Field afforestation at the farm level in Finland

Abstract

The establishment of forests on former agricultural land (field afforestation) is examined at the farm level in two communes in eastern Finland. The communes have contrasting socio‑economic environments for farming, one having a high degree of socio‑economic development, the other low. First, farm structure in the two communes is examined in relation to the propensity to afforest fields. The intensity of field afforestation is then examined, and an attempt is made to discriminate between farms with afforested fields and farms with no afforested fields, on the basis of structural attributes. Farmers' old age is shown to encourage field afforestation. Field afforesta­tion is also encouraged by farmers' reduced dependence on agricultural husbandry. Good structural and productive conditions for agriculture reduce field afforestation activities.