The results of monitoring nature conservation measures in Finnish commercial forests in 2005 indicate that preservation of natural values in these forests is mainly voluntary.
Valuable natural sites are voluntarily saved while harvesting and many trees are spared in felling areas. Safeguarding natural values also means financial investments for forest owners. In general, natural sites are well preserved in commercial forests. The characteristics of more than nine sites out of ten are preserved in felling.

Legislation, i.e. the Nature Preservation and Forest Act, provides for protection of only one fourth of the total area of those natural sites that are actually saved while harvesting in commercial forests.
According to 2005 estimates the total value of trees saved in natural sites in regeneration felling and of trees otherwise saved was on the average 145 euro per hectare. Out of this figure voluntary savings constituted 88 per cent, i.e. 131 euro per hectare.
These conclusions can be drawn from recent monitoring of the quality of nature preservation measures in commercial forests. The quality of nature preservation in felling areas in commercial forests owned by private persons and by forest companies has been evaluated since 1995. These evaluations are conducted by forestry centres and by the Forestry Development Centre Tapio. These results, the conclusions, the analysis and pictures can be found on the website "Replies from the forest" http://www.metsavastaa.net/luontolaatu