Finland is the European country with the greatest share of its land area covered by forest. Forests cover roughly three-quarters of Finland’s land, giving it one of the highest forest proportions in Europe.
This exceptionally wooded landscape reflects Finland’s northern climate, abundant lakes, and large areas of relatively sparsely populated terrain. Scots pine, Norway spruce, and birch are among the country’s most widespread trees. Finnish forests are important not only for wildlife and recreation but also for the paper, pulp, timber, and bioeconomy industries.
Russia has the world’s largest total forest area because of its enormous size, especially its Siberian taiga. That is a different measurement from forest percentage: Finland has a smaller total forest area but a much larger share of its land covered by forest. Sweden is also highly forested, but its percentage is generally lower than Finland’s.
Finland’s forests are not all untouched wilderness. Much of the forest estate is managed for timber production, while protected areas preserve old-growth habitats and biodiversity. The country’s famous “everyman’s rights” also allow people to enjoy many forests, gather berries and mushrooms, and hike responsibly on land they do not own.