About us

We are a union of the forest and timber industry

Statute

The Estonian Forest and Wood Industries Association (EFWIA) brings together more than 70 leading wood enterprises

Our mission
We help to create prosperity, developing local industry and construction based on renewable resources and environmentally friendly energy.
Our vision
A healthy living environment and a decent standard of living supported by a well-developed forest and wood industry and the valorisation of domestic timber.

Objectives

  • Internationally competitive forest and wood industry
  • Standing for the common interests of members and promoting shared goals
  • Raising awareness of the sector’s role in society
  • Sustainable forest use
  • Development and growth of wood use
  • Innovative solutions in the sector

General information

Established in 1996, the Estonian Forest and Wood Industries Association (EFWIA) is a non-profit association that serves to unite companies that are predominantly active in the wood and forest industry.

The Association has 72 members, including four (4) educational institutions providing professional education. The Management Board of the EFWIA has 17 members. The CEO of the Association is Henrik Välja.

It is the goal of the EFWIA’s activities to represent and defend the interests of its members and to contribute to the creation of the legislative and economic conditions necessary for the further development of the mechanical and chemical forest industry.

In 2002, we began the project Puuinfo, the goal of which is to increase the sustainable use of wood.

Cooperation

The Estonian Forest and Wood Industries Association is a member of the Estonian Employers’ Confederation. The EFWIA has been a member of the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois) since 2002.

The EFWIA enjoys excellent networking contacts with the Estonian Forest Association, the Estonian Private Forest Union, the Estonian Fund for Nature, the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry, the Finnish and Swedish Forest Industries Federation, and the European Commission Delegation in Estonia.

We organise information days and seminars for our members on topical forest industry and forest policy issues, participate in various events promoting the use of wood, organise visits by foreign business delegations to Estonia, etc.

 

Fields

Reviewing the socio-economic impact assessment for the sector

The EFWIA is an association uniting one of the most important areas of the economy in Estonia, the forest and wood industries. The EFWIA represents an industry that offers solutions to climate problems, supplies society with a renewable raw material, and helps preserve life in rural areas.

Management

The management board of the Estonian Forest and Wood Industries Association (EFWIA) has 17 members, the Chairman of the Management Board is Jaano Haidla

Composition of the management board (in alphabetical order):

Ando Jukk – Estonian Plywood AS
Gert Rahnel- Combiwood Grupp OÜ
Ivar Dembovski – Rait AS
Jaak Nigul – Tarmeko Spoon AS
Jaan Kers – TalTech
Jaano Haidla – Graanul Invest AS
Jüri Külvik – Lemeks AS
Lauri Raid – VKG
Linnar Pärn – Eesti Maaülikool
Mait Kaup – Warmeston OÜ
Marko Kajandu – Thermory AS
Martti Kork – Barrus AS
Meelis Kall- Luua Metsanduskool
Rain Pärn – AS Estonian Cell
Raul Kirjanen – Graanul Invest AS
Silver Rõõmussaar – UPM-Kymmene Otepää OÜ
Tõnu Saaber – Stora Enso Eesti AS

Become a member

Every day we work to ensure that:

  • the business environment for the forest and wood industries sector is the best it can be
  • the use of all resources is sustainable, the forest is home to an effective operating environment
  • the reputation of the sector is improved in the public eye
  • the use of wood progresses, and Estonian wood products are better-known
  • development of the sector is ensured in the future with the presence of qualified specialists
    the interests of members are represented, and necessary information is disseminated within the Association.
  • The Association welcomes all entrepreneurs who wish to contribute to the widespread use of wood in Estonia, to influence the development of competitive factors in the forest and wood industries sector, and to increase the contribution by the sector to society.

We bring together companies and organisations involved in the logging, chemical and mechanical processing, and marketing of wood. Membership in the Estonian Forest and Wood Industries Association is open to private and public legal persons and public authorities registered in the required manner in the Republic of Estonia, who recognise and comply with the EFWIA’s statutes, and pay the membership fee. A member who has paid the membership fee on time and in full has the right to vote at the general meeting.

If you would like to become a member, please let us know.

To become a member of the EFWIA, please submit a free-form written application to the Management Board.