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Forest

How we manage and refine the forest

About the forest

The forest is a key component of Sweden’s basic industry. It generates renewable and fossil-free raw material, jobs and export revenue, while at the same time absorbing carbon dioxide and combating global warming. The forest is also important for our well-being, providing a chance to experience nature up close and space for recreation.

 

Almost three-quarters of Sweden is covered by forest and there is now twice as much forest in Sweden as there was a hundred years ago. The more forest we have and the faster it grows, the better it is for the climate.

How we refine the forest

The trees we harvest are sawn into planks and boards. We use the whole tree, turning the parts that do not become construction materials into paperboard and paper. All the products produced within Holmen come from sustainably managed forests and offer full traceability. 

 

Paperboard and paper produced from fresh fibre also provide a necessary top-up to the recovered fibre ecocycle, since wood fibre can only be recycled up to seven times.

How we manage the forest

The growth of the forest and its value largely depend on how it is managed. Under Holmen’s active forest management, the volume of standing timber is built up over a period of 70–90 years, with a new growth cycle beginning after harvest. Many of the most important silviculture measures come in the years after harvest, when the soil is prepared and the land is reforested through planting or sowing. We clean and thin the forest in order to select trees with the best potential for further growth.

 

 

Around 10–30 years before the forest is ready for harvesting, it may be fertilised to further enhance growth. Because the annual growth is greater than the harvest, the amount of wood in our forests is also increasing year on year, which means that we will gradually be able to harvest more in the future. For every tree we harvest, we plant at least two new ones. Our forestry is certified and all the wood is fully traceable.

Learn more about our sustainable forestry.

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Forestry that encourage biodiversity

We have been working actively for many years on nature conservation initiatives that encourage biodiversity. Our aim is to ensure that all naturally occurring species are able to thrive in the forest landscape. Our forests cover 1.3 million hectares, of which around a fifth is used for nature conservation purposes. This includes voluntary set-asides, non-productive forest land and environmental consideration in managed forests.

Voluntary set-asides

Some of Holmen’s productive forest is used exclusively for nature conservation. These areas are carefully chosen for their nature conservation potential and often contain a wealth of natural assets. The set-aside areas of forest are spread across Holmen’s forest holdings, providing habitats that vary greatly in terms of content, size and composition. The goal, however, is for the areas set aside for nature conservation purposes to remain viable over the long term, which makes it undesirable to set aside areas on too small a scale.

Some of the set-aside areas are left entirely untouched, while others have to be managed to retain the natural assets that are the reason why the forest has been set aside. Without targeted nature conservation felling, broadleaf forest, for example, risks being outcompeted by spruce. Judicious felling can also be used to increase the quantity of dead wood, which is often in short supply in the forests. There is a process under way to assess the conservation benefits of various methods aimed at promoting biodiversity. As an example, Holmen is taking part in a major research project run by Future Forests, in which various measures are being carried out in 30 set-aside areas. These measures are being monitored by researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).

Non-productive forest land

Non-productive forest land is forest where the trees grow extremely slowly due to a lack of nutrients or water. Non-productive forest land can be divided into two categories: bogs and rocky areas. There is often a high proportion of old, slow-growing and dead trees, which are important for a large number of species. Around 2 per cent of forest-dwelling species have their main habitat in non-productive forest land. No forestry is undertaken on non-productive land which, coupled with the set-aside forest, can create large, beautiful and richly varied areas.

Environmental consideration in managed forests

Forest-dwelling species are dependent on forest habitats and structures for their survival. For example, over half of all forest-dwelling species depend on mature broadleaved trees and large living, dying and dead trees. In order to create the right conditions for these species, Holmen protects nature conservation trees and conservation-promoting trees, while also preserving all dead trees in the managed forests. Nature conservation trees include large aspens, broadleaved trees north of the Dalälven river and trees that are unusually large or old or in some other way different from the norm. In cases where there are no nature conservation trees growing, conservation-promoting trees are instead left in order to improve the natural assets of the site over the long term. During general clearing and regeneration felling, high stumps are created from living trees in addition to the trees that died naturally.

Holmen also creates valuable buffer zones around non-productive forest, coastlines, lakes, watercourses and agricultural land. These support a wealth of species, since the habitat varies in terms of light conditions, soil type and humidity, and because the flora and fauna of the forests is mixed with those associated with the bogs, water or open landscape. This, coupled with the set-aside areas and non-productive forest land, creates a band of habitats for different species across the whole forest landscape.

Business areas

In our business areas, we turn our forest holdings into wood products for sustainable building, cost-effective paper, premium paperboard and renewable energy.

Abstrakt illustration inspirerad av skogen

Forest

Holmen is one of the largest forest owners and wood buyers in Sweden. We take responsibility for the ecocycle of the whole forest, from seed to harvest, and work in close partnership with private forest owners.

Abstract illustration energy

Renewable Energy

Holmen produces renewable energy from wind and water on our land. We contribute towards a sustainable energy supply in Sweden and towards Europe’s transition to fossil-free energy sources.

Sawn wood products

Wood Products

At Holmen, we supply wood products to the joinery and construction industries and to builders’ merchants. Wood is highly versatile and the only construction material that is fully renewable.

Paper rolls

Holmen Board and Paper

We make premium paperboard and innovative paper products suitable for multiple packaging solutions and graphical applications.

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Holmen’s business is built around the forest ecocycle and the renewable products we can create from it. Our business areas are Forest, Wood Products, Board and Paper and Renewable Energy.  With a workforce of 3 500 people, we create value for shareholders, customers and society. We generate sales of around SEK 23 billion and our shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, Large Cap. Please visit holmen.com for more information.

Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement

Holmen AB, P.O. Box 5407, SE-114 84 Stockholm, Sweden 
Phone: +46 8 666 21 00  E-mail: info@holmen.com

 

 

Holmen Group websites

  • Holmen Group - holmen.com
  • Forest - holmen.com/forest
  • Renewable energy - holmen.com/energy
  • Board and Paper - holmen.com/boardandpaper
  • Wood Products - holmen.com/woodproducts

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