Sometimes, especially in public media, you get the impression that we are in fact running out of forests. In some parts of the world that may be true. But the volume of forest is growing in countries like Sweden, where reforestation has been mandatory by law since 1903. Source: Timberbiz
For almost 100 years, the Swedish National Forest Inventory has kept track of the Swedish forest. Since 1923, they have described the state of the forest and the changes in it. Official figures are presented each year.
If we look at all tree species in all of Sweden, the volume in 1926 was approximately 1.6 billion cubic meters. In 2019, the corresponding figure was approx. 3.3 billion cubic meters.
The number of stems is also mentioned in the statistics from 1926 – 2019. In 1926, the total number of stems > 10 centimetres in diameter in Sweden was 9.8 billion. In 2019 it was approx. 13.3 billion stems.
This is simple mathematics that shows that that Sweden has much more forest today than 100 years ago.
The description that the National Forest Inventory gives is from an industrial perspective. It’s all about whether the industry will have enough raw materials in the future or not. It’s logical as the forest industry is very important for Sweden and was even more important 100 years ago.
For environmental lobbyists and possibly the public, it’s different. The environmentalists want biodiversity, refuge areas for endangered species, and vast areas where no forestry actions are allowed. The public wants what they hear and read about in the media.
Describing a forest isn’t as easy as it seems. Old forestry people want production, cubic metres, good quality timber, as fast as possible. Hunters want forests that can feed whatever they are hunting, including free-sight areas where they can get a good shot at the target. Then we have berry and mushroom pickers, joggers, dog walkers, cross-country skiers, and many more. If you ask all of them, you will get different descriptions.
It seems impossible to describe “a forest” in a way that suits everyone, or at least most people.
