Centre and Aalto University have developed a method which for the first time enables manufacturing of a wood-based and plastic-like material in large scale. The method enables industrial scale roll-to-roll production of nanofibrillated cellulose film, which is suitable for e.g. food packaging to protect products from spoilage.

Finland, Oct 20, 2011 - Metso will supply a new fiberline for chemical cellulose for Sappi's Ngodwana mill in South Africa. Start-up is scheduled for the first half of 2013. The value of the order will not be disclosed.

Metso's delivery will include the design and supply of the main equipment for the new fiberline, from cooking to bleaching. The batch cooking plant is to be designed according to the prehydrolysis process and TwinRoll wash presses will be used in all washing positions.