Forestry practices in Finland
In Finland forestry generally involves the management of small forest stands where trees are of a similar age. Such stands are managed according to a regeneration cycle extending from planting or natural regeneration to the final harvesting phase. Forests may be regenerated naturally, by leaving a few selected seed trees during final harvesting, or artificially, by sowing seeds or planting seedlings grown in tree nurseries. The aim is always to ensure the regeneration of a productive stand of a suitable tree species for the specific site within a reasonable time. The length of the regeneration cycle can be between 50 and 120 years, depending on the tree species and the location of a forest stand. In some locations special methods are devised for the management of forest stands with trees of differing ages, particularly in recreational forests or landscape forests.