RMK has the most visited forestry-related homepage 16.09

A survey conducted in August by OÜ Faktum & Ariko showed that 70% of people looking for forestry-related information started from the RMK homepage. The second most popular web page was the homepage of the Estonian Private Forest Union and the foundation Private Forest Centre, the third most popular was the homepage of the Estonian Fund for Nature.

The general assessment was that forestry-related information has reached the entire population in one way or another. People, who are knowingly searching for information, prefer the Internet environments, the rest would like the information forwarded by television.

The area with the most searches was the possibilities for forest recreation (51% of the searches); people were equally interested in the topics of forest management and nature conservation (36% of those searching).

The survey’s questionnaire consisted of three thematic sections: evaluations/attitude, communication and the Forest Week. Most of the questions in the two first sections repeated the questions of the survey carried out in 2008, making it possible to compare the results.

The survey showed that people like the forest and forest-related activities. The Estonians’ frequency of visits to the forest is comparable to the habits of people in the other Nordic States, where approximately 90% of the people visit the forest at least once a year. 85% of Estonians visit the forest at least once a year.

Most of the people think that the forest is an important treasure and a source of revenue for the Estonian economy, and a large number of Estonians think that the forest helps to ensure employment in rural areas. Timber is considered a recyclable and environmentally friendly material, which should be used more often.

The survey shows that, compared to the opinion of the previous year, the percentage of people believing the situation of the Estonian forests having become worse in the last 5 years has decreased. In 2008, 48% of respondents thought the situation in the forests had remained the same or improved. This year, the number was 53%. 

Additional information:

Elina Kink

Manager of the Communications Department of RMK

Tel: +372 676 7033, GSM +372 511 0033

E-mail: elina.kink@rmk.ee

Heiki Hepner

President of the Estonian Society of Foresters

Tel: +372 5027325

E-mail: heiki.hepner@metsaselts.ee