This is the first edition of a report on statistics on forest seeds and plant material in the Nordic countries. The report is primarily based on country reports (2013-2020), from the Nordic cooperation, through NordGen Forest Regeneration Council. In addition, the statistics has been complemented by data from Skogsstyrelsen (SE), LUKE (FI), Icelandic Forest Service (IS), Finnish Food Authority Ruokavirasto (FI), Naturstyrelsen (DK) and Skogfrøverket (NO). 

It varies which periods we had data from for the different countries and which type of data that was available. The latest data included are from 2019. In this edition we have tried to find comparable species groups and types of data to report. For this first version of the report the aim is to make use of the data which are already at hand. For future reports more coherent data is expected. 

Gunnar Friis Proschowsky (Chair), Torben Leisgaard, Antti Lännenpää, Tina Ylioja, Brynjar Skúlason, Hallur S. Björgvinsson, Nina Hårdnes Tremoen, Espen Stokke, Ellinor Edvardsson, Claes Uggla.

Members of the NordGen Forest regeneration Council, Thomas Solvin, Inger Sundheim Fløistad, Kjersti Bakkebø Fjellstad.

Please contact NordGen Forest if you are interested in further statistics, see "About This Publication" for contact information.

In the Nordic countries, forests have always played an important role. Forests provide wood and bioenergy, protection against wind and erosion, support biodiversity and act as carbon dioxide sinks, as well as important arenas for outdoor recreation and human health. When it comes to climate change, the forest is especially important because it binds carbon dioxide throughout its lifetime. In addition, timber can replace other materials that give large emissions when produced.

Forest regeneration after harvest may be executed differently in the Nordic countries, and for the various species, either by natural regeneration using seed-trees, by direct sowing or by planting of seedlings

Seedlings are in this context very young trees, perhaps one or two years old, that have been grown from seeds in a nursery.

. For the main commercial species, planting of seedlings based on genetically improved seeds are used when such seeds are available.

This report aims at giving an overview of the use of seeds and seedlings in the Nordic countries, with key statistics from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

Choice of species for forest production varies across the Nordic region based on which tree species are naturally occurring and which thrive and produce under different climatic conditions. This, and the fact that data are scarce, makes comparisons difficult across countries. For some species and countries, data are put together, for others, data are presented for single countries only.

As an overview of the most important species in the production chain for the different countries the amount of seedlings delivered to the forestry in 2019 is shown below (Figure 1).

In Finland, Sweden and Norway the two conifers Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) make up most of the plant production for forestry. Norway spruce makes the biggest share for commercial production of these two due to the large extent of natural regeneration and direct seeding of pine. Sweden has the largest forest area while Norway has the smallest among these three countries.