Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

In this study I have analysed the history of a forest belonging to Saxåhyttan in Värmland. The study area is 448 hectares and has been used by iron industry since the 16th century. A forest that has been used by man during at least 400 years should have few ecological values. This inventory however shows the opposite.
The aim of the study is to interpret the history of the forest in the area, i. e. describe how the forest was used by man during different centuries and how the forest has changed. I also analyse the relationship between the human influence on the forest and the presence of valuable ecologi-cal values today. The work comprised both studies of historical records and an inventory of the forest.
In the region Bergslagen the production of charcoal has been the dominating forest use histori-cally. The trees that has been used was primarily living conifers and standing dead trees. The area close to Saxahyttan has been used since the 16th century to the 1950s. The early influence on the forest was very slight. During the 17th century it accelerated and during the 18th and 19th centuries most of the forest was used for charcoal production. In the 20th century man's influence on the forest decreased and it stopped almost entirely about 50 years ago.
The study area has many traces from charcoal production and logging. Today the forest resembles a virgin forest. In the area there are red listed species today. The human influence primarily took place in the more easily accessible parts of the forest during the 20th century. The tree volume is 217 cubic metre per hectare. There are nine trees larger than 44 cm per hectare. Many of the deciduous trees has an age of 80 years or more. The volume of dead standing trees is 11 cubic metre per hectare and down log volume is 20 cubic metre per hectare. The number of endangered species of cryptograms is 21. Most of the species inhabits the parts of the forest that has had a slight human influence during the 20th century. My conclusion is that the forest has many virgin forests qualities. The presence of endangered species is probably a combination of local survival and recolonisation from surrounding forests at different times. Most important is therefore the presence of species and habitats in the landscape in a larger perspective.
Aerial photographs from different times shows that the study area is an island of older forest in a landscape of managed forests. 50 years ago this forest was used with the same intensity as the surrounding old forest. To conserve the ecological values and the cultural history the forest must be protected from modern forestry.