Climate impact of Swedish forestry

One important goal for climate policy is to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. The forest sector can play a major role in this, and its contribution is immediate. The current annual increment in Sweden’s forests corresponds to over three times the country’s emissions of carbon dioxide, 53 million tonnes.

For greatest effect, net yield must be maximised and maintained, without neglecting other objectives, and goods and energy must be produced from forest raw materials as far as possible. Forest products already reduce annual emissions by 40 million tonnes through substitution effects, and using more of the felled biomass would increase the climate benefit by a further 50%.