SCA cut down forests from Carl von Linnaeus’ time: « Horror example »
The forest company SCA has cut parts of a very old and worthy forest near the Bågtjärskogen nature reserve outside Sollefteå.
In the felled wood, Daniel slides from the association Protect the forest identified pines that were up to 350 years old. Many were around 300 years, which means that they began to grow during the same time as Carl von Linné lived-that is, the 18th century.
DN has let independent expert Bengt Gunnar Jonsson, professor of biology at Mid Sweden University, look at harvesting photos from the site.
In total, harvesting comprises about eleven hectares, distributed in four areas. The northern parts were harvested in the autumn of 2024, while the southern part was dropped three weeks ago.
The forest consists of A hilly landscape with dry pine on rocky soil, surrounded by softer swamp forests. The oldest generation of pines in 300 years carry clear fire sounds, scars after old fires, probably from a large forest fire about 200 years ago.
About 200 years old fir trees have also been felled in the softer parties. According to the environmental certification FSC’s guidelines, trees over 180 years are counted as a natural value trees and should not be felled. SCA is currently connected to FSC but has recently announced that they intend to submit the certification on June 1 – something that DN recently could reveal.
– In terms of age, this felling is among the worst I have seen. Such forests are hardly available anymore, says Daniel the slide.
– It’s a real horror example. I see no explanation other than desperation and wood deficiency. You take what is left – even though it gives almost nothing. A 350-year-old pine here was only 30 centimeters in diameter, he says.
SCA has declined An interview about the harvesting, but sends a written statement from Ola Kårén, forest management manager at SCA:
« When harvesting, a selection of what is harvestable and what should remain. The ambition is always that trees that are deviant in age or are particularly rough should be saved. The selection made is a human assessment and becomes on average good, but rarely perfect ».
Ola Kårén also states that this week the company will go to the site to follow up.
« Trees that we assess should be saved to age and die on the site will be returned to nature as lying dead wood and in this way contribute to the habitats in the forest, » he writes.
Biology professor Bengt Gunnar Jonsson believes that the stock should have been classified as a key biotope, that is, a forest area with such high natural values that it should be exempted from harvesting.
– Really old pines with fire sounds are conservation trees and should be saved regardless. It is also clear from the pictures that the harvesting took place all the way to the edge of a nature reserve. This is unfortunate and especially if the harvested stock had natural values. The fragmentation of the forest landscape is one of the major problems and here the reserve becomes even more isolated in the landscape, he says.
On his visit Daniel documented several natural values. He found fresh traces of the protected three -pointed woodpecker and red -listed wood sponges such as Tall Tick, Nordagging, Wool Tick and cream pore, as well as the dwarf bean. Several of these species are dependent on so -called Keloved – old, fire -damaged pine wood that breaks down very slowly and can take hundreds of years to be re -formed.
– The felled forest had the same high quality and age as the adjoining nature reserve. This should not have been cut, says Daniel the slide.
DN has requested SCA’s felling reports from the Swedish Forest Agency. In the notifications, SCA reported no natural values.
The Swedish Forest Agency stated that « a comprehensive investigation was conducted ». An administrator wrote in a service note that there are no « clear indications of very high natural values or signs of high probability of protected species ».
The manager confirms for DN that the authority never made a field visit in the area. As DN Previously has noticed Make the Forest Board field visits in only 2 percent of the forests that are reported for harvesting.
DN has before rewritten Several cases There SCA harvested in key biotopes and continuity forests.
Protect the forest last year a list of over five hundred forests As SCA has cut or plans to cut down, even though the natural values of the forests are known and reported to the company.
SCA has previously answered The fact that the harvesting in sensitive areas is a very small part of the company’s total number of felling.
Read more:
The County Administrative Board wanted to make nature reserves – now the forest has been harvested
SCA cuts in key biotopes and continuity forests
Forest companies are cut in sensitive areas – despite environmental certification
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