Contorta pine on SCA's land

The contorta pine (Pinus contorta), also known as Lodgepole pine, was introduced in Sweden in the early 1970s, after extensive experimentation and evaluation, especially of environmental effects.

SCA began planting contorta pine in the 1970s and since the several other companies and a number of private forest owners have also chosen to invest in lodgepole pine.

In Sweden around 600,000 hectares are covered with Lodgepole pine and it is the sixth most common tree species. In North America, Lodgepole pine is the trade name for contorta and there it is one of the most common conifer species.

The growth in SCA's contorta pine forests is today over one million cubic meters per year. Contorta pine is resistant to several of the diseases that can affect Swedish pine — leaf rust, for example — and it is not the object of browsing moose to the same extent. Contorta pine can self-regenerate to a limited extent, above all where the ground has been disturbed — for example, in a roadside ditch.

Good for the climate

The fact that the contorta pine grows faster than the Swedish pine is partly due to the fact that it is more efficient at absorbing and utilizing nitrogen from the soil. The tree species also has major advantages from a climate perspective. Because the contorta pine grows so quickly, it binds a lot of carbon dioxide. It grows 40 percent faster than the Swedish pine and that corresponds to an absorption of 800,000 tons of extra carbon dioxide per year on SCA's land alone.

The high growth means that we quickly gain access to more renewable raw materials and can manufacture more climate-smart products. They can replace products made from materials that have a negative impact on the climate and more fossil coal can thus remain on the slopes. Lodgepole pine is therefore important for our contribution to limiting global warming.

Consultation with Sámi

Contorta pine forest can affect reindeer husbandry, in part by pushing out ground lichens in the denser contorta forests and in part by making the forest more denser thus making it difficult for reindeer to pass through, which makes moving herds more difficult.

Over time, SCA intend to reduce today's 300,000 hectares of contorta pine to 270,000 hectares. In year-round grazing areas and other areas of particular importance to reindeer husbandry, reforestation will instead be carried out using native tree species.

FSC and Contorta pine

The Swedish FSC standard permits limited used of contorta pine, and SCA does not plant contorta pine closer than one kilometer from nature reserves. Contorta pine may not constitute more than 20% of the forest in a larger landscape.