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Forests provide an abundant, locally available and environmentally renewable source of fuel. However, their utilization has to be sustainable on an ecological, economic and social basis to ensure that future generations can utilize the forest resources with the same intensity. The benefits of wood as a fuel have been known throughout history and forests have undergone periods of heavy exploitation. Today, attitudes towards the forest have changed considerably, and in developed countries the health of the forest ecosystem has become an important topic on the agenda of environmentalists, politicians and society at large.

The Nordic and Baltic countries have a high share of forest and other wooded land per capita, 2.8 and 1.1 ha per capita respectively. In Europe as a whole the share of forest and other wooded land per capita is even smaller at 0.7 ha. This illustrates the large amount of resources available …