No fewer than 26 of the EU’s 27 Member States were represented by their respective Chief Officers of Plant Health and other European Commission staff, with the delegation totalling around 60 people. During the visit to Setra Nyby, they were given presentations on how the modern wood industry works. Setra uses 100 percent of each log to make climate-friendly products, with many of these being exported to customers around the world.
“The plant protection officers were very interested in how we at Setra work with the traceability of wood, the drying process and sustainability at all stages. Many of the questions were about plant pests, how to prevent their spread, the effects of climate change on drying, and the importance and use of biomass in Sweden,” says Melanie Sjögren.
The group was also given a tour of the sawmill and drying process at Setra Nyby.
“Many of the visitors had never been to a modern sawmill before and they enjoyed seeing how the whole process works. It was good to be able to link together the entire value chain, from the forest through to the finished wood products,” says Jonas Lantz, Mill Manager at Setra Nyby.
The day began in a logging area outside Uppsala where staff from SLU and Mellanskog ran various stations with information on sustainable forestry, forest planting and harvesting, and pest control.
The visit was organised by the Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure together with the Swedish Board of Agriculture, in cooperation with SLU, Mellanskog and Setra. This was one of a series of meetings under the Swedish Presidency and was aimed at the EU’s Chief Officers of Plant Health (COPHS). The purpose of the visit was, among other things, to discuss issues of a strategic nature with the aim of preventing the introduction and spread of plant pests covered by the Plant Protection Act.
Caption: The EU plant protection managers visited Setra Nyby on 23 May. They got to see how a modern wood industry works with sustainability, traceability and drying of wood.
