UPM is launching its own doctoral program on the ecological impacts of forest management and so called nature management actions in forestry. The University of Eastern Finland has been selected as the first partner in the program, with a focus on water protection.
The research topic focuses on the effects of peatland management, and particularly the restoration of mires, on water chemistry and biota. The aim is to investigate how different restoration measures affect the water quality and biodiversity of waterways immediately after the measures have been implemented.
"We want to create more responsible, safer, and more productive forest management methods through research and development. We need research-based information on the effects of our activities on tree growth, forest health, economic performance, and the state of waterways, climate, and biodiversity. Our own doctoral program enables long-term, cutting-edge research, the results of which can be directly applied in UPM's forests while also developing our own service offering to forest owners and influencing practices across the entire industry," says Janne Uuttera, Research and Development Manager, UPM Forest.
"Due to the research theme, we chose the University of Eastern Finland as our partner for the program's first doctoral dissertation, as it has a lot of expertise and a long history of research in this particular field. The University of Eastern Finland was recently selected for the Academy of Finland's Centre of Excellence program (2026–2029) on the topic of mires, climate change, and restoration," Uuttera continues.
"The research collaboration that has now been launched is a very necessary and timely initiative, which will also allow us to utilize and combine the University of Eastern Finland's expertise in swamp and water ecology," says Associate Professor Anna Laine -Petäjäkangas from the Department of Forest Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland.
UPM's first doctoral student is conducting their research in the Doctoral Program in Natural Sciences, Forest Sciences and Technology (LUMETO), and the research is supervised by Associate Professor Anna Laine-Petäjäkangas and Professor Raine Kortet.
The university is responsible for the scientific level and supervision of the research. UPM's own forests serve as a research platform and pilot areas, enabling the direct application of the results in the development of forest management practices. The research will begin in spring 2026 and will last for four years. The research is funded by UPM, LUMETO, the Department of Forest Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland, and the Academy of Finland's Center of Excellence program.
For further information, please contact:
Janne Uuttera, Research and Development Manager, UPM Forest, tel. +358 40 831 2639
Anna Laine-Petäjäkangas, Assistant Professor, University of Eastern Finland, tel. +358 50 432 8194
