A MAGA ZINE FROM SCA ON SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY, 2013
“You give up
200 million
kronor per year
to save some
bugs?”
SCA goes beyond
short-term gains
200
YEARS
and perfect for
EAGLES
Certifications
that count
Forest
management
can improve
climate
Forestry
for a new era
Why Ikea
sleeps well
at night
What is
your
favorite
tree?
Publisher
Joséphine Edwall-Björklund
Weeping Willow
Managing Editor
Marita Sander Oak
Editorial
Anna Gullers Magnolia
Ylva Carlsson Birch
Appelberg
Design
Cecilia Farkas Birch
Markus Ljungblom, Beech
Appelberg
Printer
Åtta45, Solna
Address
SCA, Corporate Communications, Box 200, 101 23 Stockholm,
Sweden.
Telephone +46 8 7885100
Fax +46 8 6788130
Contents
03
The world’s forests are under pressure on a variety
of fronts, but some signs point to a manageable future.
06
SCA’s forestry philosophy aims to ensure both
profits and biological diversity in the future.
10
Ikea buys enormous amounts of wood for its
furniture and has a system for making sure that the wood
raw material derives from responsibly managed forests.
13
Certifying forests is a tool to sustain the industry,
and SCA’s Hans Djurberg knows what he wants to achieve
as a board member of the Forest Stewardship Council.
15
Sustainable forestry can help to lower CO² levels
in the atmosphere, according to new research.
18
World Wide Fund for Nature’s Bruce Cabarle
believes active forest management has an important role
to play in improving the climate.
Who’s behind this magazine?
The content is printed on Arctic volume 130 grams FSC certified paper.
Reproduction only by permission
of SCA Corporate Communications.
The opinions expressed herein are
those of the authors or persons interviewed and do not necessarily reflect
the views of the editors or SCA.
2 SCA SHAPE 2013
SCA is a leading global hygiene and
forest products company. It develops
and produces personal care products,
tissue and forest products. Sales are
conducted in some 100 countries. SCA
has many well-known brands, including
the global brands TENA and Tork. Sales
in 2012 amounted to SEK 85 billion (EUR
9.8 billion) and SCA has approximately
36,000 employees.
As Europe’s largest private forest
owner, SCA strives to ensure that our
forests are as rich in timber, biodiversity
and experiences in the future as they are
today. Sustainably managed forests not
only constitute one of few truly renewable resources, growing forests also
sequester carbon dioxide and mitigate
climate change. This magazine is our way
of promoting sustainable forest management from different perspectives and
also sharing our knowledge in this area
of expertise.
Read more about SCA at www.sca.com.
What is the health status
of planet Earth’s forests today?
CIFOR’s director general gives
an update.
FORESTRY
for the people
Deforestation. Climate change. Droughts. Demand
for biofuels. The world’s forests are under pressure
on a variety of fronts. The threats are real,
but some signs point to a manageable future.
Text: ANNA MCQUEEN photo HANS GEIJER/JOHNÉR, AMATA BRASIL AND ISTOCKPHOTO
SCA SHAPE 2013 3
Forests
provide food...
Bushmeat, or edible wild
mammals, reptiles, birds and
insects that live in forests or
trees, can account for up to
85 percent of the protein
intake of people living in
or near forests.
...and medicine
Source: the UN
F Natural products are the
only source of medicine for
75 to 90 percent of people
living in developing
countries.
Source: the UN
ORESTS ARE UNDER THREAT
around the world. Their health is
a matter of great concern to scientists and economists, who recognize that forests purify our air,
filter our water, provide timber, food and
medicine, and sustain local communities.
Forests absorb a sizable proportion of
the carbon dioxide that people pump into
the atmosphere, helping to reduce the
impact of climate change, but botanists
worry that the trees themselves may fall
victim to a changing climate.
IN PLACES LIKE BRAZIL and Southeast
Asia, the amount of land used for agriculture and livestock has increased sharply,
encroaching on natural forests. Current
estimates suggest that global deforestation is running at 13 million hectares per
year, or the equivalent of about one hectare every 2.5 seconds.
“Historically, the same occurred in
other regions such as Europe and North
America,” says Peter Holmgren, director
general of the Center for International
Forestry Research (CIFOR). “But as
4 SCA SHAPE 2013
7–8%
of all forested
areas are planted
2%
of the global trade
in commodities are
forest products
1
hectare every
2.5 seconds is
the area being
deforested
agriculture stopped expanding thanks
to economic development, urbanization
and more efficient farming methods, forests gradually returned.”
The forest industry has recognized the
threat of deforestation and has invested
heavily in planted forests to replace
the trees it fells. “While deforestation
continues, forests are being reclaimed
elsewhere,” Holmgren says. Worldwide,
planted forests cover almost 300 million
hectares, or 7 to 8 percent of total forested area. However, some believe that
planted forests pose a threat to biodiversity and that local people do not tend to
benefit from them.
Recent years have seen considerable
political focus on climate change and
forestry’s role in combating it. Compared
with other ways of reducing our impact
on the climate, it seems both smart and
simple to call for a halt to deforestation.
“But while this ambition is high on the
international agenda, we have also realized that it’s not possible to only manage
forests in terms of climate,” says Holmgren. “There has to be a healthy mix of
Peter Holmgren
Did you know...
that there was
30 percent more forest
land 50 years ago
than today?
During the 1990s Brazil and Indonesia had the
highest net loss of forest, but since then they have
significantly reduced their rates.
products and services from forestry. Not
just timber but other elements like food,
energy and medicines, and ecosystem
services such as water, biodiversity and
local climate regulation that support
landscapes and livelihoods. We can add
in the global climate benefit, but we can’t
make it a standalone objective.”
ANOTHER RELEVANT ISSUE is the growth
in production of biofuels. “The ethical
debate over growing crops for energy
rather than food is a little exaggerated in
my opinion,” says Holmgren. “But when
governments in richer countries offer
subsidies for biofuels, the competition
can become unfair, and if money can be
made from biofuels, then land used for
this purpose will grow.”
Today the picture is mixed. Deforestation is slowing somewhat, but concerns
over biodiversity and climate change
remain high. Investment in forestry is
growing, and forest products account
for around 2 percent of the global trade
in commodities – a key component in a
future green economy. “In terms of the
“We have
also realized that
it’s not
possible to
only manage forests
in terms of
climate.”
Age: 50
Occupation: Director
general, Center for
International Forestry
Research (CIFOR), since
2012. Before that he
led the Global Forest
Resources Assessment
at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO) in
Rome, leading its work
on climate change
Education: Studied
forestry at the Swedish
University of Agricultural Sciences in Umeå,
Sweden. Obtained an
MSc in 1987 and a PhD
in 1995 with a thesis
entitled “Geographic
Information for Forestry
Planning”
Lives: Jakarta,
Indonesia
Family: Married to
Ann-Sofie, three children aged 18, 16 and 12
Hobbies: Photography,
cooking
Favorite tree: The
large Scots pine on
our Swedish property,
which supposedly is the
oldest in the Stockholm
region
Favorite forest-related pastime: Reading
– I still prefer printed
books!
future, if we are only talking about food
supply to a growing population, then I
think deforestation could slow down
rather quickly because investment in
agriculture can make productivity keep
up,” Holmgren says. “But if Westernstyle, meat-heavy diets and high levels of
food waste continue to spread, then the
land requirements will grow. The pressure from a changing climate adds to the
uncertainties.” Consumption patterns
and climate change could pose bigger
problems than a growing population in
the future.
“There are factors that make it difficult to predict the future, but we are
seeing a slowdown in deforestation at
the moment, and I see no reason why it
couldn’t continue that way if policies for
food and fuel production are carefully
managed,” Holmgren says.
“On a personal level, I am concerned
for the role that forests have in our future.
To quote celebrated forester Jack Westoby, ‘Forestry is not about trees, it is about
people. And it is only about trees insofar
as it serves the needs of people.’”
SCA SHAPE 2013 5
Leave no species
behind
“We are
committed
to protecting
the biological diversity
of the forests
for which
we’re responsible.”
6 SCA SHAPE 2013
What does SCA do to make its forestry sustainable?
As Europe’s biggest
private forest owner,
practicing sustainable forestry
and maintaining biological
diversity are priorities
to SCA.
text ULF WIMAN
“YOU GIVE UP 200 MILLION Swedish
FOTO: HARRI TAHVANAINEN, FOLIO
kronor per year to save some bugs?” an
incredulous customer once asked Björn
Lyngfelt, vice president communications, SCA, upon learning about the company’s forest management. As Lyngfelt
recalls, “He found it hard to believe that
we would go to such great lengths to protect some animals and plants.
“But yes, we do,” he continues. “To us,
forestry goes beyond short-term gains.
We’re committed to protecting the biological diversity of the forests for which
we’re responsible. We see this and sustainable forestry as our moral and ethical
responsibility to future generations.”
Sustainable forestry is long-term by
its very nature. In northern Sweden the
cycle from planting to harvest takes
about a century. The importance of
taking a long-term view of forest management was learned the hard way in
Sweden at the beginning of the 20th century. In the wake of the flourishing sawmill industry, ruthless harvesting had
ravaged the virgin forests of northern
Sweden. The remaining sparse forests
grew poorly and regeneration was weak.
The situation led to the country’s first
forestry legislation in 1903.
SCA SHAPE 2013 7
FEATURE
EATURE
Case in point:
SCA’S
FORESTS
the golden eagle
Golden eagles often build their nests in tall
old pines, which have to be big enough to
withstand the weight. The nests may weigh
a ton as the birds return each year to add
to their old nests. The average age of these
pines is 270 years. That’s one reason why
SCA leaves 100-year-old trees in a final felling. These trees will be 200 years old at the
next final felling and will be suitable for golden eagles as the
third final felling approaches,
almost 300 years after the regeneration of the first forest.
SCA devoted considerable resources to
restoring the depleted forests that were a
result of more than a century of exploitative selective logging. And the efforts
produced results. During the years from
World War II to the turn of the millennium, the standing volume of living trees in
SCA’s forests grew by 50 percent and the
growth rate more than doubled.
However, by the mid-1980s it was clear
to SCA that there is more to sustainable
forestry than planting new trees as old
ones are felled. The effects on biodiversity by forest management were prioritized, and SCA set a target that no plant
or animal species should risk disappearing as a result of forestry. SCA changed
its forest policies accordingly, took
thorough inventory of nature qualities in
Björn Lyngfelt
Lives: Sundsvall, Sweden
Family: Three grown-up sons
Favorite tree: A seasoned old pine tree on a cliff,
withered by wind, winters and fires
Favorite nature activity: Skiing on the crusty
snow on peat bogs on a sunny day in March
Outdoor experience everyone should have:
Enough woodcraft to feel comfortable on a path in
the forest, far enough away from cars and towns to
hear only the sounds of the forest
8 SCA SHAPE 2013
all its forests and introduced ecological
landscape planning. The company has
spearheaded this mind-set in the forest
industry and taken part in the development of common industry standards.
Ecological landscape planning includes
the preservation and re-establishment
of habitats for sensitive species. This
includes burning of forests to resemble
the fires that historically renewed 80 percent of the virgin forests at least once per
century. Animals and plants are adapted
to these natural cycles, and some species
even need fires to reproduce.
“We’ve also changed our harvesting,”
Lyngfelt explains. “Within harvested
areas, more than 5 percent of the forests
are preserved for nature considerations.”
This environment-focused work has
now been under way for a couple of decades, and the results are starting to show.
“We’ve discussed with experts how it
affects flora and fauna. They say that it’s
too early to be certain – we’re dealing
with processes that run over centuries –
but they think we’re on the right track.”
It is a track that will hopefully ensure
both profitable forestry and biological
diversity in the future, and one that will
also, as Lyngfelt says, “guarantee that
people have a place where they can go for
rich nature experiences.”
FOTO: LASSE EKLÖF, FOLIO
Forest land:
Europe’s largest
private forest
owner, with 2.6
million hectares
located in northern Sweden, of
which 2 million are
used for timber
production
Harvest 2012
(million cubic
meters): 4.0
Production of
forest seedlings
2012: 102 million,
of which 44 percent were planted
in SCA’s own
forests and the
rest sold to private
forest owners
Net sequestration of carbon dioxide: 2.6 million
metric tons
(As growth in
SCA’s forests
exceeds fellings,
a large amount of
carbon dioxide is
sequestered each
year)
Greening the earth
SCA has numerous tree planting projects globally.
The new trees not only combat climate change, they
brighten up communities and help green deforested areas.
Poplars in
Inner Mongolia
Nature came to
European communities
SCA has donated 2,000 trees in order
to combat climate change and restore
the ecological environment in northern
China’s Inner Mongolia region. The donated trees are a part of the Million Tree
Project that aims to plant 1 million trees
in Inner Mongolia by 2014. The land has
been reforested with poplars, pines and
yellowhorn, species that are particularly
effective in fighting desertification and
sequestering carbon.
SCA takes an active role for its employees across Europe through its Tree
Pool program. The program encourages
employees to plant trees in the cities and
towns where they live, providing their
communities with a piece of nature. A
wide variety of trees have been planted in
all kinds of locations, from kindergartens
to sports clubs, community centers and
town centers.
(Read about SCA’s project in Brazil on the last page)
RECORD
IN SEEDLINGS...
For the first time ever, SCA’s
Norrplant nursery operation in Sweden
delivered more than 100 million
seedlings in 2012,102.5 million, to be
more precise. Deliveries have
increased to both private forest
owners and to SCA’s own
forestlands.
“Animals
behave rationally. I always
feel safer
in the forest
than in the
city.”
Elin Olofsson,
timber buyer, SCA
PELLETS FOR HORSES
SCA Bionorr has developed a bedding material for horses and horse
owners – stall bedding pellets. The
pellets are manufactured from
pure sawdust. When moisture is
added to the pellets, they expand
to about twice their size, quickly
disintegrate into sawdust and
provide a stable and dust-free
bedding surface in the stall. The
bedding products have proven
positive for horses previously suffering from pressure sores.
...AND
A MAGIC
SEEDLING POT
A NEW POT
that improves
handling of
these enormous quantities seedlings
was launched
in 2011. The
“Power Pot”
halves the
size of the
seedlings,
and twice as many
seedlings fit in each
tray, thus reducing
transportation costs
and space and also
enabling forest workers to carry more
plants when planting
seedlings.
SCA SHAPE 2013 9
Even if forest product companies understand the importance of
responsible forestry, how do big global companies that use those
products keep track of the source of their commodities? We asked
Ikea to explain its system.
Sustainability
from forest to furniture
The international home products company Ikea uses more
than 13 million cubic meters of wood each year to make its
popular furniture. To guarantee that its chairs, desks and
bookcases are made from wood grown in a responsible
way, Ikea has established its own supplier code of conduct.
text SUSANNA LINDGREN photo IKEA AND ISTOCKPHOTO
10 SCA SHAPE 2013
Ikea gets about 30 percent of the
fiber for its products from certified
or recycled sources. It aims to raise
this figure to 50 percent by 2017.
A T IKEA A GLOBAL NETWORK of
17 forestry specialists work to
support the business teams to
ensure that the wood the company uses meets its sustainability requirements.
“Noncompliance is infrequent but
has very clear business consequences,”
says Anders Hildeman, global forestry
manager at Ikea. “A violation of the
IWAY (Ikea’s code of conduct) minimum
requirements stops deliveries until the
suppliers can demonstrate that they are
following our standard.”
The suppliers have to report their
sources every four months, and these
reports are followed up with audits. When
required, Ikea follows the supply chains
“Just
asking
for certified wood
is not
enough.
We also
try to help
increase
the availability.”
all the way back to the forests, he says.
Forestry requirements were first introduced in 1998. To date, about 30 percent
of the fiber used in the production comes
from what Ikea calls preferred sources,
meaning either certified or recycled
sources. The long-term ambition is to
have all wood used in production coming
from preferred sources, but the intermediate target is 50 percent for 2017. One big
challenge for reaching the target is the
shortage of certified forests.
“Just asking for certified wood is not
enough,” Hildeman says. “We also try to
help increase the availability by supporting responsible forest management projects in 13 different countries. To promote
and train we work with international and
SCA SHAPE 2013 11
Anders Hildeman,
global forestry
manager at Ikea.
“The aim is to shorten
and simplify the
supply chain by
removing traders
and operators that
aren’t transparent.”
12 SCA SHAPE 2013
Family: Wife Lena,
children Ina, 28, Johan,
26, and Hugo, 16. Dog
named Chassa, 6.
Lives: Lund, Sweden
Favorite tree: Rowan
Favorite nature
activity: Autumn snow
grouse hunting in the
mountains
Outdoor experience
everyone should
have: Cross-country
skiing or hiking in the
mountains
local organizations. By doing so, we and
our partners have contributed to 25 million hectares of certified forests in Russia
and 2 million hectares in China.”
Romania and Bulgaria are two other
important sourcing countries where Ikea
runs projects to increase the availability
of certified material. Among the working
partners are international NGOs such as
WWF (the World Wide Fund for Nature),
FSC (the Forest Stewardship Council)
and the Rainforest Alliance, as well as
several local organizations.
“Another big challenge for Ikea is that
our production is so far removed from
the forests that we have fairly long supply
chains with three or four steps,” Hildeman says. “The aim is to shorten and
simplify the supply chain by removing
traders and operators that aren’t transparent. Good supply chains take time to
build, but we have been working with this
since 1998 and have built up a good inhouse competence.”
Sustaining
the
forest
Forest certification is an
important tool for improving forest
management on both local and global
levels. It’s also a way for the average consumer to make a difference
by choosing products from certified,
well-managed forests.
Text: SUSANNA LINDGREN
F All these forest certifications,
what are their goals and which
ones are worth looking out for?
OR HANS DJURBERG, sustainabil-
ity director at SCA, forest certification has two main objectives. The
first is to serve as a platform for
dialogue with stakeholders on how
to improve forest management from an
environmental, social and economic perspective. The second is to verify compliance with good standards and allow customers and consumers to actively choose
products derived from well-managed
forests.
“All certification schemes have their
merits when compared with noncertified forest management, and different
schemes are recognized in different
markets,” Djurberg says. “The specific
demands placed on forest managers vary
between schemes, as does the direct
involvement and support from important stakeholders such as environmental
NGOs, indigenous peoples and trade
unions. Overall, the most important
certification scheme for SCA is FSC,” he
says, referring to the Forest Stewardship
Council. As a board member of FSC
International, Djurberg is personally
involved in the development of FSC on a
global level.
For SCA, certification is an integrated
part of its business and its sustainability
targets. The systems are used to support
the management of all forests owned by
SCA.
“It’s also an important tool in promoting sustainable forestry in our supply
chain and a way for us to avoid controversial sources of fiber,” Djurberg says.
Only 10 percent of the world’s forests
are certified – mostly boreal forests in
Canada and Russia. “But 10 percent still
accounts for nearly 400 million hectares
of forest land,” Djurberg says. “It’s not so
bad considering that this is a system that
has been in use only for the last 15 or 20
years. We would like to see more forests
certified in the tropics, where certification may have the greatest impact on
people and nature.
“It is critical for the viability of the
certification systems that they are relevant to all categories of forest owners,
including small, private holdings, and
that forest-based industries participate
actively in the shaping of the future. As
Europe’s largest private forest owner,
SCA takes its dual role as business leader
and guardian of an important natural
resource seriously.”
SCA SHAPE 2013 13
14 YEARS WITH FSC
The management of SCA’s forests has
been certified to the Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC) standard since 1999. SCA’s
five sawmills as well as its pulp and paper
mills are certified with the FSC Chain of
Custody. All production units use pulp
or timber from FSC-certified forests,
making SCA the world’s largest supplier
of FSC-certified forest industry products.
The Group’s forests, sawmills and pulp
and paper mills are also certified to the
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
AND THE ABBREVIATIONS…
FSC: The Forest Stewardship
Council is a global,
multi-stakeholder,
not-for-profit membership
organization that promotes
responsible forest management
worldwide. Members include environmental NGOs, businesses
and social organizations, as well
as forest owners and managers, processing companies
and individuals. FSC facilitates
the development of standards,
ensures monitoring of certified
operations and protects the
trademark so consumers can
choose products that come from
well-managed forests.
PEFC: The Programme for the
Endorsement of
Forest Certification is an international nonprofit
NGO that also works throughout
the entire forest supply chain
to promote good practices and
ensure that forest products are
produced with respect for the
highest ecological, social and
ethical standards. PEFC is an
umbrella organization that works
by endorsing national forest certification systems.
14 SCA SHAPE 2013
Name:
Hans Djurberg
Family: Wife Daphne
and two children, Ella
and Erik
Lives: Luleå,
Sweden
Favorite tree:
A 300-year-old Scots
pine
Favorite nature
activity: Winter
camping on skis in
the northern Swedish
mountains in May
Outdoor experience everyone
should have:
Access to a forest for
long walks, picnics
and room to breathe
SFI: The Sustainable Forestry Initiative was launched
as the US forest
sector’s contribution to the vision
of a sustainable development
and is part of the PEFC umbrella.
ATFS: The
American Tree Farm
System works to
sustain forests, watershed and healthy wildlife habitats by offering forest certification
for family forest landowners in
the United States. Endorsed by
the PEFC.
CSA: The Canadian
Standards Association develops
standards and
codes and provids products,
services and training to enhance
public safety and health, improve
the quality of life, facilitate trade
and preserve the environment.
Endorsed by the PEFC.
A man with
an FSC mission
Hans Djurberg, sustainability
director at SCA Forest, was
recently elected to the board
of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) International.
What made you take on this mission?
I want to promote responsible forest management, and I find the mission- and member-based consensus
approach in FSC intriguing. It is a
powerful tool for businesses and consumers to influence how forests are
managed worldwide.
What will you contribute?
Over the years and in my different
roles, I have gained a holistic view of
FSC, from implementation in forest
management operations to effectiveness as a market-based tool in global
supply chains. I have learned the
value – and challenges – of constructive dialogue.
What are the biggest challenges for
FSC?
As the system grows, the stakes
in the forest and on the market are
increasing, as are the expectations for
FSC as a professional service provider. Short-term, the organization must
secure transparency and credibility
in the transformation of its standards
and governance structure. The core
business of field assessments by independent certification bodies must
always be in focus.
Long-term, FSC must continue to
bring value to its stakeholders. The
system must make a clear difference
on the ground and in areas where
conservation values are high. To keep
growing, FSC must become more relevant to smallholders, and also must
decide how to embrace ecosystem
services such as the sequestration of
carbon to mitigate climate change.
What is more beneficial for the climate:
protecting the forest or actively managing it?
A forest researcher should have an opinion.
the air
A well-managed forest, with a sustainable level of
harvest, can contribute substantially to reducing
carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, according
to recent forest research. text CARI SIMMONS photo ISTOCKPHOTO
SCA SHAPE 2013 15
T HE SWEDISH FOREST INDUSTRY
is responsible for a net reduction
of 60 million metric tons of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2)
each year, which is in the range of
Sweden’s current annual CO2 emissions,
according to a Swedish-Swiss research
study.
The study, titled “The Role of the Forest in Climate Management,” also points
out that forestry’s silvicultural programs
increase forest growth, so that the trees
are able to absorb more CO2. In other
words, forest management can be beneficial for the climate – so long as harvesting doesn’t exceed annual growth, says
Tomas Lundmark, forest researcher at
the Swedish University of Agricultural
Lives: Vindeln, Sweden
Favorite tree: Very old
pine trees
Favorite nature
activity: Just being
alone in a quiet forest
Outdoor experience
everyone should
have: Cloudberry
picking
“It’s not a question of
whether or not we should
manage our forests, but
a question of how to
manage them.”
TOMAS LUNDMARK, Forest researcher
16 SCA SHAPE 2013
Sciences, who contributed to the study.
“It’s not the standing stock in forests
that is important, but rather how much
can be annually harvested and put into
the system of consumption,” he says.
“The higher growth you have, the more
you can harvest without depleting the
resource.”
When it comes to forest management,
Sweden is extremely efficient. It harvests
80 to 90 million cubic meters annually
but annual growth is 110 million cubic
meters.
Lundmark believes that the potential
for sustainable management exists in the
boreal forests of other countries as well,
such as Russia and Canada, provided the
political and commercial interests are
willing to invest. “If it’s possible to be
successful in Sweden, then it’s possible
in other parts of the world too,” he says.
“I think Sweden’s forest-based sector
should think about exporting knowledgebased systems for solving some of the
future challenges when it comes to securing energy and raw material supply.”
PHOTO: JULIO GONZALEZ
When it comes to forest
management, Sweden is
extremely efficient. It harvests 80 to 90 million cubic
meters annually but annual
growth is 110 million cubic
meters.
SCA SHAPE 2013 17
WWF sees forests
on the
frontline
“The key challenge
for the wood products
industry is how to supply more wood products with less impact
on forests.”
18 SCA SHAPE 2013
What is the perspective of an NGO
on forest management and its implications for the climate? We asked the
World Wide Fund for Nature.
Active forest management has an important role to play
in addressing climate change. The World Wide Fund for
Nature’s Bruce Cabarle, the leader of the environmental
group’s Forest and Climate Initiative, has a lot of ideas
about what needs to be done.
text CARI SIMMONS foto CHRIS STEIN, GETTYIMAGES
What is the current situation for the
world’s forests, and what does WWF
perceive as the main threats?
From temperate forests to tropical
rainforests, deforestation continues to be
an urgent environmental issue that jeopardizes people’s livelihoods, threatens
species and intensifies global warming.
Deforestation is caused by the conversion
of forests for other land uses including
pulp, palm and soy plantations, roads and
other infrastructure, and forest degradation from fires, illegal and unsustainable logging, fuelwood harvesting and
climate change.
Do you believe that active forest management can offer a solution to some of
the environmental problems?
Yes. The key challenge for the wood
products industry, in a future with zero
net deforestation and forest degradation,
is how to supply more wood products
with less impact on forests. In our Living
Forest Report, “Chapter Four: Forests
and Wood Products” explores how we
can meet future demand for wood products within the finite resources of one
planet.
Among the solutions we highlight as
ways to achieve this are better forestry,
for example, ensuring legality and
sustainable forest management; more
sustainable plantations; rationalized and
inclusive landscape-scale forest zoning;
and responsible procurement practices.
Other solutions include better technologies for increased mill and recycling
Bruce Cabarle
Family: Homo sapiens
Lives: Falls Church,
Virginia, USA
Favorite tree: The
majestic redwood
Favorite nature
activity: Photographing rhythms of life in
any forest, anytime
An outdoor experience everyone
should have: Experiencing the rush of life in
a tropical rainforest at
the first ray of sunlight.
efficiencies and new low-footprint wood
products, and better policies, for example, incentives to reduce the rate of forest
conversion and destructive logging, such
as public policy measures to reward forest stewardship that delivers carbon storage, biodiversity conservation or water
regulation services.
What changes have you observed
among forestry companies since the climate issue came into focus?
Chapter Four of the Living Forest Report
includes an “industry view” of how
the industry has adapted, and needs to
continue to adapt, to a new low-carbon
economy. In their own words, these
industry representatives say that “Forests represent the best investment option
for large-scale carbon storage.” This is
quite significant and a positive sign that
the industry realizes the role it plays in
regard to climate change.
SCA SHAPE 2013 19
Replanting
IN BRAZIL
In Brazil, SCA has established
a pioneering partnership with
ethical forestry company
Amata. Amata is reintroducing indigenous trees to Brazil
and has developed a forestry
model that aims to give a value
to trees, helping local people
to make a living from the forest. Some of the trees will be
harvested when they reach
maturity and can be used commercially by local people, who
are also learning to graze cattle
among the trees.
“Instead of clearing land to
make way for ranching or palm
oil production, Amata believes
that this method provides a
viable alternative for local
people to make a living and
encourages ongoing replanting
of trees,” says Sarah Wilson,
communications director for
SCA UK and Ireland.
SCA provides funding for
Amata, which uses the money
to buy, plant and maintain
trees. Close
to 5 million trees
have been
planted so
far.