Rake news! Finnish president denies telling Donald Trump raking prevents forest fires

Finland's president has said he cannot recall telling Donald Trump that "raking" helps prevent forest fires as the US president came under fire for his approach to the disasters.

Mr Trump told reporters on Saturday that wildfires were not a problem in Finland because workers "spend a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things".

The US President, who was visiting Northern California to see the devastation caused by recent wildfires, has repeatedly blamed the problem in the US on "forest management".

Mr Trump said: "I was with the President of Finland and he said we have—much different—we are a forest nation. He called it a forest nation. And they spend a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things, and they don't have any problem. And when it is, it's a very small problem."

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said in a Sunday interview in newspaper Ilta-Sanomat that he did speak briefly with Mr Trump about forest management on November 11, when they both were in Paris for Armistice Day events.

Mr Niinisto confirmed that the conversation focused on the California wildfires and the surveillance system Finland uses to monitor woodland for blazes.

However, although he remembered telling Mr Trump "We take care of our forests", he could not recall raking coming up.

The US leader's comment prompted mockery on social media in Finland, which oversees its vast forests through a complex, scientifically-focused management programme.

Forests cover more than 70 per cent of Finland's 338,000 square kilometres and the country is home to some of the world's biggest paper and pulp companies.

Mr Trump has also recently attracted criticism for his stance that climate change does not significantly contribute to forest fires.

When asked in the ruined town of Paradise if seeing the historic devastation, which stretched for miles and left neighbourhoods destroyed, altered his opinion on climate change, Mr Trump answered: "No."

He was asked during an interview set to air on Fox News Sunday whether climate change played a role in the number of serious fires.

He responded that it "maybe it contributes a little bit. The big problem we have is management."