Cutting the edge - the loss of Natural Forests in Sweden

8/4/2019 Cutting the edge - the loss of Natural Forests in Sweden

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CUING HE EDGE HE LOSS OF NAURAL FORESS IN SWEDEN

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Report

Cutting the Edge the Loss o Natural Forests in Sweden


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Text: Malin Sahlin, Swedish Society for Nature ConservationLayout: Carina Grave-Mller, Swedish Society for Nature ConservationPrint: tta.45Coverphoto: Hans SundstrmOther photos: Olli Manninen, Hans Sundstrm, Sini Saarela, ElinaHinkkanen, Malin SahlinISBN: 978-91-558-0027-7Order No: 8 9038

The coverphoto show a cut down nature value tree of spruce with a fire-

induced bole scar. According to the FSC-standard, nature value trees shallnever be felled. This tree was, together with other nature value trees,logged in 2009 by SCA, despite the companys knowledge of their exactlocation. SCA is currently certified by FSC. Photo: Hans Sundstrm

Foreword 1

Introduction 2

The Boreal Forests a threatened abundance o lie 3

Old-growth Boreal orests contributing to climate change mitigation 4

Old-growth Boreal orests threatened in violation with Sweden s 5international commitments

Swedish Forestry Model practices in natural orests are not sustainable 6

More protection needed to saeguard the woodland biodiversity 8

Woodland Key Habitats have no eective protection against logging 11

Freedom with responsibility the reality in the Swedish orests 12

- Field studies 12

- The orest companies 12

- SCA 12

- Bergvik Skog and Stora Enso 18

- Sveaskog 22

Conclusions 25Swedish Society or Nature Conservation demands 26

Reerences 27

Table of Contents


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Old-growth natural orests in Sweden have unique biodi-

versity values in northern Europe. Since the 1950 s, however,

the Swedish orest industry has turned many o these va-

luable areas o pristine natural orests into vast oceans o

production plantations. The remnants o the original orestsonly appear as small isolated islands. This has caused a de-

vastating impact on orest diversity. All in all, nearly 2000

orest dwelling species are threatened according to scientists

and hundreds o them ace extinction.

Between 2007 and 2009, the Swedish Society or Nature

Conservation has carried out eld surveys and documented

the ongoing destruction o more than 500 orests, owned by

large companies as well as smallholders. The result is very

disappointing and shows huge losses o biotopes or red listed

species. Numerous orests with great importance or nature

conservation are being logged at an alarming rate, even bycompanies certied by Forest Stewardship Council.

This report shows how acute the situation is or the remain-

ing old growth natural orests in Sweden. We conclude that

both the orest industry and the government ail to protect

even what little that is let, and thereby how the orest cul-

tivation violates not only the Swedish Parliaments environ-ment objectives but also Swedens international and bin-

ding commitments to protect biodiversity.

In some circles, the Swedish orestry model has a green

washed reputation or sustainable practices. In reality, the

ew remaining natural orests are being logged every

day.

Mikael KarlssonPresident, Swedish Society or Nature Conservation

Foreword: Unique European forests are

disappearing alarmingly fast

Beautiful old-growth forest in the county of Jmtland, Sweden.owned byt the forest company Holmen skog. Photo: Hans Sundstrm


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2010 is the International Year o Biodiversity. A year dedi-

cated to refect on the achievements done to saeguard bio-

diversity. At the same time, the old-growth orests o

Sweden are being clear-cut at an alarming rate, only to be

replaced by homogeneous plantations with low biodiver-sity values.

Forests cover more than 50 per cent o Sweden. O the

productive orests, more than 90 per cent are aected by

orest management, and oten turned into industrial orest

landscapes. Only 5 per cent o the natural old-growth orests

having high conservation values remain below the montane

region.1 Despite this, Swedish orestry is regarded by some

as an example o environmentally riendly production met-

hods. On the international scene, the Swedish orestry sec-

tor is promoting the Swedish orestry model as the most

sustainable and, at the same time, the most ecient way tocultivate the orest, or production as well as or nature con-

servation. 2 This model involves clear-cutting as the deault

method, soil scarication, systematic use o chemicals,

plantation orestry and the use o non-native species.

This way o managing the remaining natural orests

cause enormous damage to the biological diversity and the

vital ecosystem that natural orests represent.

Swedish orest policy contains two overriding goals o

equal status: one or production and one or saeguarding

the environment, including biodiversity. In both law and

practise though, production has priority. The industrys

lobby groups strongly spread propaganda or the Swedish

model with clear-cutting and regrowth as an important

model or climate measures globally.3 To increase the pro-

duction by 20 per cent by 2020 is a major target or the o-

restry industry, which claims this can be done without har-

ming the biological diversity.4

The orest landscape o today consists o large areas o

young orests, not yet ready to be logged. Thereore, mature

natural orests are being logged at an alarming rate. More

than 1800 woodland species are red-listed by scientists,mainly due to the orestry methods o today. Nature con-

servation scientists have shown in consensus that at least

8-16 percent, (gures varying depending on region in

Sweden) o the productive orests below the montane region

must be protected. This minimum gure or protection o

orest area is based on nature consideration simultaneo-

usly being taken to ull measure outside the protected areas

as stipulated in the Forestry Act.5. A new call by a long list

o leading scientists in the eld even points out that, on

averaged, 20 percent o the productive orests must be pro-

tected 6.Today, however, less than 2 per cent o the orest below

the montane region are nature reserves or under other legal

protection, and The Swedish Society o Nature

Conservation s (SSNC) eld investigations very oten show

a lack o nature consideration both on logged sites as well as

in orests planned or logging.

In this report, SSNC argues that the Swedish orestry

model and the situation in the Swedish orests are not sus-

tainable, and that the Swedish governmental authorities and

the large orestry companies together bear a heavy responsi-

bility or the alarming situation in the Swedish orests today.

The report mainly considers the boreal orests in the

northern hal o Sweden. It does somewhat discuss the so-

cial and recreational values o the orests, but is mainly

conned to the biological values o the natural boreal

orest.

Introduction


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3

The Swedish boreal orest is part o the conierous orest belt

immediately south and north o the Arctic Circle. This o-

rest belt is magnicent in size and comprises approxima-

tely one third o the worlds orested area.

The natural orest is a vital ecosystem, able to renew itselwithout the intererence o man. Healthy orest ecosystems

are essential to all lie. They maintain the chemical balance

o soil, air and water, stabilize the cl imate, recycle nutrients,

break down pollutants, clean the air and water, are vital to

watershed protection, soil ormation and carbon storage.

Not least, they are the habitat or nearly countless o animal,

plant and ungus species.

The natural orest is never in a stable state. For thousands

o years the boreal orests have experienced both small and

large-scale natural disturbances, such as storm-elled trees,

wild res, insect inestation and fooding. These distur-bance regimes are essential or a healthy boreal orest eco-

system and creates the niches needed or the survival o a

range o species.

Since the early 1900s, however, these natural infuences

in the boreal orests have, due to modern orestry, changeddrastically. As a consequence we nd poor variation in the

environment and a biodiversity crisis in Sweden. The con-

sequences o natural disturbances dier substantially rom

those o modern orestry such as clear-cutting, soil scari-

cation and extraction o deadwood rom the orest, which

destroy the habitats and necessary substrates or woodland

species. The view o the orestry sector on the orestland as

a cultivation area or trees has in hal a century transormed

the boreal orests into vast production landscapes and chan-

ged the basic conditions or orest biodiversity. Ecosystem

services cannot be provided by the degraded ecosystems letater the elling o a natural orest. These plantations and

plantation-like orests consist o trees, all o the same age and

species, which will be harvested again ater 70-100 years .

The Boreal Forests

a threatened abundance of life

The boreal ecosystem of Sweden will be at risk of a collapse if clearcut logging continues at the extent of today. Many disposable products such as toiletpaper and newsprint paper are produced of forests like this one in the county of Vrmland, Sweden. Photo: Olli Manninen

Ecosystem services cannot be provided by the degraded

ecosystems let ater the elling o a natural orest.


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4

Research has shown that old-growth boreal orests consti-

tute an enormous carbon bank. Boreal orest regions store

larger amounts o carbon than any other terrestrial ecosys-

tem, almost twice as much per acre as tropical orests. 7

Canadian scientists recommend that at least hal o the glo-bal boreal orests should be protected.8 Studies carried out

in northern Sweden have ound that as orests grow older,

less carbon is stored above ground and more below due to a

shit in plant community composition with increasing o-

rest age.9 Approximately twice as much carbon is stored in

the ground as above. Felling old-growth orests and prepa-

ring the ground will release this carbon as carbon dioxide

(CO2). Recent studies at the University o Lund show that

it takes some 30 years beore the release o CO2 due to clear-

cutting is compensated by the regrowth o the planted o-

rest.10 This research complies with other scientic data

worldwide indicating that natural old-growth boreal orests

maximize the storage o carbon

11,12,13

. Contrary to these actsstated by leading scientists in the eld, the Swedish orestry

industry are internationally lobbying or the opposite, sta-

ting that cultivated orests are more eective as carbon sinks

than natura l orests. The only way, according to scientists,

or the old growth boreal orests to serve as eective carbon

sinks is to leave them in their natural state since the carbon

stored in the ground exceed the uptake o CO2 in the re-

planted trees.

Old-growth Boreal forests

contributing to climate change mitigation

Old-growth Boreal forests store more carbon below ground than above, once felled the carbon will be released as carbon dioxide. It will take some 30years before this release is compensated by the regrowth of a planted forest. Photo: Hans Sundstrm


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The orests on the Scandinavian Peninsula are the western-

most conierous orests on the Eurasian continent. The de-

velopment o these orests started a ter the melting o the

inland ice, some 10,000 years ago. The orests then remained

undisturbed or thousands o years, with only insignicantinfuence o humans. Although Sweden is a sparsely popu-

lated country, the orests now show the impact o many

centuries o human use. Only in the northern interior are

larger coherent and less aected orests to be ound. More

than hal o Swedens land area consists o orested land.

Over 80 per cent o the orest is conierous. The borea l orest

in the north-western and northern part o the country con-

sists o the largest continuous natural heritage area o

Western Europe. Some parts o this area are still comple-

tely unspoiled, and the orest remains intact. Until now,

these areas have been spared rom orestry, but today thereis a rising interest within the industry to log these biologi-

cally valuable orests.

There is an ongoing ecosystem changeover in the Swedish

orests. Ater more than a 100 years o intense logging, the

Swedish orests have been harshly cultivated by the orestry

industry, and the processes o the natural orests have been

disrupted.14 Natural orests with great diversity have been

elled on a large scale, and more than 90 per cent o the wo-

odland landscape in Sweden has been heavily infuenced by

intense orestry methods. Vast amounts o ormerly pris-

tine orests have been turned into homogeneous, cultivated

production orests as a result.

The proportions o old natural orest are very low com-

pared to the planted industrial orests. Only approximately

5 per cent o the productive orestland, below the montane

region, consists o old-growth orests with high biological

value.15 SSNCs eld studies have shown that apart rom

these 5 per cent, there are still orests with potential to de-

velop high biological values i let alone, or restored or the

sake o nature conservation. These orests are o crucial

importance or the more than 1 800 woodland species thatare threatened in various degrees, hundreds o them acing

the risk o extinction. This is more than 50 per cent o all

red-listed species in Sweden, and the threat is mainly a result

o the orest cultivation. 16

Swedens environment policy is based on sixteen envi-

ronmental quality objectives, adopted by the Swedish

Parliament in 1999. The overall goal is to solve the major

environmental problems within one generation.17 Sweden

has undertaken national and international obligations to

achieve the environmental objective Sustainable Forests

by 2020. Recent reviews o the objective reveal that, due to

the reasons outlined above, Sweden will ail to do so be-

cause o the intensive cultivation o the orests. Thereby

Sweden also ails to meet its international commitment to

halt biodiversity decline by 2010.

Old-growth boreal forests threatened in violation

with Swedens international commitments

More than 90 per cent o the woodland landscape

in Sweden has been heavily inuenced by intense

orestry methods.

These orests are o crucial importance or the more

than 1 800 woodland species that are threatened in

various degrees, hundreds o them acing the risk o

extinction. This is more than 50 per cent o all red-

listed species in Sweden, and the threat is mainly aresult o the orest cultivation.


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6

Swedish Forestry Model practices in natural

forests are not sustainable

Sweden is considered to be prominent in the orestry sector

and has in some circles a good reputation or what is percei-

ved as a sustainable orestry. This image o Swedish orestry

methods, portrayed by the Swedish Forestry Industry is

highly misleading. The use o the orest today is ar rombeing sustainable, since homogeneous plantations can never

replace the diversity o the original orests. There have never

been as ew old-growth orests in Sweden as there are today,

and the remaining ew natural old-growth orests are stil l

being elled.

The Swedish orest policy rom 1993 states two equally

important targets: the production o raw orest material and

the preservation o biological diversity. The latter target is

ormulated in detail in the environmental quality objective

Sustainable Forests. It states that the value o woodlands

or biological production must be protected, at the sametime as biodiversity, cultural heritage and recreational assets

are saeguarded.

The undamental requirements o the Forestry Act state

a minimum level o environmental consideration in orestry

practices. This includes consideration o nature and cultural

values such as leaving a protective zone o trees next to

streams, lakes and wetlands. It also includes leaving single

trees as well as tree groups on a clear-cut. These require-

ments are set very low, considering that natural orests with

biological preservation values are being logged. In spite o

these shortcomings, as much as 25 per cent o the logged

areas do not ull the requirements o the Forestry Act. 18

Another cornerstone o the Swedish environmental po-

licy over the past 20 years or so is the sector responsibility.

For the orestry sector, that means a responsibility to adjust

their orestry operations to minimize the negative impact

on the natural environment.

The Swedish Forest Agency is the authority charged toensure that orestry is carried out in a sustainable way, while

at the same time preserving biodiversity. The orest policy

structure is characterized by reedom under responsibi-

lity, where the government and the orestry industry have

a shared responsibility to contribute to a durable develop-

ment o society by a sustainable use o the orest.

19

Unortunately, the Forestry Act does not protect orests

above the montane region, old-growth or virgin-like orests

rom being logged, nor does it guarantee that biodiversity

will be preserved. The Forestry Act is ocused on protable

orest production rather than on the two equal objectives

o production and biological diversity.

Besides the legislation, the certication system put or-

ward by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) constitutes

an important contribution to the improvement o overall

environmental awareness in logging.20 The largest orestry

companies in Sweden today are FSC-certied, which can be

seen as a way to try to implement the sector responsibility.

However, the system is by nature voluntary, and ar rom a ll

orest owners are certied. Furthermore, eld studies car-

ried out by Swedish NGOs or the past three years show that

a remarkable number o areas logged do not live up to the

FSC-standards key requirements or nature conservation.

SSNC has also experienced serious weaknesses in the re-

porting system o the certication where, despite complaints

rom stakeholders, large companies, systematically and or

many years, have ailed to comply with the standards crite-

ria or nature conservation, yet still hold their certicate.

Also, the Swedish FSC-standard itsel is mainly based on

negotiation results rather than scientic conclusions rom

conservation biology. Thus it has many weaknesses which

have been pointed out by SSNC and cannot be seen as a

oundation or sustainable orestry, even i ully compliedwith.21

as much as 25 per cent o the logged areas do not ulfl

the requirements o the Forestry Act.

Furthermore, feld studies carried out by Swedish

NGOs or the past three years show that a remarkable

number o areas logged do not live up to the FSC-

standards key requirements or nature conservation.


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The Swedish model is contributing to a growing monocul-

ture in the orests. Non-native tree species are being used

on more than 550,000 hectares (2.4 per cent), o productive

orestland, and the Swedish Forest Agency now proposes

increased use o the exotic species, Pinus contorta (lodge-pole pine).22 Despite the act that Sweden has signed inter-

national agreements not to spread alien species in the coun-

try, modern orestry has led to a change in the genetic

composition o naturally occurring orest trees due to the

use o non-native species.23 In addition, an investigation

commissioned by the government proposes increased pro-

duction and intensive cultivation o orests, using intensi-

ed ertilization, spuce clones and planting o exotic species

to achieve these objectives.24

With only 3.3 per cent o the productive orest area under

ormal protection, the orestry sector has the sole right to

96.7 per cent o the productive orests o Sweden. Below the

montane region less than 2 per cent has ormal protection.

With 2.4 per cent o this area consisting o homogeneous

plantation o non-native species, and the proposal or an

increase in the use o the Pinus contorta, there is also a need

to increase the ormal and permanent protection o produc-

tive orestland.A managed forest landscape in the county of Vsterbotten, Sweden.Photo: Hans Sundstrm

FSC

FSC is an international not-for-profit organization thatcertifies forestry and forest products. It promotes re-sponsible management of the worlds forests, with

consideration to environmental responsibilities, sociallybeneficial and economically viable methods.

With only 3.3 per cent o the productive orest areaunder formal protection, the forestry sector has the sole

right to 96.7 per cent o the productive orests o

Sweden.


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The action plan or the Swedish environmental goal,

Sustainable Forests states that 900,000 hectares (less than

4 per cent o the productive orest) shall be excluded rom

production by 2010. O this total, 400,000 hectares are to be

ormally protected, in which case the state compensates thelandowner economically. Since 2005, Swedish government

policy has resulted in decreased subsidy or land acquisi-

tions with the purpose o protection. At the same time, in

order to approach the 2010 goal o Sustainable Forests, sta-

te-owned land has been protected with public unding. The

remaining 500,000 hectares o the 2010 goal are to be vo-

luntarily set aside by individual landowners. The quality o

the voluntarily set aside orests is largely unknown, and

these areas have no permanent protection since the orest

owner can legally log it at his own discretion. Certied land

owners are obliged to keep a certain per centage set aside orprotection, but in practice can oten exchange one area or

another in order to log it. This results in uncertainty regar-

ding the long-term security o the voluntarily protected

orests. The Swedish government thereore relies to a big

extent on uncertain and arbitrary voluntary measures as a

tool to achieve the objective or orest protection.

The Swedish orestry sector maintains that close to 20 per

cent o the Swedish orest is protected, 15.7 per cent by law,

and 3.6 per cent voluntarily.25 This gure is greatly misleading

and does not comply with the national denition o protec-ted orest land since it also includes non-productive and

unstocked orest land. The Swedish denition o a orest

excludes these two land types. In reality, according to the

ocial Swedish denition, less than 3.3 per cent o Swedens

productive orest has ormal protection, and less than hal

o that area is located below the montane region. 26 Leading

nature conservation scientists stated in 2007 that a mini-

mum o 8-16 per cent (exact gure depending on region) o

the orest in the country needs permanent protection in

order to preserve the animal and plant species that are de-

pendent on the natural orest or their survival.27 However,a recent call by nearly 200 scientists in the eld o nature

conservation points out that on average, 20 per cent o the

productive orest need to be protected rom urther orestry

measures.28

More protection needed to safeguard the

woodland biodiversity

The Critically endangered species Antrodia crassa has only been found in about 20 areas in Sweden, still habitats suitable for the species is being logged.Photo: Olli Manninen


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Means o protection

National parks - consists of large areas of contiguous land that has been set aside in order to preserve certain types

of landscapes in an unspoiled condition. The parliament and government decide on the establishment. A fundamentalrequirement is that the land is owned by the state.

Nature reserve the most prevalent form of legal protection, with the main purpose to preserve biological diversityand conserve valuable natural habitats as well as recreational values. Municipalities and country administrativeboards decide on the establishment. Landowners are compensated.

Habitat protection area small protected area, usually consisting of key habitats. Landowners are compensated.

Nature conservation agreement agreement between landowner and the state for restriction of timber productionfor the benefit of biodiversity. The agreement is based on the voluntary cooperation of the landowner. The maximumterm is 50 years. The landowner is compensated in part.

Voluntarily set aside area at least 0.5 hectare productive forest land spared from any activity that might harm itsnatural value. This form of protection is not permanent and can be exchanged at any time by the forest owner.

Unprotected old growth forest in the county of Jmtland, owned by the National Property Board. Photo: Olli Manninen


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The above images show the results of an ongoing study carried out by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in a boreal forest landscapecovering approximately 9000 km in the municipality of Vilhelmina, in Vsterbotten county. This sequence of maps illustrates the increase of clear cut-ting forestr y since its introduction into the area in 1958 up to 2005. Extensive forestry with various degree of impact also occurred prior to the clear

cutting poque. Despite this, the forested area still remained intact until the introduction of the modern forestry methods.Source: Johan Svensson and Per Sandstrm. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Department of forest Resource Management.

1958 1973

1986 2005


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Woodland key habitat (key habitat in the ollowing) is a

qualitative concept that, based on a combined assessment

o the habitat structure, species composition, history and

physical characteristics, has tremendous signicance or the

fora and auna o the orest. It contains or can be expectedto contain, red-listed species.29 Unlike the ormally protec-

ted orests, the key habitats lack legal status, and are there-

ore not eectively protected against logging. In spite o this,

they hold exceptionally valuable natural eatures. The o-

restry companies, certied by the FSC, have committed to

not log key habitats. However, several eld studies done by

Swedish NGOs have shown logged key habitats, and orests

slated or logging, which means that companies quite oten

does not comply with the FSC standard.

Far rom all o the key habitats were identied in the Key

Habitat Inventory (NBI) o 1993-1998 and 2001-2006. It has

been estimated that only 20 per cent o the key habitat area

has been ound.30 The NBI did not cover orests owned by

medium-size and large-scale orestry operators, who conduct

their own inventories. Thereore, orests with key habitat

structures and qualities are oten ound slated or logging,

by both smaller orest owners and large orestry companiessince they have not been registered with the Swedish Forestry

Agency as key habitat areas. During the NBI, orests with

evident nature values, but not reaching key habitat status,

were ound. These woodlands, i le t untouched, will develop

high conservation values and, within 10-30 years, orm pos-

sible uture key habitats. They are o great importance in

reaching the objective o Sustainable Forests and are a oun-

dation upon which conditions or the long-term preservation

o biological diversity in the Swedish orests outside the pro-

tected areas rely. They oten constitute a bridge between key

habitats and contribute to orm a coherent and unctionalecological system that is essential to species survival. Unlike

the key habitats thatare protected rom logging by the FSC,

according to its standard, woodlands with high nature values

are at great risk o disappearing in the near uture, leaving a

ragmented landscape consisting o key habitats as islands in

the industrial orest landscape.

Woodland Key Habitats have no effective

protection against logging

Lill-Klumpvattnet, a Key Habitat in the county of Jmtland that SCA logged in 2009. Photo: Hans Sundstrm.

forests with key habitat structures and qualities are often

found slated for logging, by both smaller forest owners and

large forestry companies since they have not been registered

with the Swedish Forestry Agency as key habitat areas.


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Field studies

Between 2007 and 2009, SSNC has reviewed the largest o-

restry companies o Sweden. Field documentation o close

to 300 company-owned, threatened old-growth orests have

been carried out. The majority o these orests are slated orlogging by SCA, Stora Enso or Sveaskog; some o them were

ound already logged. The orests visited are mostly located

in the northern and western hal o Sweden. The documen-

tation ocuses mainly on orest structure and the occur-

rence o old-growth orest indicator species. Many o the

old-growth orest-dwelling species are also red-listed ac-

cording to the Swedish Species Inormation Centre,31 due

to the drastic changes in Swedish woodland habitats.

The categorization o the red list is as ollows: Regionally

extinct (RE), Critically endangered (CR), Endangered (EN),

Vulnerable (VU) and Near threatened (NT).The ndings o SSNC have been documented with GPS

(Global Positioning System) coordinates. The orests struc-

ture and history has been documented and thoroughly pho-

tographed.32, 33

The result o the eld documentation is very discoura-

ging. Despite the core principles o Swedish orest policy,

with equally important environmental and production

goals to saeguard all the values o orests, a large number

o the visited orests have very high conservation values, and

in many cases hold key habitat qualities. The orestry com-

panies reviewed are all FSC-certied, and thereore com-

mitted to an environmentally responsible, socially bene-

cial and economically viable management o the orests.

The orestry companies

The eld studies done on company-owned land involves the

largest orestry companies in Sweden: SCA, Bergvik Skog

(owned by Stora Enso), Holmen Skog, Korsns, the state orest

company Sveaskog, and the National Property Board. This

report discusses orest policy o three o the companies, and

results rom eld studies in selected orests are presented.

SCA

SCA is a global company that primari ly develops consumer

products such as personal hygiene products and tissue

paper. Sales are conducted in some 90 countries around the

world. The ve largest markets are Germany, Great Britain,France, USA and Sweden. Millions o consumers around

the world use SCA products daily. Among the best-selling

products produced by SCA are Tena, Libero and Tork

(Global); Libresse (Europe); Bodyorm (Great Britain);

Danke (Germany) and Edet (Nordic region).34

SCA is the largest private orest owner in Europe, with

2.6 mil lion hectares o orests in Sweden, covering approx-

imately 9 per cent o the countrys area.

In the FSC audit o 2007-11-02, SCA was harshly critici-

zed or poor nature conservation ater repeatedly having

logged woodland key habitats and orets o high conserva-tion value. For this, SCA received two major CARs, the most

serious complaint an FSC accredited certication body can

raise. During 2008, SCA took necessary action or recerti-

cation o its orestry operations. Since then, SSNC has

done ollow-ups on many harvested sites. The result o the

ollow-ups shows that SCA has not managed to comply with

either the FSC-standard or with its own environmental

policies.

In its sustainability strategy o 2008, SCA sets a target o

100 per cent control over resh ber raw materials where no

resh ber-based material shal l originate rom controver-

sial sources, or example, timber rom orests with high

conservation value.35

Freedom with responsibility - the reality in the

Swedish forests


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3

Examples o fndings o SSNC inventories in orests

owned by SCA

2007

Mellanbergsmyrorna in the county of VsternorrlandMellanbergsmyrorna is a orested area in the municipality

o Sollete in mid Sweden. The area logged in 2007 once

consisted o a natural conierous orest with traces o a orest

re some 130 years ago. In 2004 the county administrative

board o Vsternorrland made an inventory o the orests

biological values with a view to increase an adjacent nature

reserve. On 10 September 2007 SSNC visited the area ater

learning that SCA had planned the area or logging. At the

time o the visit, SCA had already logged the high conser-

vation value orest and key habitats at Mellanbergsmyrorna.

The clear-elling carried out by SCA violated, or otherwise

inringed on, no less than eight criteria o the FSC-standard

regarding environmental consideration.

2008In 2008 SSNC discovered numerous high conservation value

orests that had been logged by SCA. The documentation o

these orests revealed that SCA, despite actions to improve

nature conservation, ailed to comply with many o the in-

dicators o the FSC-standard. SCA had almost systemati-

cally elled high biodiversity trees, ailed to protect dead-wood rom orestry measures, logged key habitats, and not

taken proper consideration o red-listed species. Below we

relate one example o the documented orests, logged by SCA

while the company was working to secure recertication.

The remaints of the logged forest of Mellanbergsmyrorna. Photo: Hans Sundstrm.

This old-growth forest stand is directly adjacent to the logged site at

Mellanbergsmyrorna and has equal, exceptionally high nature values.Photo: Hans Sundstrm


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4

Logged nature value aspen trees on the clear felling at bojen in the county of Norrbotten. Photo: Elina Hinkkanen

bojen in the county of Norrbottenbojen is a orest in the municipality o Boden. The orest

was logged in February 2008. At the same time as the log-

ging was in progress, the FSC carried out a ollow-up audit

o its CAR, i.e., its previous censure o the company or log-

ging o high biodiversity value trees. The logged area con-

sisted o mixed conierous old-growth orest with old pines,

aspen and sallow. 250-300 year-old trees with high biodi-

versity value were ound cut down on the site at the time oSSNCs visit. The logging had been conducted with litt le

consideration o environmental actors. SCA had elled

areas o key habitats. SSNC documented more than 50 vio-

lations o the FSC-standard regarding nature conservation

on the 48 hectares o elled old-growth orest.

In February o 2008, SCA was granted recertication,

despite the many previous violations o the FSC-standard

documented by SSNC. SGS, the company that issued the

FSC-certication o SCA, ound SCA to have succeeded in

its measures on improving nature


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2009

In 2009, SSNC has raised no less than six complaints againstSCAs orestry methods, all regarding orests logged ater

the recertication. In two o the cases, SSNC had paid pre-

vious visits to the orests and documented high conserva-

tion values and key habitat qualities. The results were or-

warded to SCA, which, despite the knowledge o the areas

signicance or nature conservation, ullled its plan and

logged the orests. During 2009, SSNC has again documen-

ted a great number o serious violations o FSC-standardsconcerning nature conservation. SCA has once again ailed

to honour its environmental undertakings. Below ollow two

examples rom the total o six complaints led in 2009.

Lill-Gravberget, County of VsternorrlandThe orest area at Lill-Gravberget is located in the munici-

pality o nge. A north-acing steep slope covered by a na-

tural conierous orest o very high conservation value,

characterizes the area. SSNC had visited the area twice be-

ore some o it was logged and noted the abundance o

species that thrive on the structures and history o an old

natural orest. There were many areas in the orest that had

key habitat qualities. A total o 455 ndings o 24 di erent

red-listed species were documented during the eld visits,

which makes the area one o the richest single orests stands

or biodiversity ever documented in Sweden. SCA was given

the coordinates or the ndings. SSNC presented the area

as one o the highly threatened orests visited in 2008 in our

report, Breakdown or nature conservation in the orest.

SCA logged the orest at Lill-Gravberget in the winter o

2009, despite all the conservation attributes it held. SCAhereby violated indicators in the FSC-standard as well as its

own procedures o what areas to prioritize as set aside orests

in the local Ecological Landscape Plan (ELP).

The forest on Lill-Gravberget before it got felled. It contained extremely high

nature values. Despite this SCA decided to log it in 2009. Photo: Hans Sundstrm

Lill-Gravberget after the felling. Photos: Hans Sundstrm


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6

Blbrstjrn, County of JmtlandIn June 2009, SSNC discovered 40 hectares o the remains

o what had been pristine ancient pine orest, recently log-ged, on a ield visit to SCA-owned orests that were slated

or logging in the municipality o Krokom. The orest o

Blbrstjrn was, prior to logging practical ly untouched byman and bore the marks o a orest ire in the end o thenineteenth century. The harvesting site was planned withno consideration o the areas extremely high biodiversityvalues. Only the outer edges o the orest were marked. Onthe harvested site, hundreds o nature value trees with ire-induced bole scars were cut down and let in pieces on thesite. More than 300 serious violations to the FSC-standard

were documented with photographs and coordinates. Theorest o Blbrstjrn was part o a large, more or less intactold-growth orest landscape o high importance to biologi-

cal diversity. In adjacent wooded areas SCA has planned

many loggings o high conservation value orests.

Ecological Landscape Plan (ELP)Landscape planning is a mesaure to get a generaloverview of large forest holdings in order to systema-tically safeguard valuable natural areas and necessa-ry biotopes for naturally existing species

One of the hundreds of biological valuable trees that got felled on the site of Blbrstjrn. Trees with fire-induced bole scars shall never be felled according tothe FSC-standard. Photo: Hans Sundstrm

In this area the logging team stopped the felling of Blbrstjrn due to the diffi-culty not to cut down more trees with fire-induced bole scars. Thus, more thanone hundred of these trees were felled at the site. Photo: Hans Sundstrm


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SCA harvesting forest of high biodiversity value by the lake Rngen in the county of Jmtland. Photo: Malin Sahlin

Rngen, County of Jmtland40 hectares notiied or inal elling. The orest area by Lake

Rngen borders on the Helvetesbrnnan nature reserve inthe municipality o Brcke. The area is characterized by anold-growth orest stand, mainly constituted o pine with a

prominent ire history and high biodiversity values. Coarselying deadwood, as well as standing deadwood is quite

abundant. Altogether 172 indings o 13 dierent red-listed

species were ound. At the time o the ield visit SCA hadalready started logging the area. SSNC contacted the com-

pany and notiied them o the extensive indings o red-listed species, as well as the orests high conservation valueand key habitat structures. SCA thereby stopped the logging

and is now conducting a new logging plan. The uture o the

orest by Lake Rngen is uncertain.

This part of the forest is still standing since SSNC visited the forest and notified SCA on the high nature values of the forest. Photo: Olli Manninen


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Bergvik Skog and Stora Enso

Stora Enso is the worlds leading manuacturer o paper, pack-aging and wood products. The company has production aci-

lities in more than 35 countries and is one o the largest manu-

acturers o newsprint paper in Europe. Stora Enso does not

directly own orest in Sweden. The company buys wood rom

private orest owners and Bergvik Skog. Stora Enso is the major

shareholder o Bergvik Skog AB. Bergvik Skog owns 1.9 mil-

lion hectares o productive orest land, covering approxima-

tely 8 per cent o Sweden. In 2004 Bergvik Skog acquired all o

Stora Ensos orest holdings in Sweden. The majority o the

logging in Bergvik orests is carried out by Stora Enso. Bergvik

holds the FSC-certicate that Stora Enso has undertaken to

comply with. Stora Ensos main objective concerning nature

conservation is to ensure that all species o animals and plants

will have a habitat and a chance o survival.36

During eld visits 2008 and 2009, SSNC has discovered that

Stora Enso almost systematically slate orests with key-habitat

qualities or logging. For several years NGO s in Sweden have

alerted Bergvik Skog and Stora Enso to high conservation value

orests that have been planned or logging. Both companies

claim that the orestry operations carried out by Stora Enso in

the orests owned by Bergvik are in line with the FSC-standard,

and that no key habitats are to be logged. In spite o this, in thecounties o Jmtland, Dalarna and Vrmland, SSNC has dis-

covered a remarkable number o orests containing key habitats

that Stora Enso has notied or nal elling. The planning o

these loggings demonstrate a lack o consideration o high na-

ture values and a poor capacity to identiy key habitats.

Examples o results o SSNC inventories in orestsowned by Bergvik Skog

2008

Stora Sxen, county of DalarnaIn 2008 SSNC discovered that Stora Enso had built a logging

road through, and into a orest key-habitat by Stora SxenLake in the municipality o Vansbro. Stora Enso had targe-ted several orests in the area or logging, ailing to identiyseveral key habitats. The Swedish Forest Agency visited theplanned area and conirmed that numerous woodland keyhabitats had been slated or logging by Stora Enso. Thanksto the alarm raised by SSNC in the matter o Sxen, the areahas now been excluded rom the logging plan and added tothe ELP.

Highly biological valuable forest by the lake Sxen in the county of Dalarna. This forest would have been logged without the alarm raised by SSNC.Photo: Olli Manninen


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Hovdhllan in the county of Jmtland

At the border o Snjllet, a national park in the munici-pality o Hrjedalen, Stora Enso has planned to clear-cut

more than 100 hectares o sub montane old-growth pine

orests. SSNC visited the area in 2008. The orests reviewedwere all located above the ormer conservation border that,on the initiative o Bergvik Skog, was moved in 2004. Thearea is characterized by past orest ires and has all the es-sential values o a healthy coherent woodland ecosystem.Traces o old selective logging can be ound in some areas.This has not disturbed the natural processes o the orest,which has high biodiversity values. 160 indings o 11 di-erent red-listed species were ound during the ield visit.SSNC notiied Stora Enso and Bergvik about the indings

and the orests conservation value. In spite o this, Stora

Enso has now logged some o the area and intends to logmore o Hovdhllan in the uture.

2009SSNC has made ield visits to a number o Bergvik s orestsin Dalarna during 2009. The majority o the areas visitedare natural pine orests, many with visible history o orestires and large indings o red-listed species. Based on thelarge number o high conservation value orests that are

either already logged or planned or logging, with poor, orno consideration to nature conservation, SSNC concludes

that Stora Enso lacks adequate knowledge and respect o

these orests nature values.

Hovdhllan is part of the forest above the former conservation border that Bergvik Skog AB succeeded in redef ining. Photo: Olli Manninen

Conservation border (Naturvrdsgrns)In the 1980s, industrial forestry had reached the montane forests. After an intense debate between conservationists andthe forestry industry about the future of the montane and sub-montane forests, SSNC presented a proposal for a conser-vation border. Above this border only modified and limited forestry is allowed; some areas are fully protected. In the FSC-standard, the conservation border regulates forestry practices.In 2004, Bergvik Skog AB took the initiative to a process that ultimately resulted in a redefinition of a great part of the con-

servation border in the County of Jmtland. This opened large areas of biologically valuable montane forests for logging.

In 2006, Bergvik Skog AB again took the initiative to redefine the conservation border, this time in the County of Dalarna.

Due to the results of the redefinition in Jmtland, where forests of high biological importance got logged, SSNC in Dalarnaopposed this process and Bergvik withdrew the proposition.


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Grotthjden, County of DalarnaGrotthjden is located in the municipality o Mora.

Although the reviewed orest borders on enormous clear-cuts carried out by Stora Enso, the area now slated or log-ging is part o a large, coherent natural woodland area o800 hectares. Grotthjden is yet an example o a woodlandkey habitat that was planned or logging beore SSNC aler-

ted the company and the Swedish Forest Agency. WhenStora Enso planned the area or logging they did not recog-nize the nature values, not even the 7-hectare o woodlandkey habitat that is now, thanks to the alarm raised by SSNC,

registered with the Swedish Forest Agency. Stora Enso hasnow withdrawn the logging plan or the key habitat, in ac-cordance with the FSC-standard. The orest surrounding

the key habitat, however, is still planned or logging, de-

spite the high conservation value and the many indings ored-listed species in the area. The Swedish Forest Agencyhas recommended that Stora Enso except 40 per cent o theremaining orest rom logging, unortunately this recom-mendation is not binding and the orest is still acutely th-

reatened. I it were not or the alarm raised by voluntary

nature conservationists, either Stora Enso, or the SwedishForest Agency would never have acknowledged the conser-

vation values o Grotthjden. Grotthjden with the sur-

rounding 800-hectare orest probably consists o more key

habitats and the area need urther inventories to saeguardnature values.

The forest of Grot thjden partly consists of a Woodland Key Habitat and hold high nature values such as multiple findings of red listed species . Photo: OlliManninen


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The forest by Dryvistjrn got felled by Stora Enso, despite the findings of red listed species. Stora Enso did not manage to define the nature values of theforest. Photo: Sini Saarela

A lone pine on the clear felling of the forest by Dryvistjrn.Photo: Hans Sundstrm

Dryvistjrn, County of DalarnaIn May 2009 SSNC visited the old-growth pine orest by

Dryvistjrn in the municipality o Malung. The orest wascharacterized by sparse old-growth orest with pine trees.Several large dead logs o pine existed within the area. There

were signs o an old orest ire and some ormer selectivelogging. Despite this, the orest had all the eatures o a

healthy natural orest. In total, 45 indings o a total o 8dierent red-listed species were ound. Despite the biolo-gical values o the area, the orest got elled shortly ater theield visit. The alarm rom SSNC came too late to save theorest, and Stora Enso ailed to recognize the nature valueso the area.


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SveaskogSveaskog, a state-owned company, is the largest orest owner

in Sweden. Sveaskog owns 3.3 million hectares o orest,

covering approximately 14 per cent o the Swedish land area.O this, 650,000 hectares o productive orest are set aside.With 20 per cent o productive orest set aside, Sveaskogsambitions or nature conservation exceed any other Swedish

orestry company. A closer look at these 20 per cent, howe-ver, shows that 250,000 hectares consist o general natureconsideration taken at loggings, such as separate trees leton clear-ellings as well as protection zones toward water,which is mandatory by law. Despite Sveaskogs environme-ntal targets and its FSC-certi ication, SSNC s review o the

company shows that it still plans to log state owned old-

growth orests with high conservation values.

Examples o results o SSNC inventories in orests

owned by Sveaskog

2008During the ield season o 2008, SSNC documented several

old-growth pine orests owned by Sveaskog that were plan-ned or logging. Sveaskog was notiied about the high bio-logical values o these orests.

Guttukojan, County of DalarnaGuttukojan is located in the municipality o lvdalen.

When SSNC carried out its ield visit to the area, it was de-

signated or inal elling. The orest consisted o sparselygrowing pine trees in terrain strewn with boulders and

blocks o stone. Biologically valuable deadwood in dierent

stages o decay and thickness was abundant in places. Fireand some selective logging had historically aected the o-rest. More than 60 indings o red-listed species were recor-

ded in the area. Although SSNC notiied Sveaskog o the

orests high biodiversity value, Sveaskog has now logged it.

2009Sveaskog has in 2009 responded to SSNCs notiications

about red-listed species ound in the companys old-growthorests that are planned or logging. Sveaskog intends to

continue elling o old-growth pine orests, but are going to

take particular consideration o the speciic substrates vitalto many red-listed species in the natural pine orests.37 Theproblem is that the species demand more than the speciicsubstrate to survive in the long term. The surrounding o-rest is vital or renewal o the important hard deadwood that

the species thrive on. In a planted, ast-growing orest, thequality o wood is poor, and the species will most likely

eventually disappear rom the area. In 2009, SSNC did se-veral ield reviews o Sveaskog and again visited numerousorests with high conservation values that the company hasplanned to clear-cut.

Despite the notificat ion to Sveaskog on the high biodiversity values of the forest at Guttukojan, the forest is now felled. Many red-listed species werefound at SSNCs field visit to the forest, for example Cladonia parasitic, a species dependent on the hard dead wood of pine or oak found in natural forests .Photo: Olli Manninen


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3

Gransen, County of DalarnaIn August 2009, when SSNC visited Gransen in the muni-cipality o lvdalen, Sveaskog had logged approximately 19hectares o pristine old-growth pine orest. A low-produc-tive orest that had been aected only by moderate selectivelogging characterized the area. In large parts o the elledorest there were no traces o earlier human disturbance;the logged orest was virgin-like. Many o the trees logged

were 200-300 years old and carried visible marks o old o-

rest ires. Numerous trees with ire-induced bole scars wereound logged. At the elling Sveaskog had taken no consi-deration o the substrates vita l to red-listed species or othernature values, and the company violated several FSC crite-ria regarding environmental consideration. More than 120cases o violations were observed at the clear cut. A com-plaint to FSC regarding Sveaskogs orestry methods at

Gransen was raised by SSNC in August o 2009.

Eternity tree left on the clear felling of the pristine old-growth pine forest at Gransen. Photo : Olli Manninen


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4

Smekmyrtjrnen, Country of DalarnaSmekmyrtjrnen is located in the municipality o lvdalen.

50 hectares o this beautiul old growth pine orest is acu-tely threatened by logging. During SSNCs ield visit to theplanned logging site in August 2009, an amazing 240+ in-dings o 15 dierent red-listed species were documented,

including our indings o three dierent species classiiedas EN (endangered) on the red list. Sveaskog has answered

SSNC that it still intends to log 85 per cent o the orest,

despite the exceptionally high conservation values, leavingonly 15 per cent (7.5 hectares) as nature consideration. These

7.5 hectares would not even consist o one coherent area, but

o small patches and solitary retention trees at the utureloggingsite. The endangered species ound in the orest atSmekmyrtjrnen generally require continuous old naturalwoodlands, and the largest threat to them is inal elling otheir habitats. By exploiting Smekmyrtjrnen Sveaskog is

deliberately destroying the exceptional old-growth wood-

land biodiversity values o the area. This orest is just one othe extremely biological valuable old-growth pine orests

SSNC has visited, where Sveaskog intends to carry out theirlogging plans.

Two findings of the endangered species Antrodia infirma were done in the acutely threatened forest at Smekmyrtjrnen. The greatest threat to this spe-cies is final felling of their habitats. Despite the findings of this species, Sveaskog intends to clear cut the forest. Photo: Olli Manninen.

To learn more about threatened and logged o-rests visited by SSNC between 2007 and 2009,visit ollowing links.

http://picasaweb.google.com/swedishforests2009



http://picasaweb.google.com/swedishforests


http://picasaweb.google.com/destroyedforests


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The threat to the last old-growth orests in Sweden is very

real. The clear cut-based, so-called modern orestry has

resulted in a biodiversity crisis, which is indicated by the

large number o orest-dwelling species on the Red list or

threatened and endangered species. Natural processes, likechanges in species composition in dierent stages o suc-

cession in the woodland landscape, have been disrupted,

and large-scale rotation orestry is converting the natural

orest ecosystem into a large mono-crop o export timber.

With less than 5 per cent o the natural orests below the

montane region let, a change in the Swedish orest policy

is a matter o great urgency. Still, money contributed by the

government to purchase orestland with the purpose o

nature conservation has been reduced by 41 per cent in the

interval 2005-2009. Without a substantial increase in unds

or ormal protection o old-growth and high conservationvalue orests, these will continue to be logged at the same

alarming rate as they are today. The ormal ly protected areas

o today are not enough to preserve the biological diversity;

thereore, it is absolutely necessary to take immediate me-

asures to preserve the key habitats and connecting orests

with high conservation values.

In spite o the FSCs intention to increase the certied

orest owners consideration o nature conservation, the

situation or the old-growth orests remains acute. The ma-

jority o the certied companies show little or no interest in

voluntarily protecting more orests than required o them

by the certication.

On the contrary, NGOs still oten nd woodland key

habitats and high conservation value orests planned or

logging by certied companies. Thus, FSC-certication o-

ers no reliable guarantee that such areas wil l not be logged.

The regulatory ramework o FSC is not clear on the targets

and leaves plenty o room or dierent interpretations o the

criteria, where the certication bodies auditors have the

preerential right o interpretation. By eld studies SSNC

has experienced that the FSC ails to prevent the destruction

o both key habitats and high conservation value orests.

The protection o biologically important woodlands is aresponsibility o both authorities and orest owners. Priority

should be given to the remaining orests with high nature

conservation values, regardless o their location. Due to the

small per centage o remaining old-growth orests, there is

also a need or restoration o woodlands that lack the old-

growth characteristics, not least in the southern parts o

Sweden.

The present Swedish orestry model is not only devasta-

ting to the orest ecosystem and its biodiversity; it also con-

tributes to an excessive release o CO2. Scientic data indi-

cate that clear-cut orestry practices release moregreenhouse gases than orestry without clear-cuts.38

Thereore, a conversion to a more sustainable orestry model

with alternative methods on part o the orest land would

better mitigate climate change. It is important to make it

clear that the alternative methods should be used only in

production orests, not in old-growth or high conservation

value woodlands. These should be exempted rom al l ma-

nagement other than measures that in some places are

needed to keep or improve biodiversity.

Sweden is ailing to ull its national and international

environmental commitments. The increase in production

proposed by the government and the orestry sector, using

an even more intensied practise o the orestry methods o

today, will only accelerate the depletion o the biological

diversity. The basic precondition or the preservation o

old-growth orests and orests with high nature conserva-

tion value is that they get protected.

Conclusions


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6

Ensure protection o the remaining old-growth orests below the conservation border and increase

restoration o woodlands to secure the biological diversity o the woodlands. According to new sci-

entifc calls, as much as 20 percent o the orested land needs to be protected in order to preventbiodiversity decline. SSNC proposes that 20 per cent o the orested land below the conservation

border should be protected or restored or the sake o nature conservation. Above the conservation

border, all forests must be protected from large-scale forestry and high nature concern must charac-

terise any measure taken.

Increase the state budget or measures to preserve and enhance biological diversity and or ormal

protection of woodlands with conservation values. The funding should be set at a rate that will secure

biodiversity or the uture.

Let the orestry industry shoulder a larger responsibility or the major negative impacts on the orest

ecosystem due to current industrial orestry methods. This could be achieved by contributing to thecost o ormal protection by paying a logging-ee. Alternatively, a paper consumption ee could be

imposed and used or supporting nature protection measures.

Operationalise the two equal targets of production and preservation in the Forestry act by stipulating

stricter detailed regulations for nature considerations, including a prohibition for the general logging

o Woodland key habitats, and impose an efcient sanction system or violations o the act.

The Swedish FSC forestry standard must be improved on a number of points. In particular, the standard

must be ollowed and violations o the standard must be dealt with switly and with stringency.

Swedish Society for Nature Conservation demands


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Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. (2005) Frekvens-1.

analys av skyddsvrd natur, frekomst av vrdekrnor i skogs-

mark Report 5466, Stockholm (in Swedish only)

Swedish University of Agricultural Studies (SLU), Swedish Forest2.

Industries Federation, Swedish Federation of Forest Owners and

the Swedish Forest Agency. (2009) The Swedish Forestry Model,

booklet

Swedish Forest Industries. (2009) Swedish Wood Effect the3.

key to success in Copenhagen, booklet

Ibid4.

Angelstam, P., Jonsson, B-G., Trnblom, J., (2007) Uppfljning5.

av 1997 rs bristanalys fr bevarande av biologisk mngfald olika

skogstyper Report (in Swedish only)

http://protecttheforest.se/upprop/en/scientist-appeal6.

Carlson, M., Wells, J., roberts, D. (2009) The Carbon the World7.

Forgot http://www.borealbirds.org/resources/carbon/report-full.pdf

Ibid8.

Swedish University of Agricultural Studies (SLU), (2009 ) News;9.

Undisturbed old-growth forests maximize carbon storage

Lindroth, A., (2009) Skogens kolbalans ur ett klimatperspektiv10.

University of Lund. www.lucci.lu.se/pdf/Lindroth_Sveaskog_

sep2009.pdf (in Swedish only)

Jonsson, M. & Wardle, D. (2009). Structural equation modelling11.

reveals plant-community drivers of carbon storage in boreal

forest ecosystems. Biology Letters, http: //rsbl.royalsocietypu-

blishing.org/content/early/2009/09/14/rsbl.2009.0613.abst-

ract

Luyssaert, S., Detlef Schulze, E., Brner, A., Knohl, A., Hessenmller,12.

D., Law, B. E., Ciais, P. & Grace, J. (2008). Old-growth forests as

global carbon sinks. Nature, Vol 455, 11 September 2008, 213-

215, http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v455/n7210/abs/

nature07276.html

Zhou, Z., Liu, S., Li, Z., Zhang, D., Tang, X., Zhou, C., Yan, J. & Mo,13.

J. (2006). Old-Growth Forests Can Accumulate Car-bon in Soils.

Science 1, December 2006, Vol. 314. no. 5804, 1417, http://www.

sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5804/1417

The forestry politics threatens the biological diversity Article14.

written by leading scientists published in Dagens Nyheter,

(Daily News) , Swedens leading newspaper, published 14 of April

2008. (in Swedish only)

Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (2005), Frekvens-15.

analys av skyddsvrd natur, frekomst av vrdekrnor i skogs-

mark Report 5466, Stockholm. (in Swedish only)

Grdenfors, U.(2005). The 2005 Red List of Swedish species.16.

The Swedish Species Information Centre (ArtDatabanken) ISBN

91-88506-30-4

http.//www.miljomal.se/Environmental-Objectives-Portal/17.

About-the-Environmental-Objectives/

Swedish Forest Agency, pressrelease (2008) Environmental con-18.

sideration within the forestry continues on a low level (In

Swedish only) http://www.svo.se/episerver4/templates/

SnormalPage.aspx?id=38956Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Swedish Forest19.

Agency (2005) Appendix to national strategy for formal protec-

tion of forests http://www.svo.se/episerver4/dokument/sks/

Fakta_om_skog/Skogens_parlor/sp_dokument/Bilaga%20

3%20nationell%20strategi%20%2026%20maj%2005.pdf (in

Swedish only)

http://www.fsc.org/20.

SSNCs statement on the Swedish FSC-standard submitted to a21.

the Swedish FSC-body for consideration, (2009). http: //www.

naturskyddsforeningen.se/upload/Foreningsdokument/

Remissvar/skog/2009-03-31-Yttrande-over-remiss-av-FSCs-

svenska-skogsbruksstandardpdf.pdf (in Swedish only)

Swedish Forest Agency, (2009) Statistical Yearbook of Forestry22.

2009)

Angelstam, P., Jonsson, B-G., Trnblom, J., (2007) Uppfljning23.

av 1997 rs bristanalys fr bevarande av biologisk mngfald olika

skogstyper Report (in Swedish only)

http://protecttheforest.se/upprop/en/scientist-appeal24.

Swedish Forest Agency, (2009) Regler om anvndning av frm-25.

mande trdslag (Regulations on use of exotic tree species),

http://www.skogsstyrelsen.se/episerver4/dokument/sks/

References


30/32


aktuellt/2009/Meddelande%20Fr%C3%A4mmande%20

tr%C3%A4dslag%20091217.pdf (in Swedish only)

The forestry politics threatens the biological diversity Article26.

written by leading scientists published in Dagens Nyheter,

(Daily News), Swedens leading newspaper, published 14 of April

2008. (in Swedish only)

Larsson, S., Lundmark, T., sthl, G., (2009) Mjligheter till inten-27.

sivodling av skog (Possibilities for intensive cultivation of fo-

rests) http://futureforests.se/download/18.1fe8f33123572b59

ab800011409/MINT+Slutrapport_webbversion.pdf (in Swedish

only)

Swedish University of Agricultural Studies (SLU), Swedish Forest28.

Industries Federation, Swedish Federation of Forest Owners and

the Swedish Forest Agency. (2009) The Swedish Forestry Model,

booklet

Nren, M., Nitare, J., Larsson, A., Hultgren, B., Bergegren, I. (2005)29.Handbok fr inventering av nyckelbiotoper (Manual for inven-

tory of key habitats)

http://www.skogsstyrelsen.se/episerver4/templates/30.

SNormalPage.aspx?id=13083

Grdenfors, U.(2005). The 2005 Red List of Swedish species.31.

The Swedish Species Information Centre (ArtDatabanken) ISBN

91-88506-30-4

Lf, M., Sahlin, M. (2009) Haveri fr naturvrden I skogen32.

(Breakdown in Swedish forest protection) SSNC report ISBN 978-

91-558-8151-1 (in Swedish only )

Lf, M., Rudberg, J. (2007) Hotade skogar I norr (Threatened33.

forests in north) SSNC report http://www.naturskyddsforening-

en.se/upload/Foreningsdokument/Rapporter/rapport-skog-

hotade-skogar-norr.pdf (in Swedish only)

www.sca.com/en/Products34.

SCA Sustainability report 200835.

http://www.storaenso.com/wood-forest/stora-enso-skog/36.

miljo/naturvard/Pages/vi-tar-ansvar-for-skogen.aspx

Letter to SSNC from Sveaskog dated 2009-07-0237.Rudberg, J., (et al.) (2010)Skogsbruk utan hyggen (Forestry38.

without clear cuts ) SSNC report 2010 (in Swedish only)


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A warm thanks to all the wonderulpeople that have devoted their time tohelp us with the extensive ieldwork.Photo: Olli Manninen


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The Swedish Society or Nature Conservation is an environ mental organisation with power to bring about change. Wespread knowledge, map environmental threats, create solu

tions, and infuence politicians and public authorities, at bothnational and international levels. Moreover, we are behind oneo the worlds most challenging ecolabellings,

Bra Miljval(Good Environmental Choice). Climate, theoceans, orests, environmental toxins, and agricultureare our main areas o involvement.

www.naturskyddsoreningen.se

Naturskyddsreningen. Box 4625, SE 116 91 Stockholm.Phone + 46 8 702 65 00. [email protected]

Forests cover more than 50 per cent o Sweden. O the productive orests, more than 90 per cent are

aected by orest management, and oen turned into industrial orest landscapes.

Te Swedish orestry model is regarded by some as an example o a sustainable way to cultivate the

orest. Still, more than 1800 woodland species are threatened or endangered, mainly due to the or-

estry methods o today.

Between 2007 and 2009, the Swedish Society or Nature Conservation has carried out feld surveys

and documented the ongoing destruction o more than 500 orests, owned by large companies as well

as smallholders. Te result o the feld documentation is very discouraging; orests with very high

conservation values are being slated or logging systematically.

In this report Swedish Society or Nature Conservation argues that the Swedish orestry model and thesituation in the Swedish orests are not sustainable. Te way o managing the remaining natural orests

today has caused enormous damage to the vital ecosystem that natural orests represent. Action has to

be taken immediately to save what is lef, time is running out or the Swedish old-growth orests.

Documents

Cutting the edge - the loss of Natural Forests in Sweden