Forest management and planning Group leader: Urban NilssonThis component project is focusing on stand-level forest management programs that have the potential to increase the productivity and the economy of Swedish forestry. A number of other questions related to future climate change and globalization — i.e., choice of tree species, genetic material, and multiple-use aspects (in particular, the relation between increased production and environmental aspects) — will also be studied. The project will develop management strategies that can serve as input for other component projects Swedish forest sector in a global context
Group leader: Mattias Boman
Global demand for forest products, influencing the profitability of the Swedish forest industry, has fundamental and far-reaching implications for land-use, forest management and silvicultural decisions in Sweden. Consequently, forecasts of future supply and demand for wood raw materials, wood products and bio-energy support the planning and decision making in the forest sector. This Component Project aims at providing such forecasts. The current project is focusing on international trade and policy issues, and makes predictions with a shorter time horizon (5-10 years).
Pests and diseases
Group leader: Jan Stenlid
Pest and disease outbreaks can have a major influence on the structure and composition of forests, the supply of timber, and the use of forests for recreation. Outbreaks can in addition affect legislation and international trade. The overall aim of this component project is to provide predictions on how pests and diseases will impact the forests in Sweden in the future, in particular with regard to the influence of climate change and changed forest management.
Soils and Water
Group leader: Hjalmar Laudon
Trees, soils and water are at the center for understanding how our future forests will be affected by an intensified biomass production and climate change. The major objective of this component project is to provide answers to questions addressing the role of soils in sustainable forestry and the maintenance of water quality at a landscape scale.
Forestry at the crossroads — global markets and rural development
Group leader: Erik Westholm
Demands on forestry and forest use are generated by a number of changes in the global environment and also in the Swedish society. This component project will study the “big picture" of trends in global forestry and aims at capturing main drivers for change at various political levels and by market actors in various regions and segments of the forestry. These trends in global forestry will be linked to the future of rural Sweden.
Forest use over time: ideas, values and interests
Group leader:Erland Mårald/Christer Nordlund
In order to understand the scientific, political, economical and environmental views surrounding the forest and forestry in Sweden today it is of utmost importance to have a solid understanding of the past. The reason is obvious. The way forests are treated today is a result of decisions made in the past, and the way we think about forests is shaped by our cultural and mental heritage. The main significance of this project is that it will contribute to an understanding of the intellectual drivers behind the present situation, such as ideas, values and interests.
Forest governance among public and market actors
Group leader: Carina Keskitalo
Governance is decision-making by public and private actors — mainly the EU, states, NGOs, and companies. This project views governance on forest use as largely a result of the way economic and political globalization is changing the decision-making landscape. A crucial aim is to take an overarching perspective on the governance system that impact forestry, and the points at which this system is well or badly functioning.
Collaboration and conflict in future forests
Group leader: Camilla Sandström
Due to more intensively used forests and climate change in combination with increasing demands on the forest resources from a number of stakeholders we foresee new conflicts arising in the future. It is thus increasingly important to sort out new methods and institutions adapted to future challenges to manage these conflicts and resolve them productively. The overarching aim for this component project is to analyze and offer answers to questions about the role of conflicts in sustainable forest management.
Values and attitudes
Group leader:Kerstin Westin
People´s values and attitudes towards how to manage the forest resource may be directly linked to the forest as such, but also to other aspects of human life, i.e., the importance of clean water, the economy at large, or a cultural and historical heritage. This component project focuses on how attitudes and values of both forest owners and non-forest owners affect utilization and demand of forest resources, and how attitudes and values also affect the decisions and behavior of these groups.
Biodiversity
Group leader: Lena Gustafsson
In future forest landscapes the composition of the flora and fauna is likely to differ strongly depending on the degree to which climate and forestry intensity will change, and also their combined effects. The aim of this component project is thus to make predictions of biodiversity at different spatial scales in relation to degree of forestry intensity and climate change in a long-time perspective (at least 50 years). The project will also make assessments of the impacts on biodiversity of present and near-future forestry methods.
