The overarching aim of RISKFOREST is to develop a framework from an integrative social-ecological perspective to bolster the resilience of Swedish forests in the face of Anthropocene risks, with the objective of developing a replicable approach and tool for enhancing the resilience of the forest managed under the Swedish Forest Management Approach (SFMA) for and together with forest owners and associations.
Sweden is the third largest exporter in the world of pulp, paper and wood products, yet it only harbours around 1% of the world's forests. This export success has been attributed to the SFMA—a globally recognized framework for sustainable forestry, combining economic productivity, environmental preservation, and social values. Key factors for its success are clear ownership of forest land (in 2022, 48% owned by private individual owners), clear rules and transparent decision-making, and public participation in policy development.
However, major concerns are now raised about the resilience of the forest managed under the SFMA—the capacity of the forest system to absorb shocks and adapt to change, thereby maintaining its functions and structure. There are already signs that the forest system is losing key functions, as decadal forest growth in Swedish forests now declines after a century of sustained increase. A key question is whether SFMA is contributing towards further resilience loss in the Anthropocene era and if so, how it could be improved to strengthen forest resilience in future.
