The Einari Vidgrén Foun­da­tion rewar­ded meri­ted fore­stry pro­fes­sio­nals for the 21st time at the award cere­mony held at the Vie­remä fac­tory on 2 June. The awards tota­led EUR 189,530.

The foundation’s top acco­lade, the Einari Award, was pre­sen­ted to forest mac­hine cont­rac­tor Pekka Mik­ko­nen (Met­sä­ko­neu­ra­kointi Mik­ko­nen P. Oy) in recog­ni­tion of his long-term and influen­tial cont­ri­bu­tion to the deve­lop­ment of Fin­nish fore­stry. He has wor­ked as a busi­ness owner in the fore­stry sec­tor for nearly 40 years, demon­stra­ting strong com­mit­ment, an ent­repre­neu­rial spi­rit and a con­ti­nuous drive for impro­ve­ment.

Based in Hei­nä­vesi in North Kare­lia, Mik­ko­nen has made a sig­ni­ficant cont­ri­bu­tion to impro­ving har­ves­ting qua­lity, com­bi­ning high stan­dards, mea­su­ring accu­racy, work safety and sus­tai­na­bi­lity in his work. Mik­ko­nen ser­ves as a res­pec­ted trailblazer and a source of sup­port for other ope­ra­tors in the sec­tor, and he acti­vely men­tors forest mac­hine ope­ra­tors across seve­ral com­pa­nies. In addi­tion, he is a sig­ni­ficant emplo­yer and a buil­der of com­mu­ni­ties and networks, whose work has far‑reaching impacts across the fore­stry value chain.

Over the years, work safety and envi­ron­men­tal res­pon­si­bi­lity have become key principles in his work. Pekka’s aim is to leave future gene­ra­tions a vibrant rural envi­ron­ment and a flou­ris­hing natu­ral landscape, built on high‑quality and tech­no­lo­gically advanced fore­stry.

In addi­tion to the Einari Award, awards were given in four cate­go­ries:
life­time achie­ve­ment awards, special recog­ni­tion awards, ope­ra­tor awards and stu­dent scho­lars­hips.

Life­time achie­ve­ment awards

Life­time achie­ve­ment awards were given to two long-term fore­stry pro­fes­sio­nals.

Peter Lund­ström (Par­fo­rest Oy, Parai­nen) has been deve­lo­ping his com­pany into a pio­neer of envi­ron­men­tally friendly har­ves­ting since 1989. He is a trailblazer in forest mana­ge­ment, har­ves­ting and ent­repre­neurs­hip, and has applied the principles of con­ti­nuous cover fore­stry and emission‑reducing met­hods from an early stage. His work is groun­ded in a deep res­pect for nature and a deter­mi­ned com­mit­ment to advancing sus­tai­nable prac­tices.

Under Lundström’s lea­ders­hip, Par­fo­rest Oy has establis­hed a high‑quality ope­ra­ting model that emp­ha­si­ses care­ful work plan­ning, the avoi­dance of forest soil damage, and res­pect for both the forest and the forest owner. He has acti­vely sha­red his exper­tise and gui­ded ope­ra­tors to work res­pon­sibly and to a high stan­dard.

Puun­kor­juu Tor­vi­nen Oy from Puo­lanka is a long‑established fore­stry com­pany with roots dating back to the 1960s. Brot­hers Pentti and Ville Tor­vi­nen began forest mac­hine cont­rac­ting in the mid‑1960s, and the busi­ness has con­ti­nued in the family for more than 60 years. The com­pany is cur­rently owned by CEO Vesa Tor­vi­nen and Chair of the Board Marko Tor­vi­nen.

The company’s ope­ra­tions are foun­ded on strong tra­di­tions, high pro­fes­sio­nal com­pe­tence and a com­mit­ment to sus­tai­nable har­ves­ting in deman­ding con­di­tions. Puun­kor­juu Tor­vi­nen Oy emp­ha­si­ses the impor­tance of res­pon­sible forest mana­ge­ment and seeks to pro­mote the growth and well­being of forests.  The next gene­ra­tion is also invol­ved in the com­pany, sup­por­ting con­ti­nuity and strengt­he­ning the future of the family busi­ness.

“Their long careers have seen many chan­ges and uphea­vals in the industry. Both of the awar­dees have wor­ked meri­to­riously in a chal­len­ging ope­ra­ting envi­ron­ment, and the Board of the foun­da­tion wan­ted to show our apprecia­tion for their high-qua­lity work,” says Juha Vidgren.

Special recog­ni­tion awards

The foun­da­tion issues annual special recog­ni­tion awards to people invol­ved in mec­ha­ni­sed har­ves­ting research and deve­lop­ment and industry educa­tion deve­lop­ment, and those who have inc­rea­sed awa­re­ness of and recog­ni­tion for the industry. This year, special recog­ni­tion was awar­ded to ten reci­pients.

“We wan­ted to reward associa­tions and people that raise awa­re­ness of the fore­stry industry and rural pro­fes­sions among children and young people. We also wan­ted to high­light the role of women as fore­stry specia­lists,” says Juha Vidgren.

Amis Dia­ries

The Amis Dia­ries pro­gramme fol­lows the lives of seven young people who have cho­sen voca­tio­nal educa­tion, in dif­fe­rent parts of Fin­land.

Film­bu­tik Oulu Oy    

In its second sea­son, the docu­men­tary series Savotta 2 also high­lights the export poten­tial of Fin­nish forest mac­hine exper­tise. One of the sto­ry­li­nes fol­lows the Fin­nish com­pany Finn­har­vest as it under­ta­kes forest mac­hine cont­rac­ting work in Flo­rida in the Uni­ted Sta­tes.

Fin­nish Forest Museum Lusto

In the foots­teps of a forest mac­hine ope­ra­tor at Lusto. An expe­rience showca­sing mec­ha­nical har­ves­ting and forest mac­hine tech­no­logy in a museum set­ting.

Rural Pro­fes­sions Associa­tion

The Rural Pro­fes­sions Associa­tion is an orga­ni­sa­tion ope­ra­ting in North Savo and North Kare­lia that int­ro­duces rural pro­fes­sions and rural ent­repre­neurs­hip to children, young people and teac­hers.

Reijo Wuo­rio, Hake­vuori Oy

Foun­ded in 2001, Hake­vuori has grown into Finland’s lea­ding ope­ra­tor in the forest energy sec­tor. Its deve­lop­ment efforts have focused on effec­tive solu­tions for energy wood har­ves­ting and forest mana­ge­ment.

Kaisa Reu­na­nen, Etelä-Savon Kou­lu­tus Oy

Kaisa Reu­na­nen has wor­ked long‑term to deve­lop forest mac­hine ope­ra­tor trai­ning in Mik­keli at South Savo Voca­tio­nal Col­lege. In autumn 2026, she will reach 30 years of ser­vice in fore­stry educa­tion. Kaisa knows forest vege­ta­tion par­ticu­larly well and is an expert in forest eco­logy.

Natio­nal Associa­tion of Women in Tim­ber, Lori A. Wal­ker, Uni­ted Sta­tes of Ame­rica

Lori A. Wal­ker foun­ded the Natio­nal Associa­tion of Women in Tim­ber (NAWT) in 2019 to strengt­hen networ­king, trai­ning and career deve­lop­ment oppor­tu­ni­ties for women wor­king in the forest industry. Through deter­mi­ned work, the local ini­tia­tive she launc­hed has grown into a sig­ni­ficant com­mu­nity that sup­ports, trains and con­nects women across the sec­tor. In January 2026, the orga­ni­sa­tion expan­ded its acti­vi­ties to the natio­nal level.

Juan Pablo Reta­mal, Luis Ace­vedo, Ale­jandro Gonza­lez Liceo Bicen­te­na­rio, Luis E. Cor­rea Rojas de Curepto, Chile

At the Luis Edmundo Cor­rea Rojas upper secon­dary school, one of the specia­li­sa­tion options is forest tech­nician trai­ning, deve­lo­ped in coo­pe­ra­tion with Ponsse Chile. The trai­ning focuses on the cut‑to‑length (CTL) met­hod and pro­vi­des stu­dents with the skills to ope­rate and main­tain modern har­ves­ters and forwar­ders. The teac­hing com­bi­nes simu­la­tor trai­ning, prac­tical instruc­tion and on‑the‑job lear­ning periods wit­hin Ponsse Chile’s ope­ra­ting envi­ron­ment.

Petr Mora­vec, Česká Les­nická Aka­de­mie, The Czech Republic

Česká Les­nická Aka­de­mie is deve­lo­ping forest mac­hine ope­ra­tor trai­ning to strengt­hen fore­stry exper­tise and educa­tion in the Czech Republic. The school has more than 170 years of tra­di­tion in fore­stry educa­tion and is the only fore­stry school in the country that offers trai­ning for forest mac­hine ope­ra­tors. The deve­lop­ment of the trai­ning is sup­por­ted by close coo­pe­ra­tion with facul­ties of fore­stry and inter­na­tio­nal fore­stry schools. 

Einari ope­ra­tor awards

The award cri­te­ria for ope­ra­tor awards include cus­to­mer-dri­ven, high-qua­lity work, an unre­len­ting atti­tude when it comes to the qua­lity of work, and good coo­pe­ra­tion and com­mu­nica­tion with forest owners and other sta­ke­hol­ders. Einari had a clear idea for the award cri­te­ria: those ope­ra­tors whose qua­lity of work is high and have a good atti­tude with good cus­to­mer ser­vice skills have ear­ned their awards. This year, the Einari Vidgrén Foun­da­tion gave 41 Einari ope­ra­tor awards for high-qua­lity work.

Anton Mik­ko­nen, Ylä­mylly, Motou­ra­kointi Pik­ka­rai­nen Oy
Pasi Man­ni­nen, Ääne­koski, Met­sä­he­put Oy
Kimmo Ora­nen, Kan­gas­niemi, Vel­jek­set Hok­ka­nen Oy
Tuomo Kämä­räi­nen, Savon­linna, Aatto Sil­ven­toi­nen Oy
Samuli Mik­ko­nen, Kajaani, Met­sä­työ Konola Oy
Harri Pii­rai­nen, Kuhmo, Kalevi Määttä Oy
Jere Rasin­kan­gas, Kajaani, Moto Team Tau­riai­nen Oy
Robert Taavo, Ii, Iin Met­sä­työ Oy
Antti Kor­ka­lai­nen, Rau­ta­vaara, Koneu­ra­kointi Luk­ka­ri­nen Oy
Joni Tans­ka­nen, Pol­vi­järvi, Metsä Kal­li­nen Oy
Jouni Malms­tedt, Keri­mäki, Metsä-Rai­kuu Oy
Teemu Marin, Nil­siä, Pekka Hak­ka­rai­nen Oy
Ossi Hie­ta­harju, Ilma­joki, Koneu­ra­kointi Päi­vä­rinta Ky
Vili-Pet­teri Vii­ta­nen, Kan­kaan­pää, Tim­ber­log Oy
Ville Vuon­nala, Savu­koski, L Harju Oy
Jari Parkki, Lit­toi­nen, Met­sä­ko­ne­pal­velu Oy
Kim Vir­ta­nen, Hämeen­linna, Jyrki Vir­ta­nen Tmi
Arto Tak­ku­nen, Kuo­pio, Met­sä­työ Mar­kop Oy
Antti Heis­ka­nen, Hei­nä­vesi, Hei­nä­ve­den Koneu­ra­kointi Oy
Henri Ojala, Noor­markku, Motou­ra­kointi J. Kan­gas Oy
Timo Sarola, Joen­suu, Kone­Jät­kät Oy
Joo­nas Öhman, Parai­nen, Par­fo­rest Oy
Juha Meri­läi­nen, Nur­mes, Koneu­ra­kointi S. Kuit­ti­nen Oy
Miska Lau­ro­nen, Pudas­järvi, Met­sä­ko­neu­ra­kointi Reino Ala­talo Oy
Jouni Koleh­mai­nen, Iisalmi, Ura­koin­ti­liike Lei­no­nen Oy
Aleksi Rau­tio, Pello, Kimmo Kulo­järvi Oy
Sami Neno­nen, Naa­ra­järvi, TS-Metsä Oy
Juha Luoma, Evi­järvi, Gran­vi­kin Met­sä­työ Oy
Jani Var­tiai­nen, Joen­suu, Metsä-Majoi­nen Oy
Olli Par­tiai­nen, Kuo­pio, Ket­ju­po­jat Oy
Ari Jääs­ke­läi­nen, Kei­tele, Nilakka Forest Oy
Jyrki Kemp­pi­nen, Pun­ka­harju, Koneu­ra­kointi Muti­kai­nen Oy
Manu Väy­ry­nen, Ris­ti­järvi, Puun­kor­juu Junk­ka­rit Oy
Mika Töl­likkö, Hamina, Ura­kointi R&M Kotola Oy
Anssi Kemp­pai­nen, Pal­tamo, Kone­työ Korja Ay
Mikko Perttu, Kau­hava, Kone­pal­velu Höl­rin Oy
Jaakko Soleh­mai­nen, Joen­suu, Kai­vuu ja Kul­je­tus Kari Kui­va­lai­nen Oy
Tommi Helin, Mänt­sälä, Kos­ken­myl­lyn Kor­juu Oy
Ville Moi­la­nen, Kart­tula, Kart­tu­lan Met­sä­työ Oy
Anssi Ron­kai­nen, Mul­tia, Vel­jek­set Leh­to­mäki Oy
Timo-Antti Lii­ma­tai­nen, Vii­ta­saari, Keski-Suo­men Met­sä­kymppi Oy

Stu­dent scho­lars­hips

Stu­dent scho­lars­hips are awar­ded to forest industry stu­dents who have per­for­med well in their stu­dies. This year, the foun­da­tion gave stu­dent scho­lars­hips to 39 forest industry stu­dents. The scho­lars­hips were given to the stu­dents at the end of the term.

Etelä-Savon Kou­lu­tus Oy, Piek­sä­mäki — Sami Lai­ti­nen and Arttu Lii­ma­tai­nen
Etelä-Savon Kou­lu­tus, ESEDU, Salo­saari and Mik­keli — Niko Byman and Tino Ant­to­nen
Yrke­sa­ka­de­min i Öster­bot­ten — Anton Björ­kell and Tobias Östring
Oulu Voca­tio­nal Col­lege, Tai­val­koski — Jere Ala­talo and Jyri Tyni
Educa­tio­nal Con­sor­tium OSAO, Muhos — Eetu Kerä­nen and Anni Mart­ti­nen
Tam­pere Voca­tio­nal Col­lege Tredu, Kuru — Jaakko Leino and Vili-Cas­per Nur­mela
TTS Työ­te­ho­seura — Kas­per Paka­ri­nen and Jorma Kal­teva
Län­si­ran­ni­kon Kou­lu­tus Oy Win­Nova — Severi Ruo­ho­maa and Aleksi Hent­ti­nen
Rive­ria, Val­timo — Joel Apell
Gra­dia, Jämsä — Tero Läh­teen­mäki and Arttu Joki­nen
Sei­nä­joki Joint Munici­pal Aut­ho­rity for Educa­tion Sedu, Ähtäri — Turkka Saa­rela and Niila Tiai­nen
Fede­ra­tion of Educa­tion in Cent­ral Ostro­both­nia — Niilo Huuki and Niko Mot­ti­sen­kan­gas
Lapland Voca­tio­nal Col­lege REDU, Rova­niemi — Kas­per Rau­tio and Venla Oli­via Kallo
The Voca­tio­nal Educa­tion Ins­ti­tute of Nort­hern Cent­ral Fin­land, Uurai­nen — Niko Pari­kai­nen and Eetu Läh­tei­nen
Häme Voca­tio­nal Ins­ti­tute EVO — Paavo Lind­holm and Joona Har­jula
Savo Voca­tio­nal Col­lege — San­teri Tirk­ko­nen and Ville Saas­ta­moi­nen
Sai­maa Voca­tio­nal Col­lege, Ruo­ko­lahti — Aku Aho­nen and Jesse Sii­ro­pää­Keski-Uusi­maa Joint Munici­pal Aut­ho­rity for Educa­tion and Trai­ning / KEUDA — Sampo Lie­vo­nen and Lukas Sko­mars
Samiedu Voca­tio­nal Col­lege — Juho Koski
Kai­nuu Voca­tio­nal Col­lege — Osku Pus­si­nen and Kas­peri Kyl­lö­nen
Livia Col­lege (Pei­mari educa­tion munici­pa­lity associa­tion) — Touko Ali-Raa­ti­kai­nen

Vie­remä, 2 June 2026
Einari Vidgrén Foun­da­tion
Juha Vidgrén, Chair