The Skidder Online

Minnesota delegation of forestry leaders heads to Scandinavia

Blandin Foundation engages partners to envision more productive, higher quality Minnesota forests

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. (Sept. 26, 2008) –Thirty two of the state’s natural resources policy leaders leave tomorrow (Sept. 27) for Finland and Sweden, the third and final leg of a year-long study tour hosted by the Blandin Foundation.  Part of the Foundation’s Vital Forests/Vital Communities initiative, the study tour brings together thought leaders to experience, study and compare best practices in forest productivity in Minnesota, Ontario and Scandinavia.

Prep for Visit to Metla, the Finnish Forest Research Institute

Hello fellow travelers:

Hopefully you’ve had a chance to start reviewing your Scandinavian trip briefing books.  You’ll notice that on Oct. 2, we’ll visit Metla (the Finnish Forest Research Institute) while in Joensuu, Finland, and interact with some of their researchers on a variety of topics related to our project. 

Metla has recently announced a new publication, “Sustainable use of Forest Biomass for Energy – A Synthesis with Focus on the Baltic and Nordic region”, which is part of their “Managing Forest Ecosystems” series.  Click here to learn more.

Also, Jim Marshall found a series of brief videos about Finns' relationship with their forests on the Metla website (see bottom of this page).  You'll definitely want to check these out!

Kind regards,
Bernadine

Finnish President in Duluth

Hello colleagues, Mike Lalich here. Friday, July 25, 2008 was indeed an eventful day in Duluth with the visit of the President of the Republic of Finland, Tarja Halonen.  My first exposure to President Halonen was at a ceremony where several thousand Finnfest attendees and dignitaries participated in a ceremony in which UMD Chancellor Martin, and members of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, presented the President an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree.  The pageantry in and of itself was quite spectacular.  The photo to the right is of UMD Chancellor Martin, myself, President Halonen and her husband. 

President Halonen at NRRI discussing the concept of modular, resuseable housing with unique connector systems	In NRRI’s composite wood product pilot area where we are working with an entrepreneurial business on composite wood panel contruction techniques for a line of garden sheds

FinnFest 2008 in Duluth (July 23-27)

Dave Zumeta spotted this upcoming event in Duluth, featuring the President of Finland, Tarja Halonen.

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Ever been to a Finnish tori? If not, travel to Finland to experience this traditional Finnish marketplace... or stop by the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center and the Duluth campus July 23-27.

FinnFest 2008, with the theme "Sharing the Spirit of Finland," will offer food and music from the country, as well as insight into such topics as the Finnish-Anishinabe integration. Finnish president Tarja Halonen will grace the festival. She will receive an honorary degree from the U for public service on Friday, July 25, at 10 a.m. Proceeds from the festival support the FinnFest Scholarship at UMD.

Complete FinnFest Schedule

Bernadine's Impressions - Joensuu University

Listen to Bernadine's report about her visit to Joensuu, Finland by clicking on the "play" button below.  The green arrow on the map marks the location of Joensuu University.  Zoom-in on the map for more information, and be sure to check out this site to learn more about Joensuu, "Europe's Forestry Capitol".

View Larger Map

Innovation in Finland

The article I quote from below recently came across my desk and appeared in the Seattle Times earlier this month. You might find it of interest.

The article starts off with the following:

• Finland ranks at or near the top of many enviable lists — economic competitiveness, political transparency, environmental sustainability, technology achievement and even happiness. What's the secret?

Read the rest of the article by clicking on the link in my learning log.

You may also want to check out the article mentioned in the post below. It is a good follow-up read to this one.

 

Comparing forest industry trends in Canada and Finland

Dan Duckert, Research Forester for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, is coordinating our May 14-16 forest tour in Thunder Bay. He sent us a very interesting article that compares the Finnish and Canadian forest industries. Talk about relevant! The article starts with the following:

• Intellectual capital resides in the oddest places--like Finland's forestry industry. The tiny country's ascendance to global pre-eminence shows how the lumbering giant called Canada can't even see the woods for the trees.

To read more just click in cloud on the words ForestryTrends, Canada or Finland and you'l be taken to the link for the article.