(UPM, Helsinki, 20 May 2011 at 9.30 EET) – UPM participates in ENO – Environment Online’s Tree Planting Day on May 20 in United Kingdom, Uruguay and Finland. The annual event is part of UPM’s partnership with ENO, a global virtual school and network for sustainable development. ENO has been running since 2000 and reached thousands of schools in 150 countries.

“The seedlings planted on the Tree Planting Day represent just a fraction of the 50 million seedlings UPM plants annually around the world. Yet we see the cooperation with ENO and local schools extremely important in building future generations’ relationship to nature and forests,” says Timo Lehesvirta, Director, Environment.

”Tree planting is a concrete way of bringing issues related to forests closer to people. It is one way to demonstrate how UPM continuously plans actions related to forestry and forest regeneration in the long term, decades ahead,” Lehesvirta points out.

“Tree planting symbolises sustainable development. A tree seedling represents ecosystem services where the tree during its lifetime hosts hundreds of other forest species, sequestrates carbon, secures pure surface and ground water and stabilises local climate” concludes ENO’s Coordinator Mika Vanhanen.

UPM is committed to carrying out its international biodiversity programme, aiming to keep forests full of life. The goal of UPM’s biodiversity programme is to secure biodiversity as a vital part of sustainable forestry, simultaneously promoting best practices in forestry. The United Nations biodiversity declaration signed by UPM is a natural part of the company’s long-lasting work in developing sustainable forestry practices. Year 2011 is the UN’s International Year of Forests, and May 22 is UN’s biodiversity day, focusing this year to forest biodiversity.

The ENO Tree Planting Day is an open event for schools and groups interested in environment and peace. It is arranged twice in a year, in May and in September. Planting is one of the most popular activities in the ENO Programme. ENO’s goal is to get 10,000 schools involved.

For further information please contact:
Mr Timo Lehesvirta, Director, Environmental Affairs, Energy & Pulp, UPM, tel. +358 400 752 212
Mr Mika Vanhanen, Teacher & Coordinator, ENO, tel. 358 40 5070725

More about ENO – Environment online and ENO Tree Planting Day at: http://www.enotreeday.net/

UPM leads the integration of bio and forest industries into a new, sustainable and innovation-driven future. Our products are made of renewable raw materials and are recyclable. UPM consists of three Business Groups: Energy and Pulp, Paper, and Engineered Materials. The Group employs around 22,000 people and it has production plants in 16 countries. In 2010, UPM's sales amounted to EUR 8.9 billion. UPM's shares are listed on the Helsinki stock exchange. UPM – The Biofore Company – www.upm.com

UPM´s Biofore strategy entails a long term commitment to environmental responsibility through the whole lifecycle of our products and operations. Our key areas in environmental responsibility are sustainable products, climate, water, forest and waste. The company is focusing on the continuous development of its performance, aiming towards achieving long term targets set for 2020. www.upm.com/responsibility