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Responsible forestry equals beautiful wood: the Norra Skogsärna equation In northernmost Sweden close to the Arctic Circle, trees grow at a much slower rate than in any other place in the world. But the slow growth induced by the harsh climate has an advantage: it results in world-renowned top quality wood. Likewise, one of the most successful associations of wood producers in northern Sweden – Norra Skogsägarna – has grown slowly but surely into a leading producer of environmentally-managed wood and wood products. Celebrating 70 years of operations, the cooperative Norra Skogsärna works entirely for the benefit of its 10,000 members – all owners of forests located in the north of Sweden. Its main activities are to serve its members and promote wood products from this region. “If you look at the forest in our region today, the number of standing trees has actually increased by 50 percent since the 1960s,” points out Kjell Brodin, Norra Skogsärna’s sales director. “It is the opposite of what people normally perceive the forestry industry to b -- they think we just cut down trees indiscriminately. On the contrary, we uphold a responsible way of forestry.” This approach has gained the cooperative a first-rate reputation. Orders from Japan increase every year. Norra Skogsägarna began exporting to Japan only five years ago. Such is the reputation its products have earned. Japan is now its most important export market. “We started to look at Japan as an alternate market when we had a price reduction in Germany and the Netherlands,” says the association’s managing director, Hannes Holmström. “Of course we still do business with big companies like Tomen, but we also try to go deeper and find a combination by contacting our client’s factories directly.” Brodin and Holmström intend to work more closely with Japanese clients and collaborators, dedicated to understanding their particular needs. “Our strength is that we have a good understanding of what Japanese customers require,” Brodin says. “We are here for the long-term to learn more about what they really want.” |
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