Bureau of Nordic Family Forestry
NSF
A close cooperation between the Nordic forest owners´national organisations started in 1946, when NSF was founded.
ID: 033976691788-31
Lobbying Activity
Meeting with Matthieu Moulonguet (Cabinet of Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra) and Maa- ja metsätaloustuottajain Keskusliitto – Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners and Lantbrukarnas Riksförbund
16 Sept 2025 · LULUCF and carbon removals and carbon farming certification framework (CRCF)
Response to European Climate Law amendment
15 Sept 2025
Nordic Family Forestry Alliance (NSF) takes note of the Commission proposal to reduce the Unions net greenhouse gas emissions by 90 % compared to 1990 levels by 2040. Nordic family forest owners strongly support the decarbonization of the European economy, aligning two major ambitions: the urgent reduction of our Unions dependency on fossil fuels and fossil-based materials, as well as the creation of an enabling EU policy framework to support the European bioeconomy for a sustainable economic transition and enhancing the EUs strategic autonomy amid the current geopolitical situation. In the EU climate policy architecture, the LULUCF Regulation plays the central role with direct implication for forestry and forest owners, who manage the most significant part among the LULUCF sectors. Forest land under the LULUCF Regulation has been and is still regarded as the main pillar of the land-based carbon sink in Europe, which is expected to deliver on the Union-wide net climate target. Policies that incentivize reduced harvesting risk leading to unintended negative consequences for long-term carbon sequestration, forest resilience, and the supply of European sourced timber for material substitutionone of the most effective climate change mitigation strategies. Any future policy instrument dedicated to delivering on the EU 2040 Climate Target should avoid such approach, with special regard to the future LULUCF Regulation. Instead of legally binding climate targets with potential derived penalty regimes, the trajectory of future climate change mitigation policy instruments should be marked by indicative targets. Thanks to the long-term sustainable forest management, European forests had been indeed acting as potent carbon sink over the past decades, and a robust carbon stock has been built up, however the carbon sink function has been changing over the course of past years. Climate extremes (droughts, pest-induced diseases) and changes in the forest cycle all affect the dynamic of the forest carbon sink. The constantly stable and an indefinitely increasing sink is an unrealistic goal and linking the fulfilment of the EU 2040 climate target to this approach will not deliver sufficient results. Maintaining or even enhancing the forest carbon sink for achieving the interim climate target by 2040 needs strong reconsideration. Besides an important role of the carbon sink component in climate policy, the EU needs to bring the focus on a holistic approach of closer integrating the forest-based value chain in climate policy via the substitution effect of its products via biogenic carbon. Supporting sustainable use of forests also enables the development of wood-based bioeconomy that is key in substituting the fossil economy. EU climate policies should give adequate tools for increasing forests growth. Growth can be accelerated by committing to active management and choosing best management methods depending on the site and location of the forest. The active and sustainable management of Nordic forests is a key component of meaningful action for climate change mitigation. Instead of continuous emphasis on static sink increasement, efforts should be put on long-term management of forests that is key in keeping forests well-growing and resilient also in the changing climate. The active and continuous sustainable management of family-owned forests is also key to ensure generational renewal in family-owned forestry operations: a key stakeholder group in Nordic rural economies. NSF sees the interim climate target under the European Climate Law as an important marker of the EUs ambitious transition path to a sustainable, competitive and resilient economy. Nordic family forest owners urge the Commission to design the upcoming EU Bioeconomy Strategy as an enabling policy framework to deploy the potential of forests and forestry to work for meaningful climate change mitigation which boosts a robust and resilient green economy in rural Europe.
Read full responseResponse to Towards a Circular, Regenerative and Competitive Bioeconomy
19 Jun 2025
The Nordic Family Forestry Alliance welcomes the Commissions goal to develop a new EU Bioeconomy Strategy. This is a unique opportunity to place the forest-based bioeconomy at the core of EU policy on competitiveness, strategic autonomy, and climate change mitigation. It is essential that the entire forest-based value chain is empowered to contribute fully to Europes growth, security, and climate goals - across all three pillars of sustainability. The urgent need to move away from fossil resources, combined with Europes new geopolitical reality, calls for solutions that ensure a reliable supply of locally sourced, sustainable, and renewable materials for a wide range of economic uses. As global partners accelerate development around bioeconomy, the EU must not fall behind but instead lead the way in a sustainable economic transition. To attract new investments, a long-term vision and strong political commitment are crucial. Nordic family forest owners call for a coherent and simplified EU bioeconomy framework, built on a harmonized and clear definition of the bioeconomy that incorporates circularity. Given the broad and varying interpretations of the term among policymakers, we emphasize that the forest-based bioeconomy encompasses the entire value chainfrom forest owners to diverse forest-based industries, covering all forest-derived products and services. Todays forest-based innovations enable the production of a wide array of wood-based materialsfrom construction materials and textile fibres to renewable fuels and bio-chemicalsall of which play a vital role in replacing fossil-based alternatives. Maximize resource efficiency: High-quality timber should be used for construction, while lower-quality wood can serve in pulp, paper, chemicals, textiles, and energy. Both are crucial for replacing fossil-based materials. Existing markets already implement this efficientlythere is no need to regulate the cascading principle. Boost circularity: Provide financial support for European companies investing in circular, bio-based solutions. Invest in applied research and innovation to utilize residual flows and address bottlenecks such as costly transport, poor logistics, and underdeveloped recycling systems. Fit-for-practice climate goals: EU climate targets must support the full use of products from sustainably managed multifunctional forests. Overemphasizing and relying on carbon sinks is not ideal, as they are not permanent. Instead, promote forest growth and sustainable management for the supply of climate-effective products, while recognizing the substitution effect. Bioenergy also has a role to play as a substitute for fossil energy. Market-based carbon initiatives: Develop carbon farming and nature credit schemes based on voluntary, market-driven solutions and existing systems where possible. See the need for market solutions and private sector! Simplify EU policy: Support sustainable biomass production and competitiveness by streamlining EU regulations. Nordic forest owners advocate for a simple, predictable, and market-friendly regulatory environment within EU. We support a circular bioeconomy omnibus package to simplify policies such as the EU Deforestation Regulation, RED III, and corresponding legislations on the forest-based bioeconomy. Promote existing approaches: The EU already has ambitious sustainability standards. RED III, EUDR, Bird and Habitats Directive and LULUCF are examples of legislations that all address sustainable sourcing of biomass. Rather than introducing new ones that could shift the wood production elsewhere, promote current measures through market incentives and integrate sustainable forest management into bioeconomy policies. Enhance strategic autonomy: European forests provide critical renewable and circular raw materials that support self-sufficiency across the forest-based value chain. To realize this potential, streamline investment and approval processes for EU-produced goods.
Read full responseMeeting with Ilaria Flores Martin (Cabinet of Commissioner Jessika Roswall)
27 Mar 2025 · Bioeconomy Strategy