What is an ecosystem service? Forests are ecosystems, meaning that they consist of living organisms and their non-living environment. Ecosystems provide various services and are therefore particularly useful for humans.

Forests provide various ecosystem services. They absorb water when the snows melt in the spring, reducing the risk of floods. They attract clouds that provide useful rainwater. They provide a habitat for various organisms. Most importantly, they produce oxygen and absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which means that they act as carbon sinks. 

The Natural Resources Institute Finland has listed the various ecosystem services provided by forests:

Production services

• Wood
• Bioenergy
• Berries and fungi
• Game animals
• Plants as raw materials for the medicine and food industries
• Clean water

Regulation services

• Carbon sinks, fighting climate change
• Water purification
• Breathable air
• Prevention of floods, storms and erosion
• Maintaining the productive capacity of the soil
• Noise absorption
• Pollination services
• Defence against diseases and pests

Culture service

• Landscapes
• Recreation and nature tourism
• Education 
• Forests in art
• Cultural heritage

Maintenance services

• Photosynthesis
• Nutrient and carbon cycles
• Soil processing