Protection of mountain forests

The plan requires strong protection of forests with rich ecosystems, that the forest's function as a carbon sink is preserved and that biomass is a limited resource that must be prioritized wisely. Redrawing the boundary for mountain-near forest so that it to a greater degree follows state and less production-oriented land means in practice that protection is lifted from productive forest. This is in conflict with the plan's commitments.

• strong forest protectiondecisive»ett starkt skydd av skog med rika ekosystem« (party programme ↗)“strong protection of forests with rich ecosystems”
• the forest as a carbon sink»För att uppnå klimatmålen behöver skogens funktion som kolsänka bevaras de kommande decennierna, därför behöver kalhyggesbruket fasas ut.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To achieve the climate goals, the forest's function as a carbon sink must be preserved for the coming decades, therefore clear-cutting forestry needs to be phased out.”
• limited biomass prioritized wisely»Biomassan är en begränsad resurs« (party programme ↗)“Biomass is a limited resource”
• protection of nature and right of public access»Skyddet av skogs- och strandområden är en viktig del för att värna den svenska allemansrätten och den biologiska mångfalden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protection of forest and coastal areas is an important part of valuing the Swedish right of public access and biological diversity.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's explicit commitment is that biological diversity must be protected and that ecosystems are already exploited beyond the boundary for long-term sustainability, with species extinction as an explicit threat. A new review of the boundary for alpine forest with the aim of drawing boundaries more around state and less productive land would reduce protection of productive alpine forest and contradict it. The question is not explicitly addressed in the plan.

• protect biological diversitydecisive»biologiska mångfalden måste skyddas.« (party programme ↗)“biological diversity must be protected.”
• species extinction must be stopped»Samtidigt accelererar artdöden och den biologiska mångfalden hotas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“At the same time, species extinction is accelerating and biological diversity is threatened.”
• ecosystems beyond sustainable boundary»naturtillgångar och ekosystem utnyttjas i dag över gränsen för det långsiktigt hållbara, och« (party programme ↗)“natural resources and ecosystems are today exploited beyond the boundary for long-term sustainability, and”
• environmental consideration in production»Hänsynen till miljöns krav ska byggas in i produktionsprocesserna redan från början.« (party programme ↗)“Consideration for the environment's requirements should be built into production processes from the start.”

The election manifesto commits to protecting 30 percent of Sweden's nature, explicitly including the unique contiguous boreal forests, and the party programme to particularly valuable forests being protected from felling and that protected areas today are too small. Redrawing the boundary for mountain-adjacent forest toward state-owned and less productive land shrinks the protection and is therefore rejected.

• protection of boreal forestsdecisive»skydda 30 procent av Sveriges natur, bland annat våra unika sammanhängande fjällskogar och skyddsvärda skogar i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“protect 30 percent of Sweden's nature, including our unique contiguous boreal forests and particularly valuable forests throughout the country.”
• protection against felling»Särskilt värdefull skog ska skyddas från avverkning.« (party programme ↗)“Particularly valuable forest should be protected from felling.”
• protected areas are too small»Sveriges och EU:s skyddade arealer är för små och otillräckliga för att kunna säkerställa den biologiska mångfalden.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden's and the EU's protected areas are too small and insufficient to ensure biological diversity.”
• expanded and strengthened forest protection»Skyddet av hav, skogar, våtmarker, stränder och flera andra biotoper måste utvidgas och skärpas.« (party programme ↗)“Protection of seas, forests, wetlands, beaches and several other biotopes must be expanded and strengthened.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The election manifesto establishes that sustainable forestry requires active management of the forest and that forestry needs good conditions based on strong property rights, and that voluntariness and property rights are the foundation for better nature conservation. A review that draws the boundary for mountain-adjacent forest more towards state-owned and less production-oriented land follows from these commitments. However, the boundary-setting as such is not mentioned.

• active management of the forestdecisive»Skogen är en nyckel i den gröna omställningen. Ett hållbart skogsbruk förutsätter ett aktivt brukande av skogen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The forest is a key to green transition. Sustainable forestry requires active management of the forest.”
• strong property rights in forestry»Skogsbruket behöver goda förutsättningar grundade i en stark äganderätt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Forestry needs good conditions based on strong property rights.”
• voluntariness in nature conservation»Mer måste göras för att restaurera våtmarker, bekämpa invasiva arter och underlätta för markägare att bidra, då frivillighet och äganderätt är grunden för en bättre naturvård.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More must be done to restore wetlands, combat invasive species and facilitate landowners to contribute, since voluntariness and property rights are the foundation for better nature conservation.”
• ownership gives care responsibility»Det man äger har man också ett ansvar för att vårda.« (party programme ↗)“What you own you also have a responsibility to care for.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's decisive commitment is that mountain and forest areas with high natural values shall have strong protection and that remaining old-growth forests shall be given stronger protection. Redrawing the boundary for mountain-near forest so that commercially valuable land falls outside would weaken that protection, which is why the counter-proposal is rejected. At the same time, the plan requires good cooperation with landowners, which argues for the importance of the compensation issue but not for a reduced protection zone.

• strong protection for high natural valuesdecisive»sjöar och vattendrag med höga naturvärden ska ha ett starkt skydd.« (party programme ↗)“lakes and watercourses with high natural values shall have strong protection.”
• protection of old-growth forests»De återstående gammelskogarna ska ges starkare skydd.« (party programme ↗)“The remaining old-growth forests shall be given stronger protection.”
• increased environmental consideration»Miljöhänsynen inom skogsbruket måste öka.« (party programme ↗)“Environmental consideration in forestry must increase.”
• cooperation with landowners»markägare och lokalbefolkning i naturvård och viltförvaltning.« (party programme ↗)“landowners and local communities in nature conservation and wildlife management.”

The election manifesto warns that ownership of forests is threatened and the party programme stipulates that forestry is a basic industry where production and environmental goals shall have the same priority and dignity. A review that draws the boundary for mountain-near forest more from state and less production-interesting land follows from that balance. The plan at the same time requires special protection rules for mountain-near forest, which limits the support.

• threatened ownership right in forestsdecisive»äganderätten över skogen hotas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“ownership of forests is threatened”
• production and environment are equal»dessa mål har samma prioritet och dignitet« (party programme ↗)“these goals have the same priority and dignity”
• forestry as a basic industry»Skogsbruket och den därmed sammanhängande förädlingsindustrin är sedan länge en viktig svensk« (party programme ↗)“Forestry and the associated processing industry has long been an important Swedish”
• protection rules for mountain-near forest»strand- och biotopskydd samt särskilda skyddsregler för« (party programme ↗)“shore and biotope protection and special protection rules for”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan commits to reducing the forest area exempted from forestry and establishes that more forest should be managed, not less, and that formal protection should occur through voluntary measures. A new review of the boundary for alpine-proximity forest, so that the boundaries more closely follow state-owned and less productive land, is a direct application of these commitments.

• less forest exempteddecisive»Minska ytan av skog som är undantagen från skogsbruk« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce the area of forest exempted from forestry”
• more forest should be managed»Idag är närmare 30 procent av skogsmarken tagen ur produktion. Det är dåligt för Sverige och för klimatet – mer skog ska brukas, inte mindre.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Today nearly 30 percent of forest land has been taken out of production. This is bad for Sweden and for climate – more forest should be managed, not less.”
• voluntariness in forest protection»Stärka skogsägarnas äganderätt genom att formellt skydd av skog ska ske genom frivillighet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen forest owners' property rights by ensuring that formal protection of forest occurs through voluntary measures”
• state forest land redeployed»Sälja av en större andel av statliga Sveaskogs innehav till personer med regional anknytning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sell off a larger share of state-owned Sveaskog holdings to people with regional connections”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan's core forestry commitment is to protect forest owners' right to manage their forests, strengthen property rights and allow forest set-asides to occur on a voluntary basis and with fair compensation. A review that draws the boundary for mountain forests more toward state-owned and less commercially productive land reduces precisely the restriction on private management the plan wants to prevent. Mountain forests are not mentioned explicitly, which is why the position is inferred.

• the right to manage forestsdecisive»Värna skogsägarnas rätt att bruka sina skogar« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect forest owners' right to manage their forests”
• voluntariness and compensation»Avsättning av skog till reservat ska ske på frivillighetens grund och med god ersättning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Setting aside forests for reserves shall occur on a voluntary basis and with fair compensation.”
• strengthened property rights»Stärka äganderätten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen property rights”
• management before reserves»Att anpassad skogsskötsel prioriteras före reservatsavsättning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That adapted forest management is prioritised before reserve designation”