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| Key Facts |
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| Forests are essential. They reverse the greenhouse effect, stabilise climate and water levels, prevent soil erosion, store energy and preserve biodiversity.
46% of European land is forested. These forests are sustainable, increasing annually in area and volume of growing wood.
Over 50% of the forest area is certified as being sustainably managed, with a chain of custody.
World-wide, the paper and board industry uses 12% of the wood harvested – no rain forest wood is used. Of the rest, 50% is used for fuel and 30% for sawn timber products.
Cartonboard is based on cellulose fibre derived from wood. Over 80% of the timber used in the European paper and board industry is derived from European forests – most of the rest comes from Russia. |
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| Importance of forests for the environment, and sustainable forest management. Use of trees as a renewable resource for paper and board production. |
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| Why are forests important for cartonboard? |
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Cartonboard, like all paper and board, is made from cellulose fibres. World-wide around 50% of paper and board is based on cellulose fibre derived directly from wood and whilst the rest is delivered from recovered paper and board even that material is initially dependant on fibre derived from wood.
Forests are, therefore, the main source of raw materials for paper and board.
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| Why are forests important for the environment? |
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Forests are essential for the well-being of the planet. They reverse the greenhouse effect, stabilise climate and water levels, prevent soil erosion and store solar energy.
They also provide habitats for animals, plants and insects, promote bio-diversity, protect watercourses and preserve the landscape.
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| Are there any other benefits from forestry in Europe? |
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| Forestry provides work and supports rural communities. Forestry creates opportunities for leisure and recreation. |
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| What is the “Greenhouse effect”? |
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The greenhouse effect occurs when heat from the sun is unable to escape from the earth’s atmosphere. This is considered to be due to the build-up of certain gases in the atmosphere which prevent the heat from escaping – acting, in effect, like glass in a greenhouse – and so cause the temperature at the earth’s surface to rise. This is known as “Global warming”.
The most common greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide. It is released when fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas are burnt to produce energy in the form of heat, electricity and in the internal combustion engine. The world’s use of fossil fuels releases about 5 billion tonnes of carbon per annum. In the period from 1959 to 2005 the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by around 20%.
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| How do trees reverse the “Greenhouse effect”? |
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Trees grow by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. As trees grow, therefore, they remove carbon from the atmosphere and so help to reverse the “greenhouse effect”. This is known as “fixing” carbon.
Trees absorb carbon dioxide by a process known as photosynthesis.
In sunlight, trees, in common with all green leafed plants, convert carbon dioxide and water into simple sugars and oxygen. The sugars are polymerised naturally forming cellulose fibres.
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| How much of the world is forested? |
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About 30% of the earth is forested.
79% of forest is broad leafed (hardwood) and 21% is coniferous (softwood). Coniferous forests provide the main raw material for timber-based industries, including cartonboard.
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| How much of Europe is forested? |
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In Europe, about 46% overall of the land is forested.
Europe’s forests account for 27% of the worlds forests.
The largest forests are in Finland and Sweden, where they account for 72% and nearly 66% of the area respectively.
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| How much wood is harvested world-wide per year and for what purposes? |
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| The world consumption of wood is around 3,500 million cubic metres annually. Over 50% of this volume is used for fuel, and 30% for sawn timber products.
12% of harvested wood is used for paper and board. Less than a tenth of which is used for cartonboard.
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