The Swedish Green Dilemma – forests for everything?

Close cooperation between government agencies and land owners has helped build the foundation for a successful forest industry in Sweden and establish the Swedish welfare state.

Today the situation is changing, due to new challenges presented by climate change, biodiversity loss, and competing demands for multiple eco-system services – including health and recreation, clean water, and bioenergy. A fundamental question is whether to protect forests for biodiversity and facilitate a quick-acting carbon-sink, or to keep extracting wood from forests during the transition to a carbon neutral future, as a substitute for fossil fuels and a longer-term carbon sink.

In this digital event we discuss how these circumstances have created a green dilemma that stems from having alternatives pathways for forest-use, and the need to address the different challenges and goals of local- and global-level policy makers, as well as other stakeholders.

Scientists from different disciplines bring knowledge and insights to this discussion hosted/organized by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).