Mid-term report Trees For Me, 2022-2024

”The aim that more than 10% of the total planted seedlings are going to be broadleaved seedlings in the future is shared by many, and this collective commitment by the forest sector is necessary for it to come true. When this happens, it will have a big effect on the structure of the forest sector and contribute to sustainable forest production for the future”, says Urban Nilsson, director of Trees For Me and professor in silviculture at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).

From the content of Trees For Me’s mid-term report 2022-2024:

• New greenhouse built at the field station in Ekebo facilitates the operational breeding of silver birch and other tree species.
• New trials have been established and significant results were obtained from research on genomic selection and flowering experiments on silver birch.
• Research on seedling production of silver birch and stand management of monocultures and mixed forests with birch is in progress.
• A method and tool have been developed for how to distribute mixed species seedlings on a regeneration area with an autonomous forest regeneration vehicle.
• Pests and pathogens on silver birch are being investigated.
• Strategies are being investigated to make increased shares of silver birch in Swedish forests attractive from an economic perspective.
• Research is conducted to investigate efficient and sustainable thermochemical conversion processes based of fast-growing broadleaf species.
• A survey was sent to private forest owners to investigate their willingness to increase the use of fast-growing and other broadleaf species, as well as the factors influencing their decisions.
• Research is done to explore innovators and their business models with focus on fast-growing broadleaves.
• Research results focused on climate impact shows that both the use of higher yielding birch genotypes and the change to producing more long-lasting final products from the birch biomass have the potential to contribute to the reduction of warming temperatures across various time perspectives. This study focused on different birch production scenarios at the site level, rather than comparisons with spruce or pine.
• Research is in progress to determine the biodiversity of and habitat contribution from the increased use of fast-growing broadleaves.

The research and stakeholder activities of Trees For Me are financed during the period 2022-2026 and an application for a second five-year period from 2027 is now under development.