Forest owners in the area of western Uusimaa in the southwest of Finland are very interested in voluntary conservation of natural values in their forests.
More than 40 sites were offered for temporary or permanent conservation already during the two first years of the three year project, which is a part of the METSO programme.

Most of the sites consist of forests with decayed trees, but among the sites there are also groves and forests of high grade wood. 
METSO IN SHORT
In October 2002, the Finnish Government made a decision on the Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland 2003-2007, called the METSO Programme.  METSO will be evaluated in 2006, and the decision for possible continuation is planned for 2007. The first interim report (summary), was published in 2005.
The second interim report (summary), presenting stakeholders' and researchers' opinions on the effectiveness of METSO, was published in Jan 2006. Press release. Newsletter.
METSO is a supplement to Finland’s National Forest Programme 2010 with an action programme to protect biodiversity in forests in southern Finland. METSO contains altogether 17 sub-programs, including pilot programmes to test new voluntary means for land-owners to increase the biodiversity in their forests. METSO is also supported by a large research programme, Forest Biodiversity and Monitoring Programme in Finland (MOSSE). METSO is part of Finland's contribution to the international agreements.