Preserving the forest by leaving it standing
When Fredrik Möller co-founded FightCOtwo, the idea was simple: what if forest owners could make money by preserving their forests, rather than clearcutting them? Today, that idea has grown into a fully-fledged climate financing project aimed at protecting Sweden’s boreal forests – home to some of the country’s richest biodiversity and most threatened ecosystems.
“As we dug deeper into this first idea, we realised just how fast our natural old-growth forests were vanishing. That’s when we knew we had to act,” says Möller.
The Boreal Mix approach
The result of that decision is Boreal Mix, a nature-based solution developed under the ARR (Avoided Regeneration and Restoration) project category. The concept is to offer annual financial compensation to forest owners who choose to preserve their mature forests – typically 110 to 130 years old, rather than harvesting them. The compensation reflects both the carbon storage and biodiversity value of these forests.
“This type of forest has never been clearcut,” Möller explains. “That means it often has much higher biodiversity than younger plantation forests. When you clearcut, you lose up to 90% of the biodiversity and a lot of those species never come back, even after a couple hundred years.”
The goal is to protect these forests until they reach an average age of 180 years, at which point they become formally protected by Swedish law and can no longer be cut down. Boreal Mix signs long-term contracts – between 30 and 49 years – with landowners to bridge that gap.
Making preservation financially viable
At the heart of the project lies a complex financial challenge: replacing the short-term profit of clearcutting with long-term income for landowners.
“Most of the income today comes from clearcutting,” Möller says. “If we want to preserve forests, we have to provide an economically viable alternative. We’re building a mechanism that lets forest owners earn money by not cutting down their trees – and gives companies a way to invest in high-quality preservation with clear carbon and biodiversity outcomes.”
According to Möller, the interest from landowners is strong. “There are so many forest owners who don’t want to clearcut, but they need to make ends meet. We’re here to help them do that in a way that’s better for the planet.”
Why biodiversity matters
One of the central aspects of the Boreal Mix model is that it doesn’t just measure tonnes of CO₂ – it also accounts for ecosystem richness. But quantifying biodiversity isn’t straightforward.
“In a clearcut forest, you’ll mostly find monocultures,” Möller explains. “The richness is gone. A healthy environment contains a diverse set of species, and that’s what we’re trying to preserve.”
The effects of biodiversity loss ripple far beyond the forests. Möller draws a line from disappearing lichens and insects to struggling reindeer herders and collapsing ecosystems in the Baltic Sea. “It’s all connected. If we lose the insects, we lose the birds. If we lose the birds, the whole system collapses. And once it’s gone, we can’t bring it back.”
He notes that one particularly stark example is the 70% decline in lichens – the main winter food source for reindeer – due to clearcutting. “Now, herders are forced to truck their reindeer between feeding sites and even use artificial feed. It’s a completely unnatural system.”
Creating high-integrity projects
Möller is clear that while the concept is simple, executing it is not. “It’s damn complicated,” he says. “There’s a lot of regulation, standards, and methodology involved. You have to make it scientifically sound and financially solid. Everything needs to hold up to scrutiny.”
Still, the challenge is worth it. FightCOtwo’s ambition is to bring high-quality, nature-positive projects to the voluntary carbon market that go beyond emissions – they actively protect what’s left of Sweden’s original forests and offer long-term value for climate, biodiversity, and communities.
“We can’t just keep talking about sustainability goals for 2030 or 2045,” Möller says. “We need to act now. That’s what Boreal Mix is about.”
Why Atmoz chooses to partner with Boreal Mix
Boreal Mix exemplifies the high-integrity, science-backed nature-based solutions that Atmoz champions. We are committed to supporting projects that not only deliver measurable climate benefits but also embody the highest standards of ecological integrity and community impact. We value the approach to nature preservation that goes beyond carbon to safeguard ecosystems and biodiversity.
