The Swedish forest grows slowly. It has a lot of spruce and pine that produce high-quality long-fibre pulp, which is perfect for the new-generation packaging types that require low weight and high strength.
Holmen Board and Paper's raw material comes from the parent company Holmen, which owns large areas of forest and has been in forestry since 1609. Sustainable forestry is conducted according to clear guidelines, which means the raw material can be exploited while still nurturing the forest’s many values.
In Sweden, the forest has an extremely long turn-around time compared to forests in other parts of the world. In Brazil, for example, some species can be harvested after five years.
“The long turnaround time calls for a long-term approach to forestry, as well as large areas which we manage in a sustainable way, and an infrastructure and industry that are adapted accordingly,” says Jan Åhlund, forestry manager at the company’s forest division, Holmen Skog.
For every tree harvested, at least three new ones are planted, which is standard in Nordic forestry. This approach means that growth is greater than the harvested volume. The wood stock in Sweden’s forests today is twice what it was in the 1920s.
“Every 10 years we take a meticulous inventory of our entire forest holding", Åhlund says. We then make a felling calculation for the next 100 years. This in turn determines how we plan our harvest, forest management measures and consideration for natural, cultural and social aspects.”
Created 23 February, 2016.