To measure our biodiversity progress, we have six biodiversity impact indicators to measure the quality of harvesting operations in our own forests in Sweden as well as private forest owners’ forests in Finland, Sweden, and the Baltics. Biodiversity has been an integral part of our business for decades, but we have stepped up our efforts and started to harmonize our monitoring since 2021. This development continues, as there are still some differences in country-specific monitoring. However, shared and transparent reporting throughout the development journey helps us to ensure that we implement the right practices.
We asses our performance in randomly selected harvesting sites annually. Our target is 90% for each indicator, which means that least 90% of our surveyed sites follow the biodiversity guidelines we have set. We are not on target regarding all indicators yet, but we continuously improve to get there. Our ultimate target is to reach 100% performance in 2030. In addition to these indicators, our biodiversity action programmes include other actions that are being actively implemented, developed, and monitored.
In this table, you can see the weighted average of our biodiversity performance in Finland, Sweden, and the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania). Country-specific performance can be viewed below.
High stumps are trees that are cut at a few meters’ height to increase the amount of standing deadwood, helping to restore more natural forest-like conditions in managed landscapes. Deadwood is a vital habitat for many species, and high stumps created by us are new deadwood (as opposed to natural deadwood).
Our practice in Finland is to create 1–4 high stumps per hectare at harvesting, aiming to continuously increase. In 2022, this was realized at 60% of our sites. On average, two high stumps were created per hectare. Our performance has slightly improved from 2021, which shows that we are on the right track. We will continue to train our personnel and harvesting partners to improve. Our upcoming digital tool for entrepreneurs will also increase transparency between Stora Enso and harvesting partners, giving us more direct visibility on operational performance on high stumps and retention trees.
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|
2022 |
2021 |
|
Performance |
60% |
56% |
|
Surveyed sites |
202* |
505 |
|
Sites with enough high stumps |
121 |
283 |
* In 2022, high stump creation was monitored on final felling sites. Figure from 2021 also includes thinnings.
Deadwood is one of the most integral forest elements for enhancing biodiversity, as various species rely on deadwood. Active forestry measures are used to increase the amount of deadwood in production forests. These measures include careful preservation and protection of existing deadwood on the ground.
In Finland, we monitor that no harm is done to natural ground deadwood on those sites with deadwood. In 2022, this was realized at 79% of our sites. We are currently analysing the reasons behind the decrease from 2021. On average, our monitoring shows two preserved deadwood logs per hectare. As we keep developing our monitoring, we enhance comparability and can analyse development areas more thoroughly. Providing comprehensive trainings for our employees and entrepreneurs also in the future is integral for continuous improvement.
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|
2022 |
2021 |
|
Performance |
79% |
97% |
|
Surveyed sites |
583 |
505 |
|
Sites with deadwood |
293 |
368 |
|
Sites with fully preserved deadwood |
232 |
357 |
Soil and water constitute important habitats for versatile species living on land and in water, and it’s integral that these habitats are carefully protected in forestry operations. Therefore, we always try to avoid crossing waters, and if we need to cross, the impact of harvesting machinery on soil and water is continuously monitored.
Our main action is to protect soil and water when crossing watercourses as well as avoid soil damages close to water. In Finland, we measure how well this has been achieved on sites including waters. In 2022, this was realized at 98% of our sites. We are well above our target and have improved from 2021 thanks to various water-related trainings. We will continue to train our personnel and entrepreneurs in order to keep up our progress and work to enhance biodiversity further. We are involved in several water-related projects, which helps us to identify key areas for water protection and advise forest owners.
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|
2022 |
2021 |
|
Performance |
98% |
91% |
|
Surveyed sites |
583 |
505 |
|
Sites with waters |
97 |
132 |
|
Sites with no damage to soils and waters |
95 |
120 |
Learn more about soil and water
Prioritised habitats are habitats that contain high nature values requiring particularly careful protection. In Finland, prioritised habitats are defined in different regulations and guidelines, such as in Article 10 of the Finnish Forest Act. Examples of these habitats are immediate environments to springs and streams, natural peatland environments, habitats for certain species, groves, sand-fields, ravines and gorges, and rocky ground.
Our main action is to preserve all identified prioritised habitats in the forests where we operate. In 2022, this was realized at 89% of our sites. Our performance has remained stable compared to 2021, and we are very close to our target, which means that we are implementing the right practices. We continue to work actively and in good collaboration with our harvesting partners as well as provide trainings in order to reach our target.
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|
2022 |
2021 |
|
Performance |
89% |
88% |
|
Surveyed sites |
583 |
505 |
|
Prioritized habitats within the sites |
104 |
75 |
|
Fully preserved prioritized habitats |
93 |
66 |
Trees that are left on site after harvesting are called retention trees: they can be single trees or patches of trees. Retention trees support biodiversity over the forest regeneration phase, and the species that depend on living trees inhabit them until new trees have matured enough.
Our target is to leave at least 10 retention trees per hectare at harvesting, and we track the numbers of both living and dead retention trees. In 2022, this was realized at 80% of our sites, showing a decrease compared to 2021. The average number of retention trees was 18 per hectare (13 living, 5 deadwood), which indicates large variation between sites: some exceed our guidelines and some leave room for development. To improve, we will focus on even distribution of retention trees, supported by our upcoming digital tool for harvesting partners.
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|
2022 |
2021 |
|
Performance |
80% |
89% |
|
Surveyed sites |
206* |
505 |
|
Sites with enough retention trees |
165 |
449 |
* In 2022, tree retention was monitored on final felling sites. Figure from 2021 includes also thinnings.
Learn more about tree retention
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|
2022 |
2021* |
|
Performance |
94% |
- |
|
Surveyed sites |
583 |
- |
|
Sites with buffer zones |
142 |
- |
|
Sites with wide enough buffer zones |
133 |
- |
Learn more about buffer zones
High stumps are trees that are cut at a few meters’ height to increase the amount of standing deadwood, helping to restore more natural forest-like conditions in managed landscapes. Deadwood is a vital habitat for many species, and high stumps created by us are new deadwood (as opposed to natural deadwood).
Our practice is to create at least three high stumps per hectare at harvesting. In 2022, this was realized at 88% of our sites. We are quite well on target, which means we are implementing the right practices. We will keep up active communication, providing harvesting teams with feedback on performance to achieve our target. In 2022, we put special focus on high stump creation, and some of the results are expected to be visible in later reporting.
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|
2022 |
2021 |
|
Performance |
88% |
92%* |
|
Surveyed sites |
58 |
60 |
|
Sites with enough high stumps |
51 |
55 |
* In 2021, the figures were rounded to the closes 5%. The figure reported here has been revised for comparability.
Deadwood is one of the most integral forest elements for enhancing biodiversity, as various species rely on deadwood. Active forestry measures are used to increase the amount of deadwood in production forests. These measures include careful preservation and protection of existing deadwood on the ground.
In Sweden, we preserve natural deadwood logs that have a diameter of at least 15cm and have been dead for more than a year. Our monitoring is focused on the amount of logs that have not been damaged. In 2022, 89% of logs in final felling sites were fully preserved, meaning that we are quite well on target and improved from 2021. We will keep up active communication, providing harvesting teams with feedback on performance in order to achieve our target.
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|
2022 |
2021 |
|
Performance |
89% |
85% |
|
Surveyed sites |
58 |
60 |
|
Surveyed deadwood logs |
260 |
330 |
|
Fully preserved deadwood logs |
231 |
282 |
Soil and water constitute important habitats for versatile species living on land and in water, and it’s integral that these habitats are carefully protected in forestry operations. Therefore, we always try to avoid crossing waters, and if we need to cross, the impact of harvesting machinery on soil and water is continuously monitored.
Our main action is to protect soil and water when crossing watercourses as well as avoid soil damages close to water. In Sweden, we measure how well this has been achieved on sites where streams were crossed. In 2022, this was realized at 92% of our crossings without damage. We are on target and have advanced clearly from 2021. This is thanks to the focus we have put on our driving technique, following a methodology developed by us. We will continue to educate and give feedback to the harvesting teams and harvesting planners to keep up our achievement and improve further.
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|
2022 |
2021 |
|
Performance |
92% |
82%* |
|
Surveyed sites |
118 |
119 |
|
Stream crossings |
24 |
39 |
|
Stream crossings with no damage |
22 |
32 |
* In 2021, the figures were rounded to the closes 5%. The figure reported here has been revised for comparability.
Learn more about soil and water
Prioritised habitats are habitats that contain high nature values that require particularly careful protection, such as habitats with a high proportion of very old trees or dead wood, a high diversity of deciduous trees, or areas inhabited by endangered species.
Our main action is to preserve all identified prioritized habitats in the forests where we operate. In 2022, this was realized at 78% of our sites. As opposed to 2021, riparian buffer zones were a separate indicator in 2022. Separate monitoring for these areas enables us to identify and analyse our development needs for different habitats in more detail. Thus, we could identify that we need to put special focus on avoiding soil damage near prioritised habitats. To improve, we will continue to educate harvesting teams in a sustainable driving technique, following a methodology developed by us, to avoid soil damage.
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|
2022 |
2021* |
|
Performance |
78% |
89%** |
|
Surveyed sites |
118 |
119 |
|
Prioritized habitats within the sites |
50 |
417 |
|
Fully preserved prioritized habitats |
39 |
372 |
* Figures from 2021 include riparian buffer zones, that is a separate indicator in 2022, as well as retention patches with lower biodiversity values. These have been excluded in 2022 to get more detailed monitoring of diverse habitats and ensure comparability with other reporting countries.
** In 2021, the figures were rounded to the closes 5%. The figure reported here has been revised for comparability.
Trees that are left on site after harvesting are called retention trees: they can be single trees or patches of trees. Retention trees support biodiversity over the forest regeneration phase, and the species that depend on living trees inhabit them until new trees have matured enough.
Our target is to leave at least 10 trees per hectare at harvesting. In 2022, this was realized at 98% of our sites. We are well above target and have improved also from 2021. We will keep up active communication, providing harvesting teams with feedback on performance to keep up our progress.
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|
2022 |
2021 |
|
Performance |
98% |
88% |
|
Surveyed sites |
59 |
60 |
|
Sites with enough retention trees |
58 |
53 |
Learn more about tree retention
The nature around waters is usually rich with valuable vegetation and other species that differ from the surrounding environment. Riparian buffer zones are areas left around waters and wetlands to protect biodiversity around the water and sustain good water quality, as buffer zones protect the water from sediments and erosion.
In Sweden, we leave buffer zones according to the forestry best practice, where the width of the zone depends on the site. For instance, we leave wider zones if the surrounding forest is wet or has higher biodiversity values. In 2022, 92% of our buffer zones were correctly handled, which means we are well on target. The potential negative impact is soil damage nearby, which is why we continue to focus on our driving technique, following a methodology developed by us, to avoid that. We also continue to provide harvesting teams with feedback on performance to keep up our achievement and improve further.
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|
2022 |
2021* |
|
Performance |
92% |
- |
|
Surveyed sites |
118 |
- |
|
Buffer zones within the sites |
122 |
- |
|
Wide-enough buffer zones |
112 |
- |
* Buffer zone preservation was a new indicator in 2022, and hence comparison data from 2021 is not available.
High stumps are trees that are cut at a few meters’ height to increase the amount of standing deadwood, helping to restore more natural forest-like conditions in managed landscapes. Deadwood is a vital habitat for many species.
High stump creation is not measured in the Baltics, because high stumps are usually not created due to the high amount of natural deadwood. More focus is put on preserving both standing and ground deadwood. Natural high stumps are left in the forest during harvesting operations. The target is to leave five dead trees per hectare. If there are fewer than the required number, more retention trees are left.
Deadwood is one of the most integral forest elements for enhancing biodiversity, as various species rely on deadwood. Active forestry measures are used to increase the amount of deadwood in production forests. These measures include careful preservation and protection of existing deadwood. In the Baltics, the amount of deadwood should amount to at least five stems of standing and five stems of lying deadwood per hectare. In the absence of the required amount, more retention trees are left.
Our target is to preserve ground deadwood from damages, and in our reporting, we monitor how well this has been achieved on selected sites. In 2022, this was realized at 91% of our sites, indicating slight improvement compared to 2021 and are quite well on target. We continue to collaborate with our harvesting partners, communicate actively with forest owners, and provide trainings both for partners and employees to ensure continuous improvement.
|
|
2022 |
2021 |
|
Performance |
91% |
88% |
|
Surveyed sites |
46 |
42 |
|
Sites with deadwood |
35 |
42 |
|
Sites with fully preserved deadwood |
32 |
37 |
Soil and water constitute important habitats for versatile species living on land and in water, and it’s integral that these habitats are carefully protected in forestry operations. Therefore, we always try to avoid crossing waters, and if we need to cross, the impact of harvesting machinery on soil and water is continuously monitored.
Our main action is to protect soil and water when crossing watercourses as well as avoid soil damages close to water. In 2022, this was realized at 82% of our sites. We are still a bit from our target, but our performance has improved from 2021, which tells us we are on the right track. We continue to collaborate with our harvesting partners, communicate actively with forest owners, and provide trainings both for partners and employees to continuously improve and achieve our target.
|
|
2022 |
2021 |
|
Performance |
82% |
74% |
|
Surveyed sites |
46 |
42 |
|
Sites with waters |
11 |
42 |
|
Sites with no damage to soils and waters |
9 |
31 |
Prioritised habitats are habitats that contain high nature values that require particularly careful protection, such as areas inhabited by endangered species.
Prioritised habitat preservation is not measured in the Baltics, because the amount of such habitats on our sites is so small that reporting would not be comparable with Finland and Sweden at the moment. We avoid and monitor damages to prioritised habitats in the Baltics, however. In addition to the official Woodland Key Habitats, Stora Enso also prioritises potential areas listed by the Estonian Fund for Nature or found by our personnel or contractors. All are checked during forest audits.
Trees that are left on site after harvesting are called retention trees: they can be single trees or patches of trees. Retention trees support biodiversity over the forest regeneration phase, and the species that depend on living trees inhabit them until new trees have matured enough.
In the Baltics, our target is to leave 7–10 trees per hectare at harvesting. In 2022, this was realized at 88% of our sites. We have improved well from 2021 and are now very close to our target. We continue to collaborate with our harvesting partners, communicate actively with forest owners, and provide trainings both for partners and employees to continuously improve and reach our target.
|
|
2022 |
2021 |
|
Performance |
88% |
79% |
|
Surveyed sites |
33 |
42 |
|
Sites with enough retention trees |
29 |
33 |
Learn more about tree retention
The nature around waters and fields is usually rich with valuable vegetation and other species that differ from the surrounding environment. Riparian buffer zones are areas left around waters and wetlands to protect biodiversity around the water and sustain good water quality. In the Baltics, buffer zones are also left around fields. Buffer zone protects the area and maintain environmental balance.
In the Baltics, we leave buffer zones to protect waters, in line with national legislation in each country (Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia). In 2022, this was realized at 92% of our sites, which means we are well on target. We will keep up our good work and continue to collaborate with our harvesting partners, communicate actively with forest owners, and provide trainings both for partners and employees to enhance biodiversity in buffer zones.
|
|
2022 |
2021* |
|
Performance |
92% |
- |
|
Surveyed sites |
46 |
- |
|
Sites with buffer zones |
12 |
- |
|
Sites with wide-enough buffer zones |
11 |
- |
* Buffer zone preservation was a new indicator in 2022, and hence comparison data from 2021 is not available
High stumps increase the amount of deadwood and thereby contribute to restoring more natural forest-like conditions in managed landscapes.
In harvested areas, high stumps enhance biodiversity by providing standing deadwood that is exposed to sunlight for a long time. High stumps can be created during the harvesting by the harvester operator, and naturally broken trunks are left on site as high stumps. As the bark loosens and the high stump rots, various species of insects follow each other in inhabiting them. It is therefore important that high stumps are left in place as the new forest becomes established and ages.
Different species of insects and birds, for example, prefer the high stumps of different tree species. The red-listed beetle Peltis grossa is an example of a species that can frequently be found in artificial high stumps of spruce or birch. This beetle normally relies on deadwood that has been damaged by spruce bark beetles. When such wood is removed from forests to protect it from further bark beetle attacks, Peltis grossa loses a potential habitat, which can be replaced by artificial high stumps.
Many species in boreal forests depend on deadwood. Active forestry measures are used to increase the amount of deadwood in production forests.
Many species in boreal forests depend on deadwood, and there is a lack of deadwood in managed forests compared to natural forests overall. Deadwood on the ground provides a vital habitat, cover, and breeding ground for a multitude of species, especially many insects. As it decays, deadwood creates a nutritious ground for the next generation of trees. Therefore, it’s crucial that we preserve and protect existing deadwood from damage.
For instance, deadwood-dependent beetles are a group of species that benefits from forest harvesting, as most of these species (c. 65%) prefer sun-exposed environments. Particularly many beetle species that thrive on the deadwood of aspen prefer open habitats. Only 5% of these beetles can prosper in shadowy environments inside the forest. In contrast, 40% of beetles on the deadwood of spruce prefer shadowy environments.
The driving of harvesting machines in the forest requires careful planning to avoid damaging the soil and water.
Water and the soil around it constitute important habitats for versatile species living on land and in water. The area around waters is usually rich with vibrant species that differ from the surrounding forest. Some micro-organisms living in water, on the other hand, play a crucial role in maintaining good water quality. Therefore, it’s integral that we avoid causing any damage directly to water or soil close to waters, as this that could lead to silting, erosion, or emissions of harmful substances to waters.
The driving of harvesting machines in the forest requires careful planning to avoid damaging soil and water. First and foremost, we avoid crossing watercourses as well as driving on wet soil. If driving cannot be avoided, temporary bridges are built from trees on-site to cross watercourses and the soil is protected with logs and branches. In some cases, prefabricated bridge elements can also be used. Any damage that leads to increased discharge of sediment into watercourses and lakes is unacceptable. The same applies to changing the stretching of a watercourse and swamping or damming near it.
The natural variation of the forest is considered in harvesting operations, and precautions are taken to preserve prioritised habitats properly.
The natural variation of the forest is considered when planning harvesting operations. When we identify areas of high nature values, it is integral that precautions are taken to properly preserve these areas, as they create important habitats for diverse species. These habitats can be different buffer zones, sites sensitive to soil damage (e.g. wetland forest or steep slopes in the terrain), or patches of forest with high biodiversity values, such as sites inhabited by endangered species.
Broad-leaved trees, such as aspen, rowan, willow and alder are considered to carry nature values that should be retained when harvesting. Large-diameter pine and spruce trees, particularly if damaged, are valuable for biodiversity, as is all standing and lying deadwood. Also, all trees retained during harvesting should be left undamaged.
Trees that are left on site after harvesting are called retention trees. They can be left as single standing trees or in groups.
Retention trees include both retention of single trees and the retention of patches of trees with high biodiversity or restoration potential. The trees create seeds for natural regeneration in the growing forest that has been planted after harvesting. Tree retention also provides needed habitats for species that require living trees and thus enhances biodiversity over the regeneration phase until the new trees have matured enough.
Single retention trees are selected from the trees of the upper layer of various tree species with the largest diameter, prioritizing broad-leaved species and trees with marks from fire, cavities, or large branches. Groups of retention trees have been shown to increase the survival of spiders and red-listed mosses and lichens, for example. Retention trees that eventually die serve as natural deadwood. Retention trees that live to become part of the new forest contribute to structural variation as they are much older than the other trees in the stand.
Riparian buffer zones refer to the edge of the water that is an area with diverse and valuable nature, differing from the surrounding environment. Buffer zones also protect the water from erosion, sediments, and other substances that might harm the quality of water and the important habitat the water provides for various species.
Therefore, riparian buffer zones are areas left around waters and wetlands to protect biodiversity. Preserving these buffer zones aims at protecting the exceptional and abundant vegetation that grows naturally around waters and thus enhance the survival also of other species dependent on these areas. We leave riparian buffer zones to protect water quality and to ensure that our harvesting operations don't have a negative impact on nearby watercourses.
