in sweden norway denmark and iceland the increase in forest cover also has contributed to the increase in forest biomass stock in finland even though forest cover decreased slightly between and annual increment in growing stock was far greater than annual harvest and thus the net annual increment was positive and overweighed the biomass removal due to decrease in forest cover it is projected that in all nordic countries and thus in the whole nordic region the forest biomass will continue to increase steadily until this corresponds to the fact that the net annual increment in forest growing stock will be positive in the nordic countries in coming decades finland and norway forest growing stock data are available already from mid ies corresponding to the beginning of forest inventory in these countries