Tale: Forests for People

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to Nord-Trøndelag – my home county! It is great to have so much European forestry expertise here in one of the main forest regions of Norway. Welcome to Stiklestad – an important place for Norwegian history and culture. I am happy to have this opportunity to meet you all and speak to you about an issue which is so important.

The International Year of Forests has given me an opportunity to lay greater emphasis on forestry in my daily work. I have attended the UN Forum on Forests in New York – the formal opening of the year of forests, and I have hosted the FOREST EUROPE ministerial conference in Oslo in June. The main result of this conference was the decision to start negotiations on a legally binding agreement for European forests. I am honoured to have the possibility to chair FOREST EUROPE when that decision was made.

After this I really like to speak about the historical break through for European Forest Policy. But first I would like you to pay some attention to Norwegian Forest Policy. It is my humble view that our forest policy may serve as an ideal for other European countries.

Norway is a country with rich forest resources. It has not always been like this. Norwegian forests were degraded and not sustainably managed in the end of the 19th century. The development of the national forest inventory, the forest laws and institutions in early 20th century laid down fundaments of national forest governance in Norway.

Through the last hundred years, both the standing stock and the annual growth of forests in Norway have more than doubled, although removals have been relatively stable. Due to this long term effort, the forest in Norway is currently sequestering a volume of CO2 similar to half of the country’s domestic greenhouse gas emissions.

There are still challenges in European forestry, but the overall picture is of a positive development: Since the predecessor of Forest Europe– the Ministerial Conference on Protection of Forests in Europe – was established, the forest area in Europe has gained 0.8 million hectares – each year. The growing stock expanded by 8.6 billion cubic metres. On average, the annual felling is below the annual increment. Europe remains the largest producers of roundwood in the world. From 2005 to 2010 we are talking about 870 million tonnes – every year. And at the same time the area of protected forests is expanding.

I am not suggesting that this positive development has become possible due to Forest Europe. Still these figures are telling me that European politicians are at the right track when trying to find solutions in common.

The current status of our forest provides opportunities for increased use of biomass for energy, to substitute more energy demanding construction material by wood, create employment opportunities - and to enhance the environmental values of our forests.

We are well aware of the benefit that systematic work of restoring the Norwegian forests has had on the economic development, environmental values and the society of our country. We would like to contribute to similar processes in other parts of the world. Norway is involved in developing cooperation projects for this purpose. We will also underline the importance of global and regional forest processes and partnerships in this regard.

Over the last 21 years FOREST EUROPE evolved from an informal, loose arrangement to a well established platform, with clear vision for forests, mission, defined goals and ambitious 2020 targets. We are now committed to deepening that relationship through opening negotiations for a legally binding agreement.

Through the work of FOREST EUROPE we have developed strategies for sustainable forest management and tools available for the European region. FOREST EUROPE is an open and transparent process. Sustainable forest management is about partnership as much as about planting trees, conserving or managing forest resources. We have a lot to share with other regions.

Sustainable forest management is an evolving concept. We need continuously to adapt to new challenges with the aim to secure forest resources and simultaneously ensure forest services for society. For these reasons we should continue developing tools and means to manage our forests in a holistic manner and for making timely decisions.

Research and science plays an important role in this development. Policy development must be based on science.  We need the knowledge to make sensible decisions. Cooperation among scientist is part of this. We appreciate the work done by IUFRO over many years and we regard this cooperation as important today. Cooperation between policy makers and researchers is also a way of improving the knowledge base of the policy makers. One example is a project on the use of wood in architecture and construction at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, which is very interesting for us in relation to our policy on increased utilisation of wood. The Oslo School of Architecture and Design will arrange a conference in 2012 on this subject, which I think will be a very good opportunity for exchanging ideas on this subject.

Sustainable forest management is a holistic strategy that has proved to work and that has restored the forest in Europe after unsustainable practices in the past. Today the multiple benefits from forests are under threat and the role of sustainable forest management in securing forest benefits is not well understood by many. From some sectors and interest groups, forests are viewed with particular interests - and often within limited scope.

A legally binding agreement can help us in the effort to find solutions to increasing pressures on forest resources. A legally binding agreement within the framework of FOREST EUROPE can support our work towards a future, where forests contribute effectively to sustainable development and green economy.
In my opinion we have an opportunity now to lay the basis for a future oriented cooperation and for a legal framework, which can effectively secure delivering forests goods and services. We should not miss this opportunity. We will not get many new chances to correct inaction.

We are experiencing challenging times. The economic crisis, the rising demands for food and increasing global temperatures due to climate change need to be met. 

These questions are interlinked. I am especially concerned about the role of forests in the current agriculture and food security issues. Rising food demands and current food crisis lead to pressure on land and force expanding agricultural production, at the same time it is one of the most important drivers of deforestation and the source of significant greenhouse gas emissions.

The need for strategic approaches to land use in Europe including agriculture and forestry is also an issue. Forest and agriculture policies need to be integrated better, and the forest role in food security must not be overlooked.

Norway, like other states, is seeking for all possibilities to mitigate climate change effects. It is crucial to find new and more efficient ways of utilising energy from renewable sources, wood, wind or solar power. Gradually we must change the way we develop and use technologies to make the transition to a low carbon economy. The role of sustainably managed forests cannot be misjudged in this respect. As modern technologies evolve, one material remains as desirable now as it was in the very past: wood. Forests can become part of a solution. The European Union has set ambitious goals in the field of energy and climate to be reached within 2020. One of the targets is to increase the share of renewable energy with 20 percent. Forestry must be a part of the strategy to achieve these goals.

The Norwegian Climate and forest initiative was launched during the climate change negotiations at Bali in December 2007. A project group has been appointed in the Ministry of the Environment, and this works closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Food and other relevant ministries. The initiative seeks to achieve cost-effective and verifiable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD), and the working areas of the initiative include all types of tropical forests.

In June I participated in a debate in Hedmark on the future of the wood industry. I would like to give the forest sector in Trøndelag the same message: This is your time! Forestry has a great opportunity in supplying renewable, biodegradable material in order to replace fossil fuels and materials with higher environmental impact. We need more environmental-friendly patterns of consumption and forests can be important in achieving it. It is crucial that the forest sector succeeds in communicating the role of forests as supplier of products based on a renewable material.

As I see it there are two important features of the forest sector: Firstly, it is a future-oriented sector – a tree planted in your forties may outlive you.

The second feature is the border-crossing nature of forests. Pests, fires, storms and other damages do not respect borders.

Based on these two features, decisions concerning forestry must be made in a long-term perspective and with an international orientation.

Thank you for your attention.