For the growth of one cubic metre of wood, trees need 1.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide. This is more than the weight of the wood, but the trees only use the one carbon atom in carbon dioxide for its growth, while the two oxygen atoms are released into the atmosphere. And to grow one cubic metre of wood, the tree also need to grow leaves or needles, branches and roots, which are not included in the cubic metre measured.
However, when wood decomposes, either when trees die and rot in the forests or when woodfibre is burned or decomposes after use, the carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere.
SCA’s vast forest tracts, 2.6 million hectares in northern Sweden of which two million hectares are managed for timber production, are managed in a sustainable manner. Growth is over 20% higher than harvesting, which means that every year the forest binds large amounts of carbon dioxide, net – significantly more, in fact, than the total emissions of the entire SCA Forest Products operations.
The net carbon sequestration in SCA’s forests amount to 2.6 million tonnes, every year.