Lusto’s activities
The Finnish Forest Museum Lusto is a national specialist museum of forest culture and the stronghold of Finns’ relationship with the forest. The museum, based in the Punkaharju national landscape, strengthens the role of forest culture in Finnish society. Lusto’s objective is to be a specialist in forest culture and forest cultural heritage, a reliable conveyor of forest-related information as well as a well-known tourist attraction. Lusto is involved in the most important collaboration networks focusing on the forest culture, forest, museum and tourism sectors as well as research and educational networks.
The Finnish Forest Museum Foundation
Lusto’s background organisation is the Finnish Forest Museum Foundation, which was set up by about 40 forestry and timber industry organisations in 1988. The purpose of the foundation is to promote museum activities related to the forest industry and forest culture across Finland as well as to share information and lobby.
In order to achieve its goals, the foundation:
1) Stores material related to the forest sector and forest culture, cares for, manages and makes available museum collections and produces research and services based on the collections.
2) Carries out activities related to expert, educational, exhibition, event and communications services in its field of operations as well as shares information about forests, the forest industry and forest culture.
3) Ensures that the Finnish Forest Museum Foundation has appropriate premises, and maintains these premises.
4) Operates to achieve the foundation’s goals and may acquire and own shares or a stake in companies that support its activities.
The majority of the members of the Finnish Forest Museum Foundation Board must represent a wide range of expertise in forest culture and the forest and museum sectors.
Lusto receives funding for its activities from the Ministry of Education and Culture.
Strategy and organisation
Lusto has a strategy for 2018-2022, the objective of which is to strengthen relationships with the forest.
Our vision is for the most impressive museum in Finland to be about man and the forest.
Forests are an essential part of Finnish lifestyle, culture, livelihood and society. We make it possible for visitors to experience interaction between man and the forest as it was in the past and as it will be in the future.
Applying our forest cultural perspective, we influence debate about forests and the objectives concerning them and, consequently, decision-making processes in society.
We create a new and deeper understanding of people’s relationships with the forest.
Our mission is to strengthen individuals’ and communities’ relationships with the forest because we believe that a strong relationship with the forest enhances the experience of living a good life.
Every individual’s relationship with the forest is unique and pluralistic, and it evolves over one’s lifetime. It can be an important part of an individual’s identity. Forests affect people and society in a number of ways. They have fundamental ecological, cultural, social and economic implications.