Västra Götaland Forest Program Annual Conference 2025
How can forest resources create more value through timber construction, processing, and new business models? These were some of the questions discussed when the Västra Götaland Forest Program brought together around 60 stakeholders from industry, research, government agencies, municipal associations, and innovation environments for its annual conference.
The day clearly showed that Västra Götaland is a strong forestry region – with good conditions for developing new value chains where industrial timber construction plays a central role.
"We have made it clear that Västra Götaland is a forest county – and that forests are an important part of sustainable regional development. The partnership in the Forest Program is absolutely crucial for continued progress," says Gustaf Zettergren, chair of the steering group for the Västra Götaland Forest Program.
Wood construction, innovation, and new value chains
Urban Blomster, Södra Building Systems, described how timber construction is developing rapidly, driven by increased sustainability requirements, technical maturity, and clearer requirements from clients. Experience from Denmark shows how climate requirements and follow-up can accelerate the transition.
Vera Telemo, Mötesplats Steneby, highlighted the project From Forest to Chair and the potential of linking regional forest raw materials to the furniture and interior design industry through better utilization of residual flows and circular flows.
Digitalization and startups
Digitalization is an important enabler. Patrik André, Swedish Forest Agency, showed how more accessible forest data can streamline value chains and create new services.
Startups and investments were also highlighted as crucial to development. BizMaker and Södra Ädla described how new companies are driving innovation in the forest bioeconomy – but also the need for capital, test environments, and long-term business support.
Next step
The roundtable discussions identified common areas for development, including:
- New value chains for timber construction and furniture production
- stronger links between forest owners, industry, and innovation environments
"We see great opportunities in linking the forestry value chain with Västra Götaland's strong innovation system," says Karin Stenlund, process manager for the Västra Götaland Forestry Program at Innovatum Science Park.
Dan Oscarson (Södra), Sven Callenberg (LRF), and Lars Hartmann (Verkstadsbolaget) at the annual conference of the Västra Götaland Forestry Program