The forest industry's goal is to manage the forest in a way that ensures that all species in the wooded landscape can live on. As large forest owners the industry therefore conducts active nature conservation based on common guidelines in their forest management
Voluntary environmental work is a natural starting point for players in the Swedish forest sector which is why, on average, they demonstrate more far-reaching consideration to nature values than required by the Swedish Forestry Act.
For instance, they strive to retain existing natural values on final felling. When managing young forests and thinning stands, this might entail creating new natural values for the future. So as to continuously improve, forest companies actively monitor and assess their environmental work based on a number of indicators.
For example, many companies carry out annual follow-ups of the quality of environmental consideration and other environmental values as the amount of serious damage caused by vehicles on the ground. The results of the assessments are used for learning dialogues with company personnel and contractors.
Efforts towards responsible forestry under the FSC and PEFC certification systems also increase the level of ambition in conservation work. Today, roughly 60% of all woodland in Sweden is certified – a very high figure in international terms. Certified forest managers establish conservation zones and protection areas on their holdings. They also protect representative samples of existing ecosystems within the landscape in their natural state.
