Sweden is moving to develop its hardwood sector with a new national roadmap designed to increase the use of domestic deciduous timber in higher-value products such as furniture, interiors and construction materials.<\/p>\n
Although hardwoods account for roughly one fifth of the timber in Swedish forests, only a limited share is currently used for wood products. Large volumes still go into pulpwood or energy. At the same time, the furniture and interior sectors remain dependent on imports, pointing to a gap between available resources and industrial use.<\/p>\n
The roadmap, developed by Svenskt Tr\u00e4, Skogforsk, the Wood Center Foundation in N\u00e4ssj\u00f6 and Sm\u00e5land\u2019s Forest and Wood Strategies, sets out to change that balance over the coming years.<\/p>\n
At present, around 200,000 cubic metres of hardwood timber are sawn annually in Sweden. The ambition is to build a viable domestic hardwood industry by 2040, with production reaching levels five times higher than today and with a stronger base of specialised processors.<\/p>\n
Behind the initiative is a broader shift in how the forest resource is viewed. Hardwood has been increasing steadily in Swedish forests and is now seen as a material that can support both more resilient forest systems and a wider industrial base.<\/p>\n
\u201cSwedish hardwoods have untapped potential,\u201d said Mathias Fridholm of Svenskt Tr\u00e4. \u201cThey contribute to climate-adapted and more resilient forests, while also offering an opportunity to broaden the industry beyond softwood.\u201d<\/p>\n
The roadmap is built on the idea that development must take place across the entire value chain. If forest owners are given better conditions to invest in quality hardwood stands, raw material flows can become more predictable. That, in turn, would provide a clearer basis for industrial investment and give manufacturers more consistent access to domestic raw materials.<\/p>\n
The plan extends to 2040 and is structured in phases, beginning with building a common knowledge base, coordination and early pilot projects, before moving toward scaling industrial capacity and integrating hardwood more fully into Sweden\u2019s wood sector and bioeconomy.<\/p>\n
The starting point is matching the right raw material to the right product. More hardwood is expected to be directed into long-lasting, higher-value applications, while traditional uses such as pulp and energy remain part of the system.<\/p>\n
Lotta Woxblom of Skogforsk said the increasing share of hardwood in Swedish forests is reaching a point where it can support industrial development, provided that coordination improves across the sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we want to benefit from the opportunities that sustainable hardwood and mixed forestry provides, we need to see hardwood as an important ingredient in the Swedish raw material base and collaborate along the entire value chain,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The initiative reflects a shift away from a forest industry built almost entirely on softwood, toward a more diversified structure where hardwood becomes a natural part of both production and end use.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98577,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5204,4716],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news","category-latest-trends","topic-forestry","topic-lumber","topic-sawmilling","topic-wood-products","area-europe","area-global"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n