A sustainable resource

There are many who incorrectly believe that Sweden’s forests, like other forests around the world, are being depleted. The forest in Sweden is growing by more than 100 million cubic meters every year, which vastly outstrips harvesting activities. Reforestation is an essential part of the forestry life cycle and a requirement that has existed since the early 1900s with the passing of Sweden’s first forestry act. As a result, Sweden has doubled its timber volume compared with 100 years ago. In other words, Sweden has more forest than ever before. Many forests of great conservation value that are considered vital to the livelihood of wildlife and nature are also protected from all forms of harvesting.

Given the country’s tradition of working with timber, it is not uncommon to find timber homes in Sweden that are more than 100 years old. Generally speaking, the Scandinavian countries are good at using wood. Together with the other Nordic countries, Sweden is at the forefront in terms of how much wood is used per inhabitant in comparison with other parts of Europe.