The Finnish Forest Research Institute has carried out monitoring surveys on Finnish family forest owners since the 1970s. The most recent survey data was collected at the beginning of the year 2009. The mail survey consisted of 13,000 of a total 300,000 family forest holdings over 5 hectares of productive forestland. The response rate was 49 per cent. The results show, for instance, that the average age of Finnish forest owners is 60 years. According to major occupation, 45 per cent of forest owners are pensioners, 30 per cent are wage earners, 16 per cent are agricultural and forestry entrepreneurs and 7 per cent are 'other' entrepreneurs. With regard to ownership form, 76 per cent of family forest holdings are in single person or family ownership, whereas both private partnerships and heirs represent 12 per cent of forest holdings. Forest owners are not greatly urbanised yet, as 55 per cent live in rural areas and the rest live in villages or towns. Sixtyfour per cent live in the same municipality with their forest holding. Forest owners most commonly have multiple objectives, as this objective group represents 34 per cent of owners and 48 per cent of forest area. During the last ten years, the share of multiobjective, indifferent and recreational owners has increased, whereas the share of self-employed and investor owners has decreased.