In North Karelia, 89% of the total land area is covered by forests. During the past few years the annual growth of forests has been about 9.3 million m3 and the annual usage of forests about 6–7 million m3. Large forest areas have provided excellent opportunities for the development of forest bioeconomy in the region. The strong and dynamic forest cluster is the corner stone of business life and industry sector in North Karelia.

There are over 500 forest bioeconomy companies in North Karelia, with an annual turnover of up to 2 billion euros. The forest bioeconomy sector employs about 6,000 people. Forest resources are processed into high added value bioproducts and services for domestic and export markets. In addition, Eastern Finland is home to the world’s leading business cluster in forest machine production.

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This article has been first published at elmoenf.eu.
Artikkeli on julkaistu aiemmin Itä- ja Pohjois-Suomen ELMO-yhteistyön verkkosivuilla.