Sustainability begins in the forest

In order for forestry to generate as much climate benefit as possible, a plan is required to do so in a sustainable manner and with an aim of leaving behind as few traces as possible in nature.

“We must be more than a raw material buyer. We achieve this by supporting private forest owners in how to best manage their forests, both in terms of how much timber they yield from their forests and in terms of ensuring that the way in which they manage the forest is considerate of animals, nature and the climate,” says Kjell-Åke Åslund from Moelven Skog, who is responsible for the work on the certification and training on more considerate felling.

Heading towards 70 per cent

One measure in the efforts to promote sustainable and considerate forestry is to increase the number of certified forest owners. The aim is for 70 per cent of the contractual volume purchased from the field by Moelven Skog to be certified by the end of 2021. This work is well under way.

“The latest figures, from 2020, show that 51.2 per cent of our forest owners are now certified,” Kjell-Åke says.
Certification is important since it shows that forest owners commit to running responsible and sustainable forestry. It also provides forest owners with clear regulations to adhere to with regard to both environmental considerations and the conditions for those working in the forest.
“Certification is also something that the market is requesting more frequently , so there are several dimensions to this work,” Kjell-Åke says.

Will reduce the footprint

The goal of felling, whether it is a final felling, thinning, clearing or to prepare for planting, is to leave the smallest possible traces behind in nature. This is why Moelven Skog has focused on training all of its forestry contractors in considerate felling.

“One major challenge has, for a long time, been to minimise the amount of damage caused by driving that can occur in connection with felling. Through this training, you will, among other things, acquire greater knowledge of how to avoid this,” Kjell-Åke says.

The training also covers consideration for culture and cultural heritage, how to take older trees into account and vulnerable aquatic environments. Moelven Skog now hopes that the annual check of the impact on nature when viewed in the context of felling that the company has ordered itself will show a clear improvement.