Naujienos

Some 6000 forest owners, LRF (Federation of Swedish Farmers) members and others, gathered on March 31 to show their support to private forest owners struck by the January storm disaster. The occasion demonstrates the great sympathy and goodwill felt for the victims and the great importance of the forest industry not only to the economy but also to the whole society.

– We have now been informed that the government and the cooperating parties will meet our most important short-term demand. This consists of a tax relief to the forest owners involved, of 5 euro 50 cent per cubic metre of timber blown down by the storm. This promise is one step on the way, and we appreciate it. But the precise form that this support measure will take is important. We would expect this subsidy to be granted to each private forest owner involved, regardless of his or her tax situation, said Ms Caroline Trapp, chairperson of LRF, in her opening speech.
Two forest owners described the ways in which the gales hit them.
– The future will not be as we had envisaged it. The remains of what we felt was our security for the future are lying there in the forest, said Mari Sander, chairperson of the board for the Södra forestry region in Eksjö-Ydre.

Forest owner Thomas Andersson, LRF Sydost (south east region), told a tale of hard work after the disaster struck, made even harder by the simultaneous failure of the electricity supply and telephone connections.
– Many issues raised by us are still unsolved: reforestation, power and telephones, the mobile phone network, the state of minor roads. These are questions of great importance to us who live and work in the country. It is important that society continues to show its solidarity with us in the long term, said Thomas Magnusson.

Representatives from all political parties attended the meeting. Infrastructure minister Ulrica Messing said that the big job is still to be tackled.
– Sweden shall continue to be a great and important forestry nation, Messing stated, and brought up reforestation as the next great common task.