Sustained-Yield Forest Management: The View from Sweden

Sweden is a small but quite active forest country. Occupying about 0.6% of the world forest land area it holds about 15% of the international wood products market. The standing volume of forests has increased continuously since about the year of 1900. Many factors have contributed to this positive development. One is Sweden's conversion from a poor underdeveloped agrarian country to a modern industrial one. This meant a tremendous increase in agricultural efficiency and thus an important release of land which could be shifted from agriculture to forestry. But another reason for increased forest resources was and is the belief in the importance of having good forests in a remote future. The sustained or even increased yield concept is a part of this belief, materialized most of all as a more intensive silviculture.