The Swedish Forest Commoners' Association comprises 21 protected and common forests in the Dalarna and Norrbotten regions, owning and managing a total of more than 670,000 hectares of forest. For most people outside this region, the association’s work remains obscure and unknown, even though it occupies an important place in the circular bioeconomy.
The forests of Dalarna (Dalarna) and Norrbotten (Norrbotten) were formed in the 19th century during a period of major land reform, aimed at curbing the prevailing grim poverty and famine and fostering local community development. These forests became a hub for regional development and economics, driving rapid progress towards prosperity and growth. Over time, the importance of these forests has largely endured; today, the benefits encompass a wider range of activities, not just timber production, but also hunting, fishing, and other recreational pursuits.
The primary task of forest management is, of course, to conduct forestry operations and use the resulting profit to promote local forestry and related (secondary) industries. It is certainly worth noting that forest management also supports other objectives that benefit both the co-owners and the entire local population, explains Nicklas Samils (Nicklas Samils), industrial policy representative for the Swedish Forest Commoners' Association.
Long-term management and purposefulness
Common forests are characterised by long-term management. By taking a long-term approach, greater natural values are created because the forests are harvested relatively later than the national average; this has fostered the creation of more reserves for the benefit of biodiversity and more long-lasting carbon sinks than in standard production forests.
It can be said that the management of the association members' forests over 150 years has functioned similarly to modern ecological landscape planning, where older forests and natural values are always represented in a given area. Furthermore, older and more mature tree species make up a significant portion of the available timber stock, which is also useful for building construction.
Becoming harder to manage
The downside of a long-term approach to forest management is that authorities want to set aside more and more land, thereby accumulating reserves for which they lack the funds to purchase. Long-term management is harder to plan in a way that allows each generation to receive a share of the forest's yield.
If our members continue to be denied the opportunity to manage their forests for the long term, a huge mistake will be made, as leaving forests unattended for long periods to benefit nature and recreational values will be too risky.
Nicklas Samils (Nicklas Samils) argues that this type of reaction to long-term planning creates a risk that many people will be forced to carry out logging sooner, which, in turn, will reduce biodiversity and generate more greenhouse gas emissions as society strives to gradually phase out fossil-based products.
The trend is undoubtedly moving towards a circular bioeconomy, and it is very, very important that Sweden protects its vast forest holdings. Therefore, we will continue to sequester carbon while helping the Swedish forest industry continue to process Swedish raw materials. We are part of the solution that is and will be necessary for the industry.
Pixabay photo used