EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ANNA FURNESS, CEO OF SKOGSENTREPRENÖRERNA
Taking Care of the Forest and the Trees By Sofie Kinnefors
Anna Furness. All photos: Skogsentreprenörerna
Swedish Association of Forestry Contractors (Skogsentreprenörerna) is tasked with supporting professional business owners working in and for the Swedish forest industry. Skogsentreprenörerna’s objectives are to ensure the health and well-being of an independent and profitable forest industry while respecting and maintaining Sweden’s highly regarded forestry. Swedish Press spoke to Anna Furness, CEO for Skogsentreprenörerna, about member benefits, the “Freedom to Roam“, and why she fell in love with the forest.
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Swedish Press | September 2020 14
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ith a slogan which for many years read “Din kompis i skogen” (Your friend in the forest), it is perhaps no surprise that Skogsentreprenörerna (SE), its employees and CEO care deeply not only for its members, but also about Nature and the forest industry. The company, which currently represents 70 percent of Sweden’s professional forestry contractors within the logging, silviculture and planning sectors, offers many benefits to its members. “We operate by offering advice, support and training packages in finance, law and management to members and other actors within forestry,” says Furness. “We also advice and support member negotiations and offer access to tools to facilitate our members’ businesses.” Furness describes how being selfemployed can be quite lonely. “Through Skogsentreprenörerna, members become part of one of Sweden’s and forestry’s strongest network for small businesses. They also gain access to an invaluable network.” Skogsentreprenörerna is headquartered in Stockholm but operates out of 25 Swedish locations, or so-
called sections, ranging from Hässleholm in Skåne to Överkalix in Norrbotten. Each section has its own board and chairman. Skogsentreprenörerna’s members regularly receive current information needed to run their forest companies through Skogsentreprenörerna’s magazine, emails and letters. Members are also encouraged to participate in the organization’s fairs and to connect with employees. “Our employees offer professional guidance in questions concerning the industry,” says Furness. She has worked as CEO for Skogsentreprenörerna since 2014. Her interest in Nature developed at an early age. “My attraction for the environment started during long walks in the countryside with my paternal grandmother. We picked all the flowers we could find! I also enjoyed listening to poetry and melancholic folk songs about the forest. Visa vid midsommartid (Du lindar av olvon en midsommarkrans) is a Swedish song from 1946 by Håkan Norlén and Rune Lindström. It was, and always will be, a favorite of mine.” Furness realized she wanted to become a forester during a school visit to “Skogens hus” at Stockholm’s outdoor museum Skansen. “We were introduced to a man who told us about the forest. He was a forester. I clearly remember the relief I felt when, at the age of ten, I understood that one could actually work with forestry as an adult.” The Stockholm native went on to study to be a forester at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, and to receive a Master’s Degree in industrial economy at The Faculty of Engineering, Department of Energy Sciences, in Lund. She also studied forestry engineering and management at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver for a year.
