According to Skogs Industrierna, on February 14, 2025, the Environmental Objectives Committee published its interim report, which includes recommendations on how Sweden might meet its obligations on the preservation of nature and the absorption of greenhouse gases by the land use sector. In addition to being unproductive as climate measures, a number of the Environmental Objectives Committee’s recommendations jeopardise access to renewable and fossil-free forest raw materials, which would have far-reaching detrimental effects on the welfare of the Swedish sawmill industry. The forest industries observe that there are no specific goals for the climatic advantages of bio-based goods, nor is there a thorough enough overall review of the socio-economic implications. However, there are good suggestions for informational and advising initiatives for enhanced growth, carbon absorption, and biodiversity.
The interim study provides a comprehensive overview of the climate benefits of forests, according to the forest industry. The proposal outlines how forests act as carbon sinks and the benefits to the climate that result from allowing products created from renewable and fossil-free forest raw materials to take the place of other fossil substances and goods. But the realisation ought to have produced a number of specific recommendations on how to boost substitution over the long run in a sustainable manner, as well as how to quantify and target it in national climate calculations.
Proposals that encourage more forest growth and studies that highlight the climatic benefits of forest raw materials are welcomed by the forest industries, who criticise ineffective and expensive policies that restrict the supply of renewable raw materials from the forest. In addition to strengthening the Swedish forest industry’s significant contribution to climate work, growth, and welfare, the Group asks the government and parliament to concentrate on the policies that will help biodiversity and the climate at the lowest possible cost. This includes funding for consultations with forest owners regarding conservation and growth.
The forest industries have the following views:
- The committee’s proposal to enhance fertilisation funding is commendable, and authorities ought to advise forest owners on how to promote forest development.
- In addition to their function as carbon sinks, the forest industries think the interim report does a good job of describing the climatic benefits of using forest raw materials to replace fossil fuels or products that rely heavily on fossil fuels. Nonetheless, the realisation ought to have resulted in several specific recommendations for how substitution might be sustainably expanded over time, as well as how it can be quantified and targeted in national climate calculations.
- It is a good thing that the committee suggests that new kinds of areas be included as OECM. The assessments of what can be reported as protected areas, however, have been seen by the forest industries to be overly restricted. For instance, all obstacles and voluntary set-asides must be listed as protected zones.
- By extending rotation times through agreements with private forest owners, the committee’s proposal runs the risk of drastically lowering the supply of renewable raw materials and, thus, the total climatic benefit of forests. Because there is a limited supply of forest that is ready for harvesting, the proposal disproportionately affects the sawmill business.
- Raw material availability is also impacted by other plans for less thinning and more carbon storage in the forest.
- According to the forest industries, the combined plans would result in a 5–6% decrease in the raw material supply. This amount of raw materials produces an additional value of SEK 8 billion and 7,200 jobs when utilised in the forest sector.
- To evaluate the impact of the plans, a thorough socioeconomic impact analysis is required.
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