Industrial utilizaton of hardwood in Sweden

• This paper is intended to provide an overview of hardwood resources and use in Sweden today. Sweden has about 23 million ha of productive forest land (production > 1 m3 ha–1 yr–1) and is an important country with respect to the production of pulp, paper and sawn softwood timber. An increased demand for hardwood by the pulp industry and new perspectives on deciduous forests, regarding them not only as a source of raw materials but also as ecosystems with a rich biodiversity and places for human recreation, has resulted in a growing interest in the sustainable management of deciduous forests. The total stock of wood in Sweden’s forests amounts to about three billion m3sk (cubic metres standing volume incl. bark and tops). The stock of hardwood has increased from ca 300 million m3sk in 1920, to roughly 500 million m3sk today; ca 17% of the total stock of wood in Sweden. Birch is the dominant deciduous species, accounting for nearly 70% of the hardwood volume. Birch, aspen, alder, oak and beech collectively represent 94% of the total stock of hardwood. The total amount of hardwood used for industrial purposes in Sweden is ca 7.6 million m3sub (cubic metres solid wood excl. bark and tops) yr–1. Hardwood accounts for ca 20% of the wood consumption in the pulp industry and <1% in the sawmill sector. The main consumer of birch, aspen, beech and alder is the pulp industry. Birch, beech and alder are also used, to a large degree, in the sawmill industry. Oak and ash are used mainly in the sawmill industry. During the last 25 yr there has been an increased demand for oak, ash and beech for flooring

Ämnesord

LANTBRUKSVETENSKAPER  -- Lantbruksvetenskap, skogsbruk och fiske -- Skogsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES  -- Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries -- Forest Science (hsv//eng)

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