Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Sweden's Ulf Kristersson have requested EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to allow their countries to utilize flexibilities in EU forest rules to support their bioenergy industries. However, heavy logging and recent forest fires threaten their sustainability qualifications. The LULUCF law mandates carbon removal targets and prevents land from becoming a net emissions source. Increased logging is shifting forests from carbon sinks to sources, raising concerns among environmentalists about the impact on emissions and biodiversity.