New ways to share information and knowledge about forest management have caused a leap in efficiency and productivity for the industry, thanks to a project from Finland's Natural Resource Institute.

The project, called Development Leap in Silvicultural Operations, brought together five forest owners' associations and a forest management company, who have been creating and sharing new operational models and technical innovations based on real-world, commercial research.

One of the new operational models shared by the project, for example, predicts the time it will take to manage a forest stand (a specific area of forest) without needing to conduct a field assessment. Like other project activities, this model was based on research that the project partners carried out into their own working practices, which was then developed in co-operation with other organisations.