The aim of the project is to investigate options for improving the sustainable use of forest resources in selected regions of the Northern Periphery Programme (NPP) area in Finland, Sweden, Scotland and Norway by using an innovative sustainability impact assessment tool, ToSIA. ToSIA stands for Tool for Sustainability Impact Assessment of the Forest Wood Chain and it analyses the sustainability of production processes in the Forest Wood Chain in terms of social, economic and environmental sustainability indicators. In the project the tool will be applied from two perspectives: regional development and business. Firstly, public bodies engaged in regional development strategies will employ the tool in a multi-stakeholder setting to explore better sustainable development scenarios in the region. Secondly, companies using forest resources in the NPP region will adapt the tool to their sustainability assessment routines, enabling them to improve their corporate social responsibility as a part of the whole forestry wood value chain operating in the remote conditions of the NPP region. As a result, the Northern ToSIA tool will be developed for use in the NPP area and will be introduced to potential users in a wider geographical coverage within the region.
EFI will co-ordinate the project and is responsible for developing the ToSIA tool. EFI will also lead dissemination of project outputs.
Partners:
- European Forest Institute EFI, Finland
- Forestry Centre of North Karelia, Finland
- Forest Research FR / Forestry Commission, Scotland
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SLU, Sweden
- Department of Agriculture, County Governor of Nordland, Norway
In addition, there are several Associate Partners involved in the project implementation e.g. regional organisations and development bodies, forest sector companies.
Project is co-financed in the NPP Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013 and from several national and regional co-financing sources:
- European Regional Development Fund ERDF
- Ministry of Environment (FIN)
- Regional Council of North Karelia (FIN)
- Forestry Commission (UK)
- County Administrative Board of Västerbotten (SE)
- County Governor of Nordland (NO)
More information on the project website: http://www.northerntosia.org/portal/ (last visited 29.7.2018)