Published - 7 Oct 2024
Forest Industry, Opticom
The moral paradox of trees - Food for thought by Opticom's CEO and Founder Mikael Selling
We know that most consumers strongly support the green transition, that they like the idea of bio-based products, but they are still not keen on the idea of cutting down trees to help produce them. There’s a disconnect when it comes to understanding that harvesting sustainably-managed forests has huge potential to be part of the solution, not the problem.
We understand that trees evoke an emotional response, and there is no question that we need to protect old-growth and high-value conservation areas, but as the bioeconomy and increased competition from new sectors drive demand for forest materials, how can we meet this rising demand without cutting down more trees? Competition for wood resources is intensifying at a time when supply has tightened, whether from natural disasters, geopolitical forces (Russian exports of wood have halted since its invasion of Ukraine) or mounting regulation.
I was struck by the words of Professor Lars Laestadius, Forest Policy Consultant and Director at Eco-Innovation Foundation, USA. Speaking at a seminar at the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences last week, he suggested that making the most of sustainable forest resources is nothing less than a moral obligation. Between 2020 and 2050, he said, the world’s population will increase by close to two billion. The vast majority will come from Africa and Asia, regions with many of the world’s poorest economies.
Is it right, Laestadius asked, to say we will not harvest trees when millions of children need textbooks to help raise their literacy rates, when millions of girls are forced to stay home because they have no access to hygiene products, when inadequate packaging leads to food waste and food loss in the very countries that can least afford it? In 2015, the UN General Assembly recognised that eradicating global poverty is ‘the greatest challenge and an indispensable requirement’ for sustainable development.
Working forests have an integral part to play in alleviating global poverty; the UN agrees that alleviating poverty is inextricably linked to sustainable development. But with demand for wood raw materials now outstripping supply, resource efficiency and innovation will be key, as will legislation which seeks to integrate sustainability with economic decision-making, and a general public that grasps the enormous potential of the forest industry and the need to use trees for good. Food for thought.
Read more in the latest issue of our newsletter Forest Insights, out now!