Paper industry welcomes reward for climate protection services

"Forestry makes an enormous contribution to climate protection. This should be rewarded by the state and society in order to stabilise the economic basis of forest owners," explained the chairman of the Forestry and Wood Committee in the Association of German Paper Mills (VDP), Wolfgang Beck.

"At the same time, there must be a commitment to the economic use of our forests, which provide the renewable raw material wood for a number of important value chains - including the paper industry."

In this context, Beck referred to the growing demands on the forest. Forestry is facing the great challenge of conversion to more climate-stable forests. At the same time, it is expected to maintain the protective and recreational function of the forest. Forestry cannot achieve this if the economic use of forests is further restricted.

The deputy chair of the committee, Otto Bruder, emphasised the importance of cooperation in establishing climate-resilient forests. "The capacity of forestry associations must be strengthened in order to meet the special challenges in times of climate change. To this end, existing bureaucratic obstacles would also have to be dismantled."

Further information can be found in the corresponding position paper of the German pulp and paper industry.