Forestry and Forest-industry Education in Finland

A general overview of the school system in Finland is provided as background to a detailed description of forestry education in that country. Vocational and technical forestry education is organized and conducted by the National Board of Vocational Education. Numerous occupational diploma programs are offered at 30 forestry schools and colleges, including programs for forest workers, forest machine operators and mechanics, forest technicians, sawmill technicians, wood-based panels technicians, forest engineers, and forest-industry engineers, Short courses and refresher courses are also provided for more than 30 000 people annually. Three universities offer higher degrees in forestry: the University of Helsinki, the University of Joensuu, and the Helsinki University of Technology. International forestry is an important element of forestry education. It is addressed through a marketing degree program that emphasizes international commerce through the training of students from developing countries and through foreign-exchange programs for students, teachers and researchers. Examination of the organization and teaching of forestry subjects in Finland suggests ways in which Canadian forestry education might be improved to meet the future needs of an increasingly technical forestry sector.