IKEA allocates 16,000 hectares of forests for researchFriday 23 May 2025
In this research project, Inter IKEA Group, Ingka Group (the largest IKEA retailer), the European Forest Institute (EFI), and Preferred by Nature together will explore opportunities for biodiversity and climate-smart forestry across various forest types in Europe, starting in forests owned by IKEA businesses in Latvia. Inter IKEA Group and Ingka Group are funding the research project, as well as allocating 16,000 hectares of forest land for testing the different models and alternative solutions. The collaboration partners will apply science-based insights by adjusting existing forest management methods to selected forests where they identify opportunities for improvement. The aim is to improve the forest's resilience and biodiversity by combining existing scientific and practical knowledge with traditional and new forest management methods. Techniques that will be investigated and included in the pilot are: closer-to-nature forestry, continuous cover forestry, and other practices that incorporate climate change mitigation, adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and the provision of other ecosystem services. “At IKEA, we recognise the vital role that forests and nature play in helping mitigate climate change. Climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation are closely connected. As a large user of wood, we want to contribute to protecting the valuable forests where we operate. In this project, together with our partners EFI and Preferred by Nature, we will investigate how forest management can adapt to changing climate conditions and contribute to climate change mitigation and increased biodiversity,” says Mikhail Tarasov, Inter IKEA Group Head of Forestry. “Our ultimate aim is to scale these successful solutions across the forests we own or source from, and to improve forest management standards going beyond the wood sourced for the IKEA business,” he explains. “It is of paramount importance to adapt sustainable forest management practices to cope with disturbances and extreme events caused by climate change, and to safeguard biodiversity to ensure enhanced forest resilience”, says Marcus Lindner, Head of EFI’s Resilience Programme. “In collaboration with IKEA and Preferred by Nature, EFI will review the scientific evidence for climate and biodiversity smart forest management and develop the scientific basis to support the development of new adaptive management strategies.” More >> Source & image credit: IKEA | ||
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