Skogsvalet: Protecting Sweden’s Old-Growth forests

In collaboration with Greenpeace Sweden and Skydda Skogen, we designed the graphic identity of their election campaign, Skogsvalet. The campaign runs until the Swedish elections in September of 2026, to inform the public on the views of each party regarding forests in Sweden, and a petition and demand to legislatively protect the last continuous forests in Sweden. 

In the largest sense, the goal of this project was to protect Sweden’s last remaining old-growth forests. Forests that, if they remain unprotected, will be gone in 26 years.¹ Forests upon which 43% of Sweden’s red-listed species depend.² Forests that store 83% more CO2 than the plantation forests replacing them.³

A case study in Swedish Forestry

When coming here to Sweden for our studies, we had the expectation of entering a country full of nature and wildlife. The endless forests and big lakes, free-living moose and reindeer, and tons of blueberries, apples, and fruits, waiting to be harvested. A social and ecological utopia of everything that could be.

This picture crumbled once we took a deeper look into Sweden’s natural wonderland. Talking with local foresters from Småland, made us reflect on the question “What is Nature?”. Especially in southern Sweden, where no forest has been left untouched or uncultivated within the past century. All of these so-called ‘forests’ were monoculture tree plantations with an attached expiry date.

Sweden has a reputation of being in the forefront of sustainable development and eco-forward thinking, but in reality, Sweden is felling old-growth forests at a faster rate than deforestation in the Amazon (in proportion to the land area cover).⁴ Between 2003 and 2019, 20% of all clear-cut forests in Sweden were old-growth,

which in 2022 meant that by 2070 the last of Sweden’s unprotected old-growth boreal forests would be logged, to be replaced by spruce and pine monoculture plantations.^5,6,7 Now the Swedish Forestry Agency reports that this could happen within 26 years instead, 18 years earlier than the 2022 prediction.¹ Yes, Sweden plants more trees than it cuts down, but what good does this do when the resulting forests are less resilient to climate change, disease, pests, and extreme weather events?^8,9 And let’s consider the carbon sequestered in old-growth forests, which store 83% more CO₂ than the monoculture plantations replacing them.³ Clearcutting these forests destroys Sweden’s most valuable carbon sinks. The Swedish Forestry Model fragments what remains of old-growth forests, destroying the corridors between protected habitats, which are necessary for species to reproduce and on which many species of insects, fungi, lichens, and moss rely.^6,8 Furthermore, despite the belief that the forestry sector is one of the biggest contributors to the Swedish economy, the Forestry sector alone (the management and harvesting of trees) generally accounts for only 0.6% to 0.8% of Sweden’s total GDP. Forestry combined with primary wood processing and pulp/paper industries,  accounts for up to 2% to 3% of Sweden’s total GDP.¹⁰

A full fact sheet and case study reviewing the current state of forestry in Sweden can be read here.

FactSheet_SwedishForestry

The factsheet was also shared with various international newspapers and social media accounts to raise awareness of the current situation and to hold Sweden’s forestry industry accountable. In line with this research, we also conducted a survey to gauge knowledge of Swedish forestry in Sweden and Europe. Swedish people were, in general, more critical of the industry and clear-cuts, in line with recent media coverage on forestry and its destructive practices in Sweden, further endorsing the need for these opinions to be reflected within parliament.

A field trip with Sebastian Kirppu was a highlight of the project. It taught us so much about what remains unseen and taught us how we can start teaching ourselves how to see. On the last evening, we went to one of Sebastian’s favorite places: an observation tower surrounded by protected old-growth forest. I remember standing there and starting to understand. The trees were no longer just living wood; they felt more like individuals. Old and wise species, standing there with calm and patience for hundreds of years. Their leaves and branches swaying with the wind. How can we even cut those trees, so much older than us, so innocent and peaceful. How can we as humans think we own this ecosystem? It’s so alive. Suddenly, I felt a little bit of home in the forest with all the other animals, mushrooms, trees, and insects.  And then I realised I only got a glimpse of this whole new world. How would it feel if you spent months or even years visiting those forests? Sebastian’s unwavering love for the forest seems more tangible than ever.

It is hard to find a balance between artistic and paradigm-shifting approaches and the systems of the real world. This trip with Sebastian was one of those instances where our artistic minds were fueled as well as our knowledge of practical ecology and the status of old-growth forest conservation in Sweden. we started working with the Skogsvalet campaign, this proved to be invaluable.

Skogsvalet

We were working with Greenpeace and Skydda Skogen (Protect the Forest) to design their new campaign, Skogsvalet. An election guide for voters, and a petition to demand the protection of the last continuous forests in Sweden. This campaign is on Instagram in form of carousel posts and celebrity collab reels, which we think was the most effective way to create awareness of the campaign and its goals. This is especially the case as we’re working with Greenpeace Sweden and Skydda Skogen, who have over 49,000 and 9,038 followers respectively on Instagram alone. The celebrity/influencer collaborations have the potential to engage more viewers with the campaign, for example Greta Thunberg who is endorsing the campaign. There will also be a website (www.skogsvalet.se) for people to sign the petition and explore the election guide.

Furthermore, we still believe in creating international pressure on Swedish forest companies to generate accountability and potential for change. This was also supported in conversation with Griff Griffith and Sebastian Kirppu, who both have experience in protecting old-growth forests, by reaching out to European press and organizations to call out Swedish Forestry we can hold Sweden accountable. sharing our fact sheet to give an introduction to the current situation we invite the organizations to investigate and expose what is happening within Swedish forests.

Reliability through precise and factual research about Swedish forests and red-listed species was a core component of this project. Going up against the industry, we know that our claims will be scrutinized and picked apart, so we made sure that everything was factual, from a reliable source, and indisputably true.

References

1. Andersson, C., Karlsson, S., Liljewall, E., & Aberg, J. (2026). Biologisk mångfald i skogen. In Skogsstyrelsen. Skogsstyrelsen. https://www.skogsstyrelsen.se/globalassets/om-oss/rapporter/rapporter-2026/rapport-2026-07-biologisk-mangfald-i-skogen.pdf
2. Sahlin, M., & Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. (2011). Under the cover of the Swedish forestry model. Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. https://cdn.naturskyddsforeningen.se/uploads/2021/05/11103937/Under-the-Cover-of-the-Swedish-Forestry-Model_l_C3_A5guppl_C3_B6st.pdf
3. Garthwaite, J. (2026, March 19). A “shocking” carbon discovery in Sweden’s forests. Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability; Stanford University. https://sustainability.stanford.edu/news/shocking-carbon-discovery-swedens-forests
4. Ahlström, A., & Canadell, P. (2024, March 13). Sweden has vast “old growth” forests – but they are being chopped down faster than the Amazon. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/sweden-has-vast-old-growth-forests-but-they-are-being-chopped-down-faster-than-the-amazon-218753
5. Global Forest Watch. (2025). Sweden Deforestation Rates & Statistics | GFW. Global Forest Watch. https://www.globalforestwatch.org/dashboards/country/SWE/
6. Ahlström, A., Canadell, J. G., & Metcalfe, D. B. (2022). Widespread Unquantified Conversion of Old Boreal Forests to Plantations. Earth’s Future, 10(11). https://doi.org/10.1029/2022ef003221
7. Fern. (2020, May 13). Sweden: taking forestry back to the future. Fern.org; Fern. https://www.fern.org/id/publications-insight/article/sweden-taking-forestry-back-to-the-future-2140/
8. Andersson, J., Säfve, V., & Aparicio, H. (2025). FOREST MONITOR – A tool to monitor and protect EU’s natural forest heritage. In Forest Monitor. Skydda Skogen. https://skyddaskogen.se/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/forestmonitorreport2025-26-may.pdf
9. Liu, C. L. C., Kuchma, O., & Krutovsky, K. V. (2018). Mixed-species versus monocultures in plantation forestry: Development, benefits, ecosystem services and perspectives for the future. Global Ecology and Conservation, 15(15). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2018.e00419
10. Sveriges Riksdag. (2025). En robust skogspolitik för aktivt skogsbruk, del 1 (Statens offentliga utredningar 2025:93). Riksdagen.se. https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/statens-offentliga-utredningar/en-robust-skogspolitik-for-aktivt-skogsbruk-del-1_hdb393/html/