A rare finding of fertile Lobaria Pulmonaria found at Lill-Gravberget, one of the forests in the report. Photo: John Lööf Green

The Swedish forestry model has been claimed across Europe as an example of a sustainable way to cultivate forests; in particular through the certification system FSC. In reality though, the Swedish forestry has caused a devastating impact on forest diversity since the 1950´s when the clear cutting period started.

Today, more than 2000 forest dwelling species are endangered, vulnerable or threatened, mainly due to the modern forestry methods. Between 2007 and 2009, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) has conducted field documentation of close to 500 threatened and unprotected old-growth boreal forests with high conservation values owned by large forestry companies as well as smallholders.

Lill-gravberget after the felling. Photo: Hans Sundström

“The natural forests of Sweden are about to disappear. It is time that consumers and procurers all over Europe become aware that present forestry methods biodiversity in unique ecosystems in Sweden,” says Mikael Karlsson, President of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, the largest environmental organization in Sweden.

The largest forest companies in Sweden are FSC-certified. Numerous field studies carried out by SSNC during the past three years show that a remarkable number of logged areas do not live up to the FSC-standard´s key criteria. However, these violations of the FSC-regulations have not altered the companies’ possibilities to continue with using the FSC label. In as much as one third of the cases, forestry logging is also violating Swedish laws on nature protection, according to the Swedish Forestry Agency.

The SSNC has now released the report “Cutting the Edge – the Loss of Natural Forests in Sweden” in order to make buyers, traders and consumers in Europe aware of the downside of the Swedish forestry model.

“A new Swedish forestry model is needed, with regulations that safeguard the biodiversity and the forest ecosystems in Sweden. In a short-term perspective, new and strict sanctions are needed to force the forestry industry to follow present legislation. In addition, a new environmental law is needed, with the aim to protect the nature values in Swedish forests,” says Mikael Karlsson.

During SSNC´s field studies, hundreds of old-growth forests with high conservation values and woodland key habitats have been found slated for logging or logged. The forest companies have been contacted, but follow-up reviews shows that very little has changed in the companies’ procedures.

Download and read the report

See some images from the visited Swedish forests

See and download more pictures here

http://picasaweb.google.com/swedishforests2009
http://picasaweb.google.com/swedishforests
http://picasaweb.google.com/swedishforests2
http://picasaweb.google.com/swedishforests3
http://picasaweb.google.com/swedishforests4

See some pictures from clear-cuts

See and download more pictures here

http://picasaweb.google.com/destroyedforests

Environmentally certified logging of High Conservation Value Forest in mid-east Sweden. Photo: John Lööf Green

For immediate release

21 January 2010, STOCKHOLM / SWEDEN

NordicForests.org – new website on threatened High Conservation Value Forests in Fennoscandia

NordicForests.org is a new website about unprotected High Conservation Value Forests under threat in Norway, Sweden and Finland from the Taiga Rescue Network.

Today forest based consumer goods from Norway, Sweden and Finland often come from controversial loggings in High Conservation Value Forests. NordicForests.org aims to provide this information and news to producers, buyers, NGOs and the general public who are concerned about biologically and socially valuable forests in Fennoscandia. It does so by presenting media, reports, statistics and maps about forests in general and concerning specific districts and countries.

“Much of the forest based consumer goods from Fennoscandia are sold to the European markets, especially to countries like Germany and the UK. What the consumers do not know is that the source may be valuable forests from Fennoscandia. That’s why we want to provide a source of information that’s easily accessible also to consumers and buyers from these regions,” says Sini Eräjää from the Taiga Rescue Network.

Some of the forest areas described are still standing and some have recently been logged. By providing information Nordicforests.org aims to present a comprehensive picture of realities facing those Fennoscandian forests.

“We believe that well informed people can help to preserve biologically rich forest landscapes in balance between different interests in society. Now we have a valuable tool for doing that,” says Mirjam Lööf Green forest network co-ordinator in Sweden.

The site’s main contributors are actively engaged in either forest research or Environmental NGOs in Fennoscandia. All the forests described on NordicForests.org have documented High Conservation Values. All of the areas are under threat of being logged as they are not protected.

“In our network we have dozens of experts and local activists with years of field experience. The long running work made by these persons is the solid ground that the facts of the site are built on,” says Olli Manninen, Finnish forest activist.

NordicForests.org will be a reliable source for forest news in Fennoscandia for several years onwards.

“NordicForests.org will continuously be updated with new examples of unprotected forests and will be our main source to provide information on the situation in Norway,” says Gjermund Andersen, forest campaigner of FoE-Norway.

For more information please contact:
Gjermund Andersen
forest campaigner of FoE-Norway
+47 952 264 02
gjermund@noa.no

Mirjam Lööf Green
Co-ordinator of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation’s national forest network.
+46 70 556 95 22
mirjam.loof-green@naturskyddsforeningen.se

Olli Manninen
Finnish forest activist
+35 850 594 04 29
ollimanninen@yahoo.se

Sini Eräjää
Co-ordinator Taiga Rescue Network
+35 850 358 38 38
sini.erajaa@sll.fi

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NordicForests.org is a joint Taiga Rescue Network-project realized and supported by several environmental organizations from all the Fennoscandic countries and the general boreal zone.

Taiga Rescue Network is the only international network of non-governmental organizations, indigenous peoples and individuals working to defend the world’s boreal forests. Today more than 200 organizations are participants of the network. See more at: taigarescue.org.

Subscribe to the NordicForests.org Newsletter here: NordicForests.org/newsletter/

Some of the endangered forests around Stor Flaten and Stora Snesen in Leksand, Dalecarlia, Sweden

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After a field-study in Dalecarlia the summer of 2008 the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation gave attention to the High Conservation Value Forests around the lakes of Stor-Flaten and Stora Snesen in the municipality of Leksand. More than 130 findings of 16 different red-listed species were made in the critically endangered forests. All areas that were visited had Old-Growth Forest structures and the biological diversity was well preserved. These forests are interesting from a nature conservation perspective as they together constitute a big coherent High Conservation Value Forest area. With that knowledge Bergvik Skog, part of Stora Enso, has logged areas around lake Flaten.

A logged forest by lake Stor-Flaten Photo: John Green

– This is a catastrophe as larger well preserved natural pine forests with high conservation values are rare because of modern forestry. Bergvik Skog has planned to log almost all High Conservation Value Forests in this area. As there is a lack of funds to protect the area for the state the land-owner Bergvik Skog should protect these forests on a voluntarily basis, says Mikael Karlsson, Chairman of the SSNC.

Flaten-Snesen

The lakes of Stor-Flaten and Stora Snesen are visible in the map. Roughly one can interpret the image in the following way: large continuos areas of darker green are old forest. Light green areas are plantations and the light grey-brown-purple colour represents clear-cut areas.

Åsa Rydell, ecological officer at the municipality of Leksand has since a couple years reacted on the fact that Bergvik Skog is notifying High Conservation Value Forests for logging to the Swedish Forest Agency. In a statement on the website of the Forest Network of the SSNC she says that such a fine area as the forests around Flaten should not be logged. Especially as the land-owner Bergvik Skog is certified according to the FSC-standard. Bergvik Skog should know better.

Despite the obvious high conservation values Stora Enso is still planning to clearcut the forests. The county board has not enough money to buy it for protection and Stora Enso refuses to make voluntary protection decisions. The lack of resources for nature protection and cynical attitude in the forest companies makes this case very typical in Sweden today. Nobody seems to be responsible and as a result old-growth forests are destroyed all the time.

These High Conservation Value Forest are not only biologically valuable but it’s also an area for outdoor life and recreation. This mosaic of old forest, mires and lakes makes the area a unique place for wilderness area experience that both the local population and tourists have been enjoying.

2008 was the year when SCA, after many years of criticism from the NGOs in Sweden, was close to loose its FSC-certificate. The company received in the last revision (2007-11-02) a major CAR, the most serious Corrective Action Request a company can get before the FSC-certificate is suspended. The reason for this was SCA’s logging of High Conservation Value Forests and serious lack of consideration for biological values in the clear-cut landscape.

The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation has with a great interest been following SCA’s attempts to improve the sustainability of their forestry. Members of the SSNC has also made field inventories in forests that have been logged or notified for logging. There is proof in the inventories that has been made in the counties of Västernorrland, Västerbotten and Norrbotten that the company still can’t reach the demands that the certifier made in its report of 2007.

With 2.6 million hectares, SCA is Europe’s largest private forest owner. SCA sells personal care products, tissue, packaging, publication papers and solid-wood products in more than 90 countries. SCA has 52,000 employees in some 60 countries and annual sales in 2008 amounted to EUR 11.5bn (11.4). The biggest owner is Industrivärden which is controlled by Lundberföretagen which is controlled by Fredrik Lundberg who has a 67% stake in the company.

List of SCA-brands

(This is a rewrite from the SSNC-report ”Breakdown for the nature conservation in the forest (of Sweden)”)

A gallery of recent High Conservation Value Forests that have been logged by SCA (subtitles in swedish):