Finland’s declaration of intent with Québec reinforces collaboration with Canadian forest sector
The Canadian province of Québec and Finland are deepening their collaboration in the forest sector. They have signed a declaration of intent to improve the conditions for commercial and research collaboration in forestry and bioeconomy.
Both Finland and Québec have a strong tradition in forestry, with their forest sectors sharing many similarities. The declaration of intent can help identify key areas of collaboration, and both parties can benefit from each other’s strengths and innovation.
The areas of collaboration specified in the declaration of intent include promoting forest-based bioeconomy, wood construction, forest management methods, climate change mitigation and adaptation in the forest sector, forest industry trade, forest products market, and forest inventories.
The declaration of intent between Finland and the province of Québec regarding forest sector was signed on 7 August 2025. It was drawn up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland and the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts (Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests) of Québec. Finland already has agreements on forest sector collaboration with the provinces of British Colombia and Nova Scotia.
Forest sector plays an important role in Québec
The province of Québec in eastern Canada has the largest area and the second largest population of the Canadian provinces. The forest industry plays an important role in the province.
Nearly half of Québec’s area, about 906 000 km², is covered in forests. The area is equivalent to the combined surface area of Norway and Sweden. The province’s forests make up 20 per cent of all Canadian forests and two per cent of the world’s forests. Québec supports hundreds of projects and studies on processing forestry products to promote the use of timber in the construction sector.
In 2024, Québec’s forest sector's gross domestic product stood at CAD 6.6 billion. Québec exported over CAD 11.5 billion worth of forestry products to international markets in 2024. The value of trade in forestry products between Québec and Finland was nearly CAD 29 million last year.
Working group to coordinate collaboration initiatives
A joint work plan has been drawn up for the implementation of the declaration of intent. A working group consisting of government representatives will be established to coordinate various collaboration initiatives. Direct networking and the exchange of expertise will produce concrete, innovative and mutually beneficial results.
Finnish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah is very pleased about the declaration of intent between Québec and Finland.
“For both parties, forests are a source of comprehensive wellbeing, and they can offer sustainable solutions to many global problems. I believe that through active collaboration, we can sustainably increase the wellbeing generated by forests,” Minister Essayah says.
“The Québec government wants to further diversify and strengthen its strategic international ties with Europe in particular, while also establishing new trade partnerships with like-minded countries. In Québec, as in Finland, forests are in many ways essential and bring significant socio-economic and environmental benefits. It is essential for forestry areas like ours to strengthen relations, share visions and find solutions to common challenges in the current geopolitical landscape, changing climate and from the perspective of sustainable forest management,” says Maïté Blanchette Vézina, the Minister of Natural Resources and Forests of Québec and the Minister responsible for the Bas-Saint-Laurent region and the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region.
Links to other websites:
Finland and the Province of Nova Scotia increase cooperation in forest sector
Inquiries:
Tapio Luoma-aho
Special Adviser to Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah
[email protected]
+358 50 4727040
Kaisa Pirkola
Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
[email protected]
+358 295 162 350