Svenska Skogsplantor to Stop Using Chemical Pine Weevil Treatments
Svenska Skogsplantor (SSP) have decided to stop using chemical pesticides against pine weevils on the plants in their nurseries. This decision will apply to all deliveries from the spring of 2020 onwards.
"We believe we can offer an equally good alternative that provides the same high level of protection. Conniflex protects plants throughout the most critical infestation periods and the cost is comparable to treatment with chemical pesticides, with an equal level of protection", says Roger Johansson, business area manager for Svenska Skogsplantor.
SSP developed Conniflex several years ago in order to offer a plant treatment that’s free from chemical pesticides. Over 300 million plants have been successfully treated with Conniflex over the years, with very positive results. With this decision, SSP is taking the step of completely stopping all chemical pine weevil treatments on the plants in their own nurseries.
"We’ve invested large sums in the development of our product lines to be able to phase out chemical pine weevil control and it feels great to finally take this step. This is a question of ensuring sustainable forestry for workers and the environment, and as a leading player within the industry we want to lead the way towards sustainable development," says Roger Johansson.
Svenska Skogsplantor will continue to buy chemically treated plants from other suppliers in a transition period. But these plants will only make up around 12 per cent of total sales. With its large purchasing power, Svenska Skogsplantor is also working on very quickly switching to more environmentally friendly protection for these plants, too.
About Conniflex
In 2005, Sveaskog decided to finance the continuing development of an alternative form of pine weevil control and to acquire a patent for this new method. Sveaskog chose Svenska Skogsplantor to run the project and turn their idea into an actual working treatment method. After a series of large-scale tests, an environmentally friendly form of pine weevil control, Conniflex, was finally presented to the market in 2010. The product consists of a sand and water-based adhesive that functions as a kind of protective armour around the stem of the plant. Pine weevils can neither bite away the sand grains nor chew through them. It’s both effective and environmentally friendly at the same time. After treating 320 million plants, we now have a very effective protective treatment and the opportunity to leave chemical pesticides behind.
For more information, please contact:
Roger Johansson, Business Area Director, Svenska Skogsplantor, Tel: +46 70-686 18 22,
Email: roger.johansson@skogsplantor.se
Tom Jägestedt, Communications Manager, Svenska Skogsplantor, Tel: +46 10-544 97 30,
Email: tom.jagestedt@skogsplantor.se
About Svenska Skogsplantor: Svenska Skogsplantor is one of the business areas within Sveaskog. Svenska Skogsplantor is the biggest and market-leading supplier of seeds, plants and regeneration services for Swedish forests. The company’s customers make up most of the Swedish forestry industry, as well as numerous owners of forests in Finland and Norway. Svenska Skogsplantor has a turnover of around 325 million Swedish Kronor. Read more at www.skogsplantor.se
About Sveaskog: Sveaskog is the leading forestry company in Sweden, selling timber, pulpwood, biofuel, forest plants and various forestry services. Sveaskog supplements its own range with products purchased from other forest owners, as well as exchanges and imports. In addition, we are also involved in land purchasing and we develop forests as spaces for fishing, hunting and other types of outdoor experiences. The forest and its resources make up our core business and sustainable development is central to everything we do. We have a turnover of 6.2 billion Swedish kronor and approximately 846 employees. We are owned by the Swedish state. www.sveaskog.se
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