Each year, about 1% of Swedish forests are being cut down. In the case of felling, however, it is not just the trees that get removed. Many of the species that thrive in the forest also disappear. Therefore, it is crucial to protect a larger proportion of old-growth forests and to take more consideration so that vulnerable species can have a chance to survive and move about in the forest landscape. But how does this work in reality?

In connection with felling, a myriad of small roads must be built to facilitate forest machines and transports. Unfortunately, these roads also become barriers for certain species that get isolated in areas that are too small for them, eventually leading to their extinction. In Sweden alone, these roads extend 200,000 km. It's as much as five laps around our planet. Take a look!

When forests are felled, carbon dioxide is released, which drives the greenhouse effect. This can be counteracted by phasing out clearcutting as a logging method, by generally reducing logging and instead letting forests increase their carbon content in both biomass and soils. And the difference is substantial. Here you can see examples of the potential our forests have to sequester carbon dioxide and thereby fight climate change.

Swedish county authorities protect selected forest areas and prevent them from being exploited and clear-cut. However, only about 6% of the productive forest land is formally protected like this. That's just a fraction of what should be protected. And special consideration should be given to the old-growth forests.