the State is by Sveaskog, a pioneer in the sustainable forest management. We were the first to get our land certified according to FSC, the Forest Stewardship Council, a voluntary certification that guarantees a long-term sustainable use of the forest. Today more than half of Sweden’s forests are FSC certified including all the major forest companies. 2002, Sveaskog to one-fifth of our productive forest land would be set aside for nature conservation which was groundbreaking at the time. For it we received the Wwf award ”Gift to the earth” for ground-breaking conservation work.
a Year was inaugurated in Sveaskog’s first ecopark, which was a new tool for working with nature conservation. It has been followed by a further 36 ecoparks, where the latest was inaugurated in 2016. The ecoparks combines harvesting and ambitious conservation in large landscapes. In total, there are Several voluntary naturvårdsavsättningar 400.000 hectares which is almost equivalent to the size of the island of Gotland and Öland together. It is the largest collective national naturvårdssatsningen in modern times and a great contribution on the road to meet Sweden’s environmental objectives for the forest.
with high conservation value. We take our conservation work very seriously and always do an assessment of the individual forest’s conservation value and the species are found. We shall, however, not always to the same conclusion about what is skyddsvärt as other naturvårdsintressenter but seems to increase dialogue and transparency so that we can increase the understanding for each other and work together to develop the Swedish nature conservation work.
Ersättningsmarker from Sveaskog, is advocated sometimes as a cost-effective way to protect the forest. Based on our experience we are reluctant to naturvårdsnyttan. The ersättningsmark which is mainly transferred to the forestry companies have been used to redeem the land, which to a large extent still not been used, because of the high conservation value and the companies ‘ own certifications. The state and the Swedish people’s forest holdings have thus decreased while the proportion of forest land exempted from the timber production is not significantly increased. We welcome the investigation of the socio-economic benefits of ersättningsmarker that the government has commissioned which will provide answers on the cost and naturvårdseffektivitet in relation to the other instruments.
sometimes seen as a way to both eat your cake and have it too. A major conversion to a hyggesfritt forestry, however, has major implications for wood supply and our ability to adapt to a zero carbon society. However, hyggesfritt forestry as a means to resolve conflicts of interest in some situations but it is important to distinguish between goals and means. We do not see the hyggesfritt forestry as a goal in itself but as a means for greater consideration in areas where other values in the forest other than timber production should be a priority.
the Debaters highlighted that the Swedish forest is valuable and has a special place in most people’s lives. We fully agree with the description. For many of us, the forest is a place for relaxation. For the recovery. For nature experiences. Sveaskog has the mandate to manage the forest that belongs to the whole Swedish people. We do this by preserving the forest’s natural values for future generations. We do this by using the forest so that we can contribute to that Sweden will be non-fossil. We do this through sustainable management and development of sustainable forestry and the forest’s role in a future bio-economy so that future generations have the same opportunities to use the forest for their welfare and their wellbeing.
on the state of the forest’s environmental objectives through its ownership in Sveaskog. A responsibility that lies on the forest all the actors. If the conditions of Sveaskog’s operations are changing in relation to other forestry companies reduces our relevance and ability to be a role model. And it can, in the long term lead to negative consequences. It is our challenge to be a business on the same terms and conditions as other forestry companies at the same time we shall be mainly to balance the forest’s other values. We believe it is so we best driver of the sustainable forestry forward.
