Today’s forest sector needs solutions that address difficult questions directly, rather than avoiding them. Current discussions reflect a dual challenge: urgent concern for biodiversity and carbon sinks, alongside the need for income, jobs, and a functioning industry.
AEFC was founded to make continuous cover forestry transparent, verifiable, and recognizable in the market. Its EverCover certification responds to this need—and it is now being guided by AEFC’s new CEO Nina Kokkonen (Master of Science, Forestry).
Nina summarizes AEFC’s vision:
“We need a model that builds trust in responsibly sourced timber while enabling forest owners to maintain continuous cover—so forests can secure owners’ economy and remain forests.”
A career bridging strategy and practice
Nina Kokkonen has seen firsthand how responsibility translates into decisions and practical implementation. Her experience spans environmental protection, timber procurement, sawmilling, forestry education, and corporate sustainability strategy and reporting. She knows both the big picture of forest policy and the details of harvest mapping.
Nina joins AEFC from BDO, one of the world’s largest auditing firms, where she developed sustainability services and supported companies in sustainability reporting, EU taxonomy compliance, and forest loss regulations. She is experienced in verifying sustainability data, managing harvest quality, protecting natural values, tracking supply chains, and training forestry professionals in Finland and internationally.
This combination of international experience and ability to read both EU regulations and harvest maps is exactly what AEFC needs to move from an idea to a scalable solution.
Why AEFC?
Nina was drawn to AEFC by its values and the opportunity to advance concrete sustainability work, even as EU legislation has faced setbacks. She emphasizes that solutions should complement the pulp and paper industry with models built for consumer markets, high-value wood products, and international partnerships.
“Real growth in the forest sector no longer comes from adding cubic meters, but from how much nature and trust remain standing.”
Looking ahead: scaling up
Continuous cover forestry is not new—but making it visible and valued in the market is. Initially, EverCover certification will focus on pilot sites, carefully testing criteria, practical guidelines, and the EverCover timber origin registry. At the same time, AEFC strengthens collaboration with timber buyers, financiers, and other partners.
Over the next few years, the goal is to establish EverCover as part of the Nordic forest landscape and expand the model across Europe. AEFC’s ambition is clear: from the North, demonstrate what forestry can look like when economy, nature, and responsibility for future generations are taken seriously.
Strength through collaboration
Nina also wants to change the way dialogue happens in the forest sector. “Instead of avoiding conflict in forestry debates, we need a safe space for open and even uncomfortable dialogue. We face many challenges, and the best outcomes come from constructive discussion.”
Decisions made today shape the landscape and financial accounts for decades to come—and determine what trust and value we leave standing for the next generation.