EVIDENCE-BASED FORESTRY IN FINLAND

Questions related to sustainability of the forestry sector

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You are here: Home / General / Project background

Project background

21.2.2018

Sustainability issues are a key part of responsible business in the forestry sector. At the moment, climate change, biodiversity and ecosystem services, and social impacts of forest use are particularly under discussion. Scientific knowledge has an important role in building practices that deliver sustainable use of forest resources regarding all aspects of sustainability (environmental, socio-cultural, and economic). Scientific information is especially useful when it responds to an identified need for evidence, provides a summary of the best available evidence, and minimizes bias.

The Evidence-Based Forestry in Finland (EBFF) project aims to create research collaboration around questions related to sustainability. Research groups conduct independently systematic reviews (here the term includes systematic maps) on the identified research topics, and in the end, provide a summary of the best available evidence (evidence synthesis) to support decision making. Also, the results can be used to guide future research to fill knowledge gaps.

The aim is to have young researchers, either PhD candidates or post-docs, as lead authors for the reviews. The research group is complemented by (senior) researchers who have technical or subject expertise. Each of the research groups defines the study questions, and writes a preliminary review protocol to conduct a systematic review. After the preliminary protocol is finished, stakeholder consultation will take place to finalise the protocol.

Once the protocol is finalised, the research group conducts the systematic review. The aim is to publish all the systematic reviews and protocols as Open Access to ensure the availability of the findings to anyone.

Metsäteho Oy began the Evidence-Based Forestry in Finland (EBFF) project in October 2017 on the initiative of Sini Savilaakso. The initial research topics arose from discussions of evidence needs related to sustainablity issues with big actors (Metsä Group, Metsähallitus, Metsäteollisuus ry, Stora Enso Oyj, and UPM-Kymmene Oyj) in the Finnish forestry sector. Currently, we are looking for research group members to conduct the systematic reviews and maps. The first evidence syntheses are expected by the end of 2018.

The initial research topics can be found here. The final study questions will be defined by the research groups during the research process.

If you want to be part of the project as a researcher or as a representative of a stakeholder group, please contact Sini Savilaakso.

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Systematic review and map

What is a Systematic Review?
A Systematic Review collates, critically appraises, and synthesizes all available evidence relevant to a question. Reviewers use pre-defined methods to minimize bias and thus provide more reliable findings that could inform decision making.

What is a Systematic Map?
A Systematic Map collates, codes, and configures all available evidence relevant to a question. Reviewers use pre-defined methods to minimize bias and assess the extent of the evidence to provide a basis that could inform further research and synthesis.

Source: Collaboration for Environmental Evidence.

Reviews

  • Effects of forest management on biodiversity
  • Value of small habitat patches for biodiversity
  • Ecosystem services valuation
  • Forest habitats and Natura

News

Updated information concerning the project is posted in the News. In this section you may also find information of the events.

News and events

Hunting for grey literature

1.2.2019

One of the significant differences between a systematic and non-systematic (i.e. traditional) literature review is that during a systematic review process information is searched also within grey literature that has not been peer-reviewed. In … Lue lisää...

Insights from the stakeholder workshop guide the review

9.11.2018

In our second stakeholder workshop we moved from the impacts of different forest management regimes to conservation practices used in production forests. There was a balanced participation from different stakeholder groups, and the discussion around … Lue lisää...

What do we mean when we talk about evidence?

2.10.2018

At the first stakeholder workshop we got a question about the name of the project, specifically on the use of the word evidence. Based on the discussion that followed, evidence and evidence-based are words that are understood in multiple ways. For a … Lue lisää...

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For more information

Contact information, Metsäteho Oy


The Finnish Forest Foundation is funding the Evidence-Based Forestry in Finland project.

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