The Efforts of the Swedish Forestry Organisation to equate the Environmental Goal with the Production Goal

No 1 23-04-22 The Swedish National Audit Office

The Efforts of the Swedish Forestry

Organisation to equate the Environmental Goal with the Production Goal

(1999)


Background

Biodiversity in the forests is threatened In the revised Forestry Act in 1994 the

environmental goal was equated with the production goal


The Aim of the Audit

Examine how the SFO in practice has managed to equate the environmental goal with the production goal

An audit of the environmental work of the SFO in order to reach the environmental goal


The Environmental Goal in the Forestry: To maintain the biodiversity in the forests

The variety within and between the species and within the ecological systems

Every species which today live in viable populations should be preserved


The Swedish Forest

23 million hectares (55 % of the Swedish ground area)

The forestry and forest industry employs 120 000 people

In four of five nature regions very small shares of the forests are preserved in nature reserves


Nature reserves (compared to estimated needs) Mountainous region

Northern Taiga region Southern Taiga

region Deciduous and

coniferous region Deciduous region

43 % n.e. 1.6 % 9 % 0.4 % 8 %

0.7 % 12 %

0.6 % 16 %


Stakeholders in forestry

Forest Owners The Forest Industry Forest Contractors

Machine operators State Agencies NGO’s Indigenous People (the Laplanders) The Public (for berries, mushrooms, hunting,

recreation etc.)


The Forestry trade

Large Forest Companies Medium-sized Forest Owners Private (Individual Owners)

Organized within forest owners organizations which act as forest companies

Not organized owners Wood Purchasing companies


State Agencies

The Swedish Forest Organization 11 Regions

97 Districts

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency


Some of the Threats to the Biodiversity of the Forests Old forests and trees have become rare The share of deciduous forests (and esp. old

ones) is decreasing Dead wood has become rare Different-aged forests have become rare Mixtures of different trees are more seldomSpecies depending on old forests, old deciduous

forests and dead wood have become threatened


Environmental measures in forestry General considerations at clear-felling General considerations at ditching, thinning etc. Voluntary saving of forests (without

registration/documentation at the authorities) Voluntary saving (registered) Environmental protection agreement (50 years) Habitat protection agreement (no time limit) Nature reserve


Possible Target groups for the SFO Forest Companies Forest Owners Organisations

(forestry advisors within Companies and Forest Owners Organisations)

Private Forest Owners Contractors

Machine operators


Focus of the audit

The advisory efforts of the SFO districts The inspecting efforts of the SFO districts The examinations of the nature values

performed by the SFO


Our methods Interviews with in total 6 administrators (heads and specialists)

within the central organisation Examination of regulations, instructions, written advices and

literature from the central authority Case studies of 4 (out of 11) Regional Forestry Boards within

the SFO Case studies of 14 (out of 97) districts within the SFO Survey of the educational level of the local administrators Knowledge test of one represent from each district responsible

for handling clear felling notifications (telephone enquiry) Attendance to scientific seminars and conferences esp. an

international conference on Biodiversity in Managed Forests Literature studies (Government bills, legislation, other

evaluations, advisory material from SFO and other stakeholders, handbooks, scientific papers etc.)


Criteria for selection of regions for case studies Different nature regions Different dominating ownership Differences of expected practice in

environmental considerations (both fore-runners and latecomers)

Possibility of comparison two and two (both between regions and districts within regions)


The Case study of 4 regions

Interviews with the heads of the four regions and totally 11 other administrators at the regional offices

Examinations of statistics concerning owners, the age distribution of the personal, the results of the key habitat survey, decisions on habitat reserves and nature protection agreements

Examination of the sales statistics from the central authority concerning environmental advisory literature to the regions


The Case Studies of the 14 districts Interviews with in total 38 administrators and heads in

14 districts Examination of notifications to the SFO about clear-

felling and the handling of the notifications Interviews with 4 machine operators (entrepreneurs) Interviews with forestry advisors (from two large

companies and three owner organisations and two timber purchasing companies)

Field studies of some registered key habitats and clear felled areas mentioned in the interviews

Interviews with a few persons from NGO’s


The examination of educational background Collection of central statistics concerning

education in nature biology Collection of and comparison with regional

data


The Knowledge Enquiry

Telephone enquiry with false and right statements concerning the biodiversity and the correlation with forestry measures

The enquiry was elaborated in cooperation with a biologist within the forestry sector

The knowledge required to give the right answer should represent the level of half a year of studies of nature biology


Main Results (1) The forestry act is a paradox SFO has to encourage voluntary set-aside and

considerations The machine operators is a neglected target

group for the advice Individual follow-up is necessary SFO is only one of many stakeholders aiming at

a more environmental forestry (SFO also has business operations)


Main Results (2) SFO must be a good example in environmental

considerations (it isn’t always today) Very great cultural differences within the SFO

(depending both on geographical location, educational level and personal interest)

The SFO’s key habitat survey has great deficiencies

Field inspection and advice from SFO is necessary


Recommendations SFO must establish preservation goals for each nature

region SFO must require information about nature values SFO must perform an individual follow-up of forestry SFO should continue and extend the key habitat survey Greater focus on environmental protection agreements

with forest owners and on advice to the machine operators Greater emphasis on further education of all advising

personal in nature biology More emphasis on field advising and inspections At least one professional biologist within each region Resource improvement to the SFO

Documents

The Efforts of the Swedish Forestry Organisation to equate the Environmental Goal with the Production Goal