Here’s some fantastic photojournalism with fairly sobering texts on Swedish forestry in the Guardian by Marcus Westberg:

“Forests cover 70% of the country, but many argue the Swedish model of replacing old-growth forests with monoculture plantations is bad for biodiversity.”

Yeah…

“Thousands of logs seen from overhead at a timber terminal. Sweden is the world’s third biggest exporter of pulp, paper and sawn timber.” —The Guardian.

Then…

“Most cleared areas are replanted with monoculture plantations to be harvested again in 60 to 80 years. According to Swedish Forest Industries, at least 380m trees a year are planted. Many environmentalists and indigenous Sami reindeer herders say a rethink of this model is urgently needed.”

The problem is not exactly the number of trees being kept more or less constant, or even increasing! The problem is all of the downsides of industrial monocultures, in particular their smack-down effect on ecosystems and biodiversity.

“Last month, 33 signatories, including representatives of youth movements such as Fridays for Future Sweden, and 44 indigenous communities via Sámiid Riikkasearvi, wrote to the European commission warning: ‘The Swedish forestry model is wreaking havoc. The forest ecosystem has changed so dramatically that not even the reindeer that have learned to survive on these lands since the ice age can live in the landscape that this type of forestry creates’”.

To give a concrete example:

“Ancient trees are a vital host for lichen, a key source of food for reindeer. More than 70% of Sweden’s lichen-rich forest has disappeared in the past 60 years. This hugely affects northern Sweden’s Sami people. Their culture and livelihoods are closely tied to that of the reindeer, which rely on lichen for survival.”

Not to mention the fact that industrial pine forests are pretty depressing to look at, even for people keen to check out ‘nature’ and pay for the pleasure:

“The loss of old-growth forests are a concern for many other locals, including those active in nature-based tourism. Johan Stenevad, owner of Lapland Guesthouse, says: ‘Soon, plantations are all that will remain. That will be the end of both tourism and of our communities’”.

So you destroy biodiversity and tourism in one fell swoop.

That’s not exactly a win in my book.

[Cover photo: Johan Stenevad by Marcus Westberg]