Wood and the environment

In Sweden, where the right to enjoy the countryside is inscribed in law, the ties between wood and the environment are strong and natural. The focus of this chapter is, however, not on these environmental aspects, but on those associated with the forest as the source of wood raw material for building products. Swedish forests are the foundation of the forest industry, by far Sweden's biggest export sector with higher net exports (exports minus imports) than any other of our industrial sectors. What's more, the industry processes a raw material that is constantly renewed, in stark contrast to all the other raw materials we use.