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Asger Stragne Olesen (LinkedIn)
International Woodland Company (IWC) on LinkedIn
Today, I’m joined (for the second time) by Asger Strange Olesen, Global Head of Climate and Biodiversity at IWC AM+, and an independent expert deeply embedded in Europe’s forest policy arena. In this conversation, Asger explains why the EU has historically kept forestry out of the EU ETS, why voluntary forest carbon activity in Europe has remained limited, and what’s changing as the Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) builds the market infrastructure for EU carbon removals. We unpack the EU’s “declining sink” problem, the complexity of forest ownership across member states, and why Mario Draghi’s competitiveness agenda is pushing Europe toward leaner regulation—and clearer signals for investment. Finally, we explore what the CRCF is designed to enable (and what it still doesn’t solve), how it compares to existing standards, and why country-by-country implementation will determine where EU forest carbon markets—and forest investment—move first.
\"The mechanics and infrastructure are being made available. The CRCF gives you the toolbox. But whether that toolbox gets used depends on each individual country. If governments allow the framework to play and recognize downstream corporate demand for removals, then private capital will step in. If they continue to rely primarily on state-driven support schemes, investment will remain limited. So it’s not the EU framework alone—it’s national implementation that will determine where real forest investment opportunities emerge.”
00:09 — Welcome to Forest Invest
00:11 — Host intro: Shauna Matkovich (The Forest Link)
00:19 — Guest intro: Asgar Strange Olesen (IWCAM Plus)
00:40 — Favourite tree: European beech
01:29 — Asgar’s EU policy roles (CRCF, EU Taxonomy review, FSC, SBTi)
05:27 — Why EU forest policy is complex (no direct EU forest mandate)
08:21 — EU forest diversity + ownership differences
11:45 — Draghi, competitiveness & climate targets
14:52 — The “declining sink” challenge
20:41 — Why forestry is excluded from the EU ETS
27:46 — The missing piece: lack of demand
29:13 — What is the Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF)?
31:37 — How CRCF differs from existing standards
37:37 — Built-in revision + piloting phase
40:00 — Performance certificates vs tradable credits
41:41 — GHG Protocol uncertainty & EU reporting shift
44:45 — Investment outlook: country-by-country reality
47:58 — Actionable advice for investors
49:37 — Closing remarks
Founding Director and Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink
Producer and Editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives
Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud
Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud
Ambient Documentary by Sound Guru (Pixabay)