SWEDEN - 2011

The Used stamp is from a Meeting Card Anjaaustel sent me! Thank you very much, Anja!

Date of Issue: 24.03.2011

Those Mint stamps are coming from Andres, a good Farmville Friend ;)

I just saw that the Swedish post office also issued some maxicards - if someone has the chance to get them... I would be a happy receiver ;)

Birch and spruce in the spotlight on Sweden's Europa stamps, International Year of the Forests 2011

“The best part about International Year of the Forests is that it inspires us to take a more comprehensive approach to our forests - from ecology and outdoor life to finance and forestry,” says Peter Bergman, landscape ecologist at the state-owned forestry giant, Sveaskog, which owns one-sixth of Sweden's forests.
Together with a handful of colleagues across the country, he is responsible for ensuring that Sveaskog's operations do not jeopardize the longevity and sustainability of the country's forests. An impressive 20 percent of the company’s forests have been earmarked for ecological diversity.
Around half of the 58,000 species found in Sweden call the forest their home, including mushrooms, animals, plants and trees.
The International Year of the Forests theme will be echoed in Posteurop's member countries. The theme for this year's Europa stamps is the forest. Sweden Post has chosen close-ups of the birch and spruce for its stamps.
Peter Bergman explains why the structure of these types of trees is different.
“All ligneous trees consist of fibers. The fibers of coniferous woods are long while the fibers of deciduous woods are short. From an economic perspective, this is of significance for the quality of the paper each wood produces. Initially, paper pulp was made exclusively from coniferous wood, but it was eventually discovered that a mixture of coniferous and deciduous woods gives the best result, a discovery that more or less saved the birch population.”
Swedish forests are predominantly home to coniferous trees; deciduous trees only make up a few percent. The spruce is a favorite at Christmastime, but the pale birch, which requires full sun, holds a special place in the hearts of Swedes all year long.