Do you get a pang of guilt when you buy a real tree for Christmas? Are you considering going plastic to save one more tree from being wasted? Well, we have some interesting facts that will make you feel differently about your Christmas tree.
You will remember from our “Opinions on policy for the sustainable future of forest-based industries” that, as a result of responsible management, Europe’s forests are growing healthily. Well, the Swedish forest industry’s objective is to go one step further. They aim to increase the rate of growth of forests by 20 million cubic meters by 2020.1 That’s a lot of Christmas trees!
This aim coincides with the conclusions of a study by the Swedish government, entitled “Forest Added Value”, which identifies the many benefits of increasing forest growth. The most obvious is an increase in the raw material for timber and paper products and naturally an increase in carbon dioxide absorption. Forest growth will also increase the stock of raw materials used to replace finite energy resources and thus reduce Sweden’s dependency on fossil fuels.2
Unlike fossil fuels, trees are part of the carbon dioxide cycle and after about 20 years, new tree generations have grown sufficiently to absorb more CO2 than released by the soil. In fact, trees grow fastest between the ages of 20 and 90, absorbing more carbon dioxide than their elders. This is because as trees get older, they grow more slowly and need less CO2.
We hope you found this story inspiring and wish you a Merry Christmas from all of us at Corrugated of Course!
