Project leader: Nils Droste, Lund University
Project duration: 2020-2026
Participating countries: Finland, Sweden and Denmark
Funding from NordForsk: 14,997,538 NOK
Project website: Green forest policies - a comparative assessment of outcomes and trade-offs across Fenno-Scandinavia - Lund University
Half of the Nordic region’s total area is covered by forest. Forests are home to a rich variety of flora and fauna and are important for ensuring biodiversity. Forestry also is an important industry and is an important national resource. Additionally, forests are the largest terrestrial carbon sink and can help to protect the climate. But not all these things can necessarily be at the same time and to the same extent. How shall we manage forests for all these benefits? This has been the focus of the Greenpole project.
Impact story
The researchers conclude that the dominant forest management practices are heavily optimised to produce biomass and forest products. Is the solution to stop cutting down trees altogether? Not if you ask Droste:
“If we left the forest untouched, it would have severe consequences for timber production and thus the economic income associated with forestry. We need to find a solution that balances out multiple benefits and cares for both forest owners and the climate but also biodiversity.”
In the near future, we may be seeing a shift from clear-cutting to continuous cover forestry. This is an approach where selected trees are felled and not entire forest areas. This keeps the soil more intact, emits fewer greenhouse gases, and preserves the living conditions for animal and plant species.
Key findings
Comparing forest policies in the Nordic countries Greenpole learned that they share a common principle: freedom with responsibility. This highlights the freedom of choice for forest owners but also stresses their responsibility for common goods such as climate and biodiversity.
In theory it gives a substantial freedom to the owners, but somewhat ignores that the current market structure, international demand but also value chains and downstream buyers of course influence the choice of the owner. It would therefore in line with the principle of freedom with responsibility for the government to intervene in the market in order to increase the freedom of choice.
In practice, however, the acceptability of these options differ among countries. While METSO, a payment for forest biodiversity in Finland is well accepted, the Naturvårdsavtal in Sweden is sometimes more seen as expropriation, despite above market compensation rates.
The researchers learned that the knowledge base on the outcomes of forest policies such as certification and payment schemes is relatively thin in international, peer reviewed publications: they know more about certification schemes than payments but there is considerable uncertainty regarding outcomes. The need for evidence-based decision support regarding the trade-offs of forest policies is substantial.
In the final phase of the GreenPole project they will thus model the Finnish METSO scheme, as lighthouse of a well-functioning Nordic forest policy and assess economic, ecological, social, and climate outcomes simultaneously.
Key outputs
Droste, N., Brownell, H., D’amato, D., Ekström, H., Fridén, A., Harrinkari, T., … & Thomsen, M. (2025). Evaluating transformative policies in complex land-use systems. Ecological Economics, 238, 108734.
Ekström, H., Droste, N., & Brady, M. (2024). Modelling forests as social-ecological systems: A systematic comparison of agent-based approaches. Environmental Modelling & Software, 175, 105998.
Fridén, A., D’Amato, D., Ekström, H., Iliev, B., Nebasifu, A., May, W., … & Droste, N. (2024). Mapping two centuries of forest governance in Nordic countries: An open access database. Forest Policy and Economics, 160, 103142.
Nebasifu, A. A., Pietarinen, N., Fridén, A., Ekström, H., Harrinkari, T., D’amato, D., & Droste, N. (2024). Forest policy in Nordic countries: Expert opinions on future needs, uncertainties, and recommendations. Trees, Forests and People, 16, 100582.