By David N. Bergston

Dave Bengston (left with  Teppo Hujala) is an alum of our Professional Certificate program and collaborated with Houston Foresight on setting up a Horizon Scanning system for the US Forest Service. 

Finland is known for is its vast and beautiful forests. About 75 percent of Finland’s land area is forested, more than anywhere else in Europe, and it has sixteen times more forest per capita than the European average. The country has thriving spruce, pine and birch forests, sustainable forest management, a strong wood industry and growing forest bioeconomy, and a substantial forestry research system.

Finland is less known for its significant expertise and capacity in strategic foresight. But it should be. For example, the Committee for the Future is a unique permanent committee in the Finnish Parliament that was established in 1993. A year earlier, the Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC) was formed at the University of Turku. A motivation for the creation of both institutions was to develop a national foresight system. Today, the Finnish foresight system is among the best on the planet. Futures literacy and a forward-looking perspective has become deeply rooted in Finnish society.

I had the privilege and pleasure of spending two weeks in Finland in June as Fulbright Specialist to learn about forestry and foresight in Finland and share the forest futures research we conduct in US Forest Service R&D. The idea to pursue a Fulbright Specialist Grant was inspired by Andy Hines’ Fulbright in Thailand. The Fulbright Specialist is a program of the US Department of State and is administered by World Learning. My host institution was the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) in Joensuu, a four and half hour train trip northeast of Helsinki. Teppo Hujala, professor of Forest Bioeconomy Foresight at EUF, was the exemplary host for my Fulbright experience. Teppo organized an amazing two weeks of scholarly and cultural activities for my visit. Here are a few highlights:

  • Meetings and consultations with researchers from EUF, the European Forest Institute, the Natural Resources Institute Finland, the University of Helsinki, the University of Turku, the FFRC, and more.
  • Presented a post-graduate research seminar at EUF on the Forest Futures Horizon Scanning project, which was well-attended both in-person and online thanks to Teppo’s promotional efforts.
  • Conducted a Futures Wheel workshop with Teppo and PhD student Tuomas Mauno on the future implications of generative artificial intelligence in forestry.
  • Attended the annual Futures Conference at the University of Turku and met eminent and up-and-coming futurists from around the world.
  • A weekend field trip that included a trip to the spectacular Koli National Park, a tour of the studio and home of renowned wood sculptor Eva Ryynänen and, of course, a traditional Finnish sauna.

I returned from Finland with new insights and knowledge, professional connections, and intercultural skills that will enrich my futures work in Forest Service R&D. My sincere thanks to the University of Eastern Finland for their generous support, to Prof. Teppo Hujala for going above and beyond in hosting me, and for the excellent support from Heidi Tiainen and Mirka McIntire at the Fulbright Finland Foundation and Courtney Indart and Catherine Coats at World Learning.

 

David is an environmental futurist and social scientist with the Strategic Foresight Group, Northern Research Station, US Forest Service in St. Paul, MN. He can be reached at david.bengston@usda.gov