Forestry Journal – August 2019

FOREST MANAGEMENT

Careful, quality forest management can both protect the environment and help meet

a growing demand for timber from the building trade, says Glenn Faxhag-Raymond,

forest consultant at Södra, one of Europe’s largest suppliers of sustainable timber.

50 AUGUST 2019 FORESTRYJOURNAL.CO.UK

M

UCH like the early development of your

children, quality forest management begins

at the nursery. At Södra, for example, the

basis of our Falkenberg nursery is harnessed

from some of the best-quality trees in

the world. The programme has never used genetic

modification in any way, but rather ensures that all

desirable traits of selected spruce are transferred to

seeds, and then to future trees. This ultimately improves

the overall quality of the end product.

The next step is planting. Firstly, it’s my job to speak

with and educate forest owners as to the importance of

planting the right trees in the right place. We do this by

looking at what trees are already there and what wildlife

is flourishing. Everything that’s going on above the

ground gives us a good idea of what’s happening beneath

the surface and helps us to decide which species should

be planted. There also can’t just be a whole estate of

spruce, for instance. There have to be other tree species

mixed in, such as pine or broadleaved trees, to attract

different birds and insects and generally better enrich the

biodiversity of the forest.

We then have to get the planting right. If, for instance,

you plant a tree and it leans, you’ll likely get a little crook

which could ultimately impact the quality of the end

product. Then it’s a case of letting the tree grow and

closely monitoring and managing it – especially for the

first 10 to 15 years of its life.

THINNING: NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!

People sometimes shirk at the thought of thinning areas

of forest, but it’s essential to the better management and

continued development of healthy forests. There are two

types of thinning: manual thinning, which occurs in the

first 10 to 15 years of a tree’s life; and machine thinning,

which occurs once the trees are 15-plus years old.

Thinning removes slower-growing or defective trees,

thereby providing more space and sunlight for the

remaining trees to flourish. If, for example, trees grow too

close to one another they won’t receive as much sunlight,

which means they will lose some of their greenery. This

can lead to branches dying and trees getting smaller. The

improved supply of soil nutrients, water and light results

in bigger, healthier trees and better timber.

PROTECTING THE FOREST

We at Södra are fortunate to have inherited the vast

amounts of healthy forests that we enjoy today. What we’re

harvesting now is what our ancestors looked after and left

behind, which is why we not only owe a debt of gratitude

but have an obligation to make sure our forests continue

to flourish for the next 100 years (and beyond).

All activity should be geared towards the continued

health and upkeep of the forest, from protecting the

forest floor from machinery by laying errant, loose

branches and foliage to mapping a safe route in and out

of the forest so that machinery doesn’t get stuck or sink.

Never, at any point in the timber-growing process, should

chemicals be used. Of course, this includes the nurturing

of saplings and continued upkeep of the forest, but it also

includes what’s put into machinery. Any oil put into forest

machinery should be classified to a certain standard

and should have thorough documentation which

clearly shows where it has come from.

Incidentally, these are all factors that need to

be covered in order to achieve PEFC and FSC

certification, which is why we don’t just check

our own work. External, independent companies

should regularly and thoroughly check working

conditions and forest management processes.

Forest consultants also have a responsibility

to teach forest owners about responsible

game management. Whether that be elk,

deer or boar, each species affects the

forest in different ways.

Above left: Falkenberg

nursery.

Below: Glenn Faxhag-

Raymond

Quality forest management:

The key to protecting the environment

and meeting timber demand