Preparing Entire Finland for Future Wildfires

Challenge

Finland’s summers are getting hotter and drier, increasing the chance of forest and grassland ignitions. Even countries with strong emergency infrastructures are seeing wildfire behavior become harder to predict and contain.

While Finland is comparatively well positioned, annual wildfires still pose risks to communities, ecosystems, and the economy. One of Finland’s great advantages, however, is the strength of its national forest information. With the right analytics, this data can support proactive, cost-efficient wildfire preparedness.

This idea became the foundation of the MARISKA project.

A national collaboration to strengthen wildfire resilience

MARISKA was a joint R&D effort between Finnish Forest Centre, Arbonaut, and Emergency Services Academy of Finland. The work formed part of the Ministry’s Carbon-Caught climate initiative launched in 2020.

The goal was to transform Finland’s existing forest data into actionable wildfire intelligence for rescue authorities nationwide.

From forest information to wildfire insight

Arbonaut developed nationwide static wildfire-risk maps by combining:

  • Forest fuel data
  • Vegetation structure
  • Environmental variables
Canopy Base Height

Canopy Base Height (CBH)

The lowest height at which there is sufficient canopy fuel to propagate a fire.
Canopy Bulk Density

Canopy Bulk Density (CBD)

Spatial information about the density of available fuel within a forest canopy representing how packed the fuel is (foliage, small twigs).
Canopy Fuel Weight

Canopy Fuel Weight (CFW)

The total amount of fuel in the overstory that could be consumed during a fire.

These inputs helped identify areas where wildfire ignition and spread were most likely, giving authorities a comprehensive view of forest fire dynamics before emergencies occur.

Rescue departments tested the maps across browser, mobile, and tablet devices, ensuring usability directly in the field, including:

  • Smarter planning with less field visits
  • Better situational awareness during incidents
  • Advance knowledge of target areas for safer, more efficient operations
  • Improved firefighter safety through enhanced awareness

With intuitive tools and full national coverage, rescue authorities now have a proactive way to anticipate risk areas before fires escalate into emergencies.

Video testimonial

Funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The project was part of the Carbon-Caught climate measure of the land use sector launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in spring 2020.