Forestry
Sweden is a forest nation
Forests are important to Sweden in several ways. Two thirds of the country’s land surface – or some 28 million hectares - is covered by different types of forests. Of this, some 23 million hectares is considered productive forests. The forest sector’s importance to the national economy is significant. Today, nearly 60 000 persons are directly employed in the country’s forest sector and Sweden is the world’s second largest exporter of pulp, paper and sawn wood products combined. More than 300 000 private individuals own forest land themselves. Family-owned forests represent around 50% of the total forest area and some 60% of the total annual yield. For many other people, the country’s forests are also important - for hunting, for picking berries and mushrooms, for recreation and contemplation.
Forests play a key-role in the development of a sustainable society
Forests also play a central role in sustainable development. Wood fiber as a raw material is renewable, recyclable and neutral when it comes to emissions of carbon dioxide contributing to climate change. Consequently, forests are gaining increasing attention as a resource in relation to ambitions to mitigate climate change and develop more resource- and energy-efficient societies. The Swedish forest industry’s vision is to be a driver in the development of a so called biobased economy, that is, an economy in which fossil raw material is replaced with renewable and recyclable raw materials such as wood fiber. At the same time, a sustainable society is dependent upon well-functioning forest ecosystems which are able to provide us with services such as climate- and water cycle regulation, and recreational experiences. Therefore, these so called forest eco-system services have to be sustained as well.
Forests shall be managed sustainably to provide various benefits
The basic idea in Swedish forest policy and forestry-model is that forests shall be managed to provide economic, ecologic, as well as social benefits. Efficient and sustainable production of wood for different end-uses shall go hand in hand with preservation of valuable ecological- and socio-cultural values. In Sweden, the multi-functional role of forests is safeguarded through regulations on the use of forests across the entire forest area. In addition, land with significant ecological - or other values is protected or the management of such land is adapted.
The standing volume in Swedish forests is increasing
Exploitation of forest resources has a very long history in Sweden. In earlier times, many forests were overexploited for purposes like logging for domestic timber and fuelwood use, cattle grazing, charcoal production for the mining industry, and latterly logging for sawmill- and pulp industries. By the end of the nineteenth century, large areas of forest had actually been depleted. In order to come to terms with this situation, the Swedish Parliament passed the first Forestry Act in 1903, containing provisions which required land owners to replant after forest felling. The trend of depletion was thus reversed. Since the 1920’s (when forest surveys were first initiated), the total standing volume has increased significantly.
Read more:
SEE MOVIE: Sustainable forestry - the Swedish model
The film explains how Swedish forestry is governed to be sustainable. Copyright: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
The Swedish Forest Agency – facts and information on Swedish forests and forest policy
The Swedish Forest Industries Federation – facts on the Swedish forest industry
LRF (the Federation of Swedish Farmers) Forestry - about Swedish family forestry
Nordic Family Forestry – website for The Nordic Forest Owners’ Associations
Skogforsk - the Forestry Research Institute of Sweden
TaxWebb - statistics on Swedish forests from the National Forest Inventory
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Communicating on sustainable forest solutions after COVID-19
Publicerad: Monday, 21 December, 2020 - 09:30Etiketter: ForestryA few weeks ago, broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough broke world records by reaching a million followers on Instagram in under five hours with a clear message: saving our planet is now a communications challenge. / Finnish Forest AssociationLäs mer -
Södra to raise price of NBSK to USD 960/tonne
Publicerad: Thursday, 17 December, 2020 - 14:55Etiketter: ForestrySödra Cell is increasing the price of its northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp in Europe to $960, effective 1 January 2021. / SödraLäs mer -
Representative of only indigenous people in EU praises land use planning in Lapland – needs of all inhabitants of the Sámi homeland are being reconciled
Publicerad: Thursday, 17 December, 2020 - 14:22Etiketter: ForestryA balance between forest felling, reindeer herding, tourism and other land uses is being sought in the natural resource planning of state-owned lands in the Sámi homeland in Finland. A representative of the Sámi thinks the Natural Resources Plan is a good tool for the work. ‘We’ve found a good spirit of cooperation,’ says Leo Aikio, Vice President of the Sámi Parliament of Finland. / Finnish Forestry AssociationLäs mer -
Ponsse invests in digital business and recruits new professionals
Publicerad: Wednesday, 16 December, 2020 - 11:49Etiketter: ForestryPonsse is planning significant investments in the development of digital business. The company will open vacancies for ten positions in digital development as part of its extensive development of digital services. The significance of data-based services is increasing. PONSSE forest machines continuously collect volumes of data on machine operations and condition, as well as the state of the forest environment. / PonsseLäs mer -
Continued large number of applications for final felling in montane forests
Publicerad: Tuesday, 15 December, 2020 - 10:44Etiketter: ForestryIn November 2020, forest owners applied for permits of logging in montane forests over an area almost five times larger compared to November last year, according to new statistics from the Swedish Forest Agency. However, the area of notifications and applications in the rest of the country was unchanged. / Swedish Forest AgencyLäs mer -
Stronger and smarter after lockdown – how hunkering down in the forest paid off
Publicerad: Wednesday, 9 December, 2020 - 08:42Etiketter: ForestryWhile social distancing and working remotely are tough, at least they give us more flexibility to structure our days. Spending time in the forest proved to be a perfect way to emerge from Covid-19 limitations rejuvenated. / Finnish Forest AssociationLäs mer -
Building with wood in urban areas could offset almost half the carbon emissions of Europe’s cement industry
Publicerad: Friday, 27 November, 2020 - 11:20Etiketter: ForestryCarbon storages in towns could be increased by using more wood in both new construction and renovation. In Europe alone, the total area of new dwellings is 190 million square metres a year, and most of them are built in towns and cities. / Finnish Forestry AssociationLäs mer -
Liquid Forest™ - Södra’s sustainable biosolutions
Publicerad: Thursday, 26 November, 2020 - 13:14Etiketter: ForestrySwedish forest industry Group Södra has launched Liquid Forest™, a pioneering range of bioproducts: biomethanol, tall oil and turpentine. The Liquid Forest™ brand is a concept that offers the market and customers an opportunity to choose climate-smart products derived from sustainably-managed forests from the company’s 53,000 forest-owning members in southern Sweden. / SödraLäs mer -
Remsoft Enters Scandinavian Partnership with ForestX to Improve Forest Management and Supply Chain Planning in the Region
Publicerad: Monday, 23 November, 2020 - 08:40Etiketter: ForestryOur new alliance with ForestX gives Remsoft a foothold in the Scandinavian forestry sector and promotes the use of planning analytics to improve forest-operations management productivity in the region. / RemsoftLäs mer -
Thanks to an interest in forest bioeconomy, the Prince of Wales initiated an ambitious plan to invest in nature
Publicerad: Friday, 20 November, 2020 - 13:25Etiketter: ForestryA new 10-point plan for a circular bioeconomy, published by the European Forest Institute, calls on all bodies to invest in nature. ‘Not only is it the best, but also the unavoidable route to achieve change and a new economy,’ says Marc Palahi, the Institute’s Director and coordinator of the study. / Finnish Forestry AssociationLäs mer