Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

At the beginning of the 1970´s the Swedish forestry had developed into a highly mechanized and intensive operation. It received strong criticism for its methods and negative effects on the environment. However, when a new forest law was decided in 1979 environmental issues were not its main concern, but the production and supply of raw material for the forest industry.

Extensive clearcutting on state and company owned land had concentrated the volumes of older forests to small landowners. The industry experienced difficulties in acquiring enough raw material and small landowners that were passive in their forest management were considered part of the problem. A new forest law with high demands on production and harvest came into force in 1980 and was meant to increase the activity on private forest land. The Swedish Forest Agency was to enforce the new law. To do so effectively the agency needed better knowledge of the private owned forests. A nationwide inventory of private forest land was initiated by the parliament and carried out by the Swedish Forest Agency. It started in 1980 and was named Översiktlig skogsinventering, ÖSI.

The lack of concern for nature values during the inventory was criticized by both researchers and non-governmental organizations. The debate focused on abandoned pasture land with old, broadleaved trees in the south of Sweden. These could be identified as low-yield forests during ÖSI and the law demanded such forests would be felled and regenerated. A large amount of state subsidies were also invested to stimulate restauration of low-yield forests.

The aim of this study was to examine the regard paid to nature values during ÖSI in Arvidsjaur municipality. The study included an analysis of geographic information from ÖSI, the woodland key habitat inventory and protected forests.
The results indicate that high conservation value forests seldom were identified as such during ÖSI. In Arvidsjaur municipality it was mainly in sparse, low-yield forests that nature values were neglected. Furthermore, not many forests classified during ÖSI as forests that should not be felled have later been protected or identified as key habitats.

The main goal of the forest politics and the purpose of the inventory to increase activity among private forest owners might have caused nature values to be overseen. Lack of instructions on how to identify nature values during the inventory could also be a reason. It is also possible that more regard was paid to esthetical values than nature values.

The fact that the environmental debate at that time focused on broadleaved forests and pristine forests might have contributed to the neglection of nature values in sparse, low-yield forests in Arvidsjaur. These were often dominated by coniferous trees and affected by selective cuttings. It might be that the investment in regeneration of low-yield forests led to a greater loss of nature values in northern Sweden than yet has been observed.