Thread by @emmawiesner

Dear Vice President @TimmermansEU, I am a new MEP listening to you yesterday when you visited @RenewEurope in @Europarl_EN. As we didn’t have time yesterday when we discussed forest, I will continue my reply here and in this short thread - and also ask you a question. 🌲🌲🌲

There is a lot in the EU right now that will affect forestry: a new Forest Strategy, a revision of the Renewable Energy Directive, LULUCF, a new deforestation legislation, legally binding EU nature restoration targets, a new taxonomy and EU legislation on forestry. (1/10)

My colleagues pointed out that all of the proposed legislation can danger the forest sector and that it goes beyond the EU competence. Dear Vice President, you said: “You never argue back when I take up the issue on biodiversity loss". Well, this is simply not true. (2/10)

Here is a short version of the answer for you: Biodiversity takes time. It’s not something that happens over a day. Therefore, neither protection or banning clearcutting helps tomorrow. Instead of blaming the sector for not caring, you must over time work with it. (3/10)

Now you only diverted from the people in the forest-sector, burning bridges instead of building bridges. You have to acknowledge that there is not one “European Forest”, and the forest are very diversified. (4/10)

Regardless of what you think, the condition of Sweden’s forest is in fact increasing every day. Since Sweden changed the law in the 90s, making the goals for production and environmental equal, the sustainability of the forest and forestry has increased drastically. (5/10)

Biodiversity is not black and white. Every day, hundreds of thousands of people work to improve sustainability. Developing new machinery’s, building better roads and training on how to take even more environmental care when harvesting. (6/10)

Immense improvements on biodiversity have been made. Now, let me give you just a few example on how the prerequisite for biodiversity and the state of the forest improves in Sweden: (7/10)

- the amount of dead wood in the forest has increased a lot, and is increasing. This is important for biodiversity (7a/10)

- the age of forest becomes older and more diverted, as forest owners voluntary, without any compensation, leave areas untouched when harvesting (7b/10)

- If 🇸🇪 would count protected areas like 🇩🇪, 46 % of the forest area would be protected, instead of 26 % which is officially reported (7c/10)

- The amount of leaf-dominated wood has increased by 50 % since the 80s (7d/10)

Also, you said that trees are cut down to be chopped and burned. This is a myth. Forest owners are not growing trees for energy, for several reasons (i.e. market value). Bio-residues however, are used to replace fossil energy - something I believe is very beneficial. (8/10)

We are extremely worried for all of the EU-legislation that in the coming years will hamper the development of the forestry and slow down substitution of fossil fuels. And we are worried, because we don’t feel that the @EU_Commission either care or wants to listen to us. (9/10)

So, dear @TimmermansEU. I would gladly talk with you about the forest, the biodiversity and how we can work together. I will be in Strasbourg next week for the plenary - how about a coffee then?☕️ (10/10)