Q&A: Questions about forestry

A large majority of the population believes that forests are important for the climate. And even more people like wood as a material—for example, in the home. At the same time, 20% believe that too many trees are being felled in Denmark, and 16% believe that wood production directly harms nature.

When the Partnership for Danish Forestry conducted a public opinion survey in 2023, it became clear that forestry faces an important task: to explain the connection between the trees in the forest and wood as a renewable resource that contributes to the green transition.

That’s why the partners—Hedeselskabet, the Danish Forest Association, the Wood and Furniture Industry, and the Forest Growers—launched a fundraising campaign for a public information initiative. The support has been strong, and the process is well underway.

VÆKST asked forest ranger and department head at HedeDanmark, Rasmus Willumsen, to elaborate on the need for more public education in 2024:

"Interest in the forest has increased significantly, and that’s due to all the important agendas—climate, biodiversity, sustainability, self-sufficiency, groundwater, and outdoor recreation. The forest plays a role in all of these areas. Many people have an opinion about the forest—and there’s a large, mixed chorus of wishes, ideas, and views on how the forest should be used and managed.
As a major forest manager, we believe it’s important to put the facts on the table. It’s fine to have opinions, but they should be based on facts. That’s why there’s a need to inform the general public about forestry.

What is the biggest misconception about forestry that you encounter?

There are actually two major misconceptions. One is that the forest can only be used for one purpose. Many people have a very one-sided view of what they personally think is most important. But it is entirely possible to both cultivate timber, increase self-sufficiency, and at the same time do something for the climate and biodiversity.

In Denmark, we import about 70–75% of all the raw wood we use. That’s why we need to produce more ourselves, which also helps us absorb more CO₂—especially when we produce more high-quality wood. We want to increase the share of wood used for long-lasting purposes, where you get the full substitution effect. Wood embedded in a home for 50 or 70 years stores the CO₂ for just as long. We also have areas in the forest without production, where we work to improve biodiversity.

That’s the multifaceted approach we’re working on from our side and trying to bring into the debate, saying: it’s not either-or, it’s both-and.

The second big misconception is that it’s wrong to cultivate the forest. But by removing the weakened and unhealthy trees, we ensure that the forest stays healthy—and the remaining trees don’t grow less, as some believe. Quite the opposite, actually.

There’s an inherent resistance in some people to interfering with nature. Sometimes machine operators are yelled at for cutting down a tree, and that’s a rather unfortunate misunderstanding.

Why do these misconceptions persist in an age with so much information?

-Because we’re drowning in information – and that happens in two ways. We can access deep knowledge about the big, complex connections that this is all about, but very few people have the time to read it.

We’re also drowning in all the one-liners and short posts on various social media platforms. That’s why things become a bit black-and-white, where everyone stands firmly in their own right.

Is that really the biggest challenge?

-Yes, it’s the battle for people’s time and attention. When we’re out in the forest with people and there’s time to show and explain what we do, most of them think it makes good sense. They may still have opinions about how much or how little should be harvested, and that’s fair enough.

I completely understand why those misconceptions exist out there—because I probably have them myself about subjects I don’t know much about or haven’t taken the time to properly understand.

What happens after the campaign – are the misconceptions then eradicated?

-This is a long, tough journey. But the campaign is a way to reach broadly across the country with the message and create understanding that if you think it’s positive to use wood, then it’s also okay to cut down trees.

It’s also our hope that the campaign won’t stand alone. Ideally, it should spark curiosity, dialogue, and debate. If we can start a conversation with those who believe it’s wrong to cultivate the forest, then we’ll have come a long way.

On October 1, 2024, all business units under Hedeselskabet changed their name to Dalgas. This includes HedeDanmark, HD 2412, HD NordicTrees, HD Silva, HD BioRec, HD Forest, HD Forest Germany, HD Seed, and HD LogSystems.