How the forest's many values can be developed in Västra Götaland 

Västra Götaland Forest Program Annual Conference 2025 

Around sixty participants from research, industry, government agencies, municipal associations, and innovation environments gathered at the Västra Götaland Forest Program's annual conference. The day provided a broad and up-to-date picture of the region's significant forest values and generated many concrete ideas on how to strengthen development going forward. 

“We have made it clear that Västra Götaland is a forest county – and that forests are an important part of sustainable regional development. The work with the Forest Program has contributed to working methods and skills from other areas of strength in Västra Götaland being able to strengthen the forest bioeconomy. The partnership in the program is one of our greatest strengths and is crucial for continued progress, says Gustaf Zettergren, chair of the Västra Götaland Forest Program and the region's head of research, transition, and skills. 

A national perspective on the transition 

The conference began with a national perspective, with Sverker Danielsson, deputy program manager for Vinnova's major strategic innovation program BioInnovation and program manager for Formas' newly launched research and innovation program, BioSociety, providing an overview of Sweden's path toward a circular bioeconomy by 2050. He described how technological developments, new bio-based materials, increased timber construction, circular flows, more durable products, and more efficient and advanced value added can change the playing field for both industry and primary production, and the many opportunities that exist for the country as a whole.

Västra Götaland – a forest county 

This was followed by the regional perspective. Christian Lindell, strategist from the Västra Götaland region, presented new statistics showing that Västra Götaland is indeed a rich forest county. Some examples: 

• A high proportion of private forest owners compared to the rest of the country
• High employment in forest-related industries plus a high multiplier effect
• Geographical spread that makes the industry important for the entire county
• Important hubs for R&D development are established in the county 

Emil Bengtsson, district manager at the Swedish Forest Agency, described how the Forest Program has strengthened cooperation between forestry and other stakeholders in Västra Götaland and led to initiatives such as Skogens Kraft and Arena Skog. Together, these have helped to raise the region's profile and visibility as a forest county. 

Development, innovation, and new value chains 

A key issue during the conference was how forest resources can be used more broadly and create more types of value. 

Magnus Ljung, operations manager at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and active in the Skogens Kraft project, presented insights from a recent study on forest multi-users – entrepreneurs who use forest resources for tourism, crafts, small-scale processing, cultivation, nature conservation, or cultural and service activities. They are entrepreneurial, location-bound, and innovative, but need business support that better matches their reality. 

The many opportunities offered by digitalization in forestry were highlighted by Patrik André, Business Development Manager for Digitalization at the Swedish Forest Agency, who demonstrated how high-resolution data enables precision forestry, new services in environmental analysis, and better data for planning and optimization. 

Two speakers provided important insights related to construction and design: 

• Urban Blomster, market director, Södra Building Systems – on the increasingly strong trend toward timber construction, where greater knowledge, technology, legislation, and sustainability requirements are driving the transition. There is much to learn from Denmark, where clients' limits for climate benefits and the use of sanctions if these are not met will drive development, and where medium-sized construction companies are at the forefront in Sweden.  
 
• Vera Telemo, development strategist at Mötesplats Steneby – on the From Forest to Chair project and the potential of linking regional raw materials to the Swedish furniture and interior design industry by developing new value chains from the forest, utilizing residual flows, and strengthening reuse. 

Startups and investments – important pieces of the puzzle

The forest innovation system is developing rapidly, and several speakers highlighted the importance of strengthening support for new companies and early-stage ideas. 

Pelle Berglund, business developer at BizMaker, shared insights into what is needed for startups in the forest bioeconomy to move from idea to market. He emphasized the importance of long-term business support, access to testing and development environments, and collaboration between academia, industry, and investors, and was able to showcase many interesting startups that have or have had support from BizMaker.  

Fredrik Tärnberg, Investment Manager at Södra Ädla, described how they work to strengthen companies with the potential to build new value chains around forestry. He pointed out that interest among investors is growing, but that success requires clear business models, access to raw materials, and an understanding of the complex flows in the forestry value chain. Södra's portfolio currently includes two companies that are at the forefront of digitalization, automation, and drone technology.   

Magnus Tuvendal, senior environmental consultant at Calluna, presented Green Impact Framework – a new tool that helps investors assess the ecological benefits of early-stage companies. The framework makes it possible to identify innovations that actually strengthen biological values and ensure that environmental benefits are not just an ambition, but a measurable part of business development. 

One conclusion from the presentations is that there are several areas of expertise where Västra Götaland is well placed to both contribute to the development of and attract new forest-based businesses. 

Roundtable discussions that pointed the way forward 

The conference concluded with thematic roundtable discussions that provided input on areas where development could be accelerated: 

• Making forest data available
• New value chains for specialised ranges for furniture and interiors
• About timber construction and furniture production
• Business development support for multi-use operators
• Stronger links between forest owners, companies and innovation environments
• Sustainable investments that drive new solutions 

Innovatum Science Park is now working on these proposals together with the parties involved in the Forest Program. 

"We see great opportunities in linking the forest value chain with the many skilled players in Västra Götaland's innovation system, who have both commercial and technical expertise in areas that are in demand in forestry development. The roundtable discussions showed that many players want the same thing – to create more value from the forest, with greater regional benefits and more sustainable solutions, says Karin Stenlund, process leader for the Västra Götaland Forest Program at Innovatum Science Park. 

– I am taking several things away with me. In terms of digitalization, we made it clear that we can contribute regionally to making important data available to both forest owners and innovative companies. Similar concrete ideas emerged in several areas on the agenda. Last but not least, I take with me the participants' commitment and constructive approach to each other's sometimes differing interests in the forest – something that bodes well for continued development, says Gustaf Zettergren, chair of the forest program steering group .