Calle, what do you do at Skogssällskapet and how did you come to work in the forest industry?
Skogssällskapet makes forests and forest owners richer. We help forest owners manage and develop their forest properties, which we have done since 1912. Forests and outdoor life have been close to my heart since I was a child and it was natural for me to continue my education and work in the industry. It is particularly gratifying to work today in an industry with such great future potential and where we contribute to improving the climate and provide society with important sustainable products.
The forest is highly topical today; biodiversity in the forest is in deep crisis and the climate crisis is getting worse. At the same time, forest raw materials are needed in several parts of the climate transition and the pressure on forests is increasing. How do you see this?
The forest has a key role in climate work, if we can continue to manage the forest well and increase growth, we will bind more carbon dioxide in the forest. If we then replace products based on fossil raw materials with renewable products from the forest, we contribute even more to an improved climate. Biodiversity is very important and there have been many measures in forestry over the past 20 years that contribute to improved nature conservation and diversity. Changes and time perspectives are long in the forest and measures are not noticed overnight, but things are moving in the right direction.
How do you work with sustainability in Skogssällskapet?
Sustainability in the forest means taking into account ecological, economic and social aspects of forestry. We work actively to influence and develop certification systems in the forest and to increase the certified area of our customers. Skogssällskapet distributes SEK 15-20 million annually to research in forest management and nature conservation, to contribute to new knowledge.