Unprotected old-growth forests in Northern Sweden

Forest Group of the Finnish Nature League

UNPROTECTED OLD-GROWTH FORESTS IN NORTHERN SWEDEN

Only about 4 percent of the forests in Sweden are protected. Most of all the protected areas are situated in low-productive mountainous forests. Even in Norrbotten only about 1,5 percent of the most productive "nedanför fjällnära" forests are protected. Forestry in Sweden very intensive and extensive so without formal protection status practically all forests will be sooner or later exploited.

There are still about 100 000–150 000 hectares (1000-1500 km2) of unprotected old-growth forests left in Northern Sweden. That is only about 0.5% of the whole forest area in Sweden. These forests are mostly owned by the Swedish state and big forestry companies.

Official inventory reports by Länstyrelsen (regional state authority) clearly state that all the best old-growth forests should be protected in order to slow down the forest biodiversity decline in Sweden. However, destruction of these forests is continuing by the Swedish state and the forestry companies.

Protecting the last remaining bits of boreal old-growth forests should be easy to do in rich and democratic country like Sweden. It is amazing that Sweden continues the destruction while it could easily stop this national shame.

All the state forests and most of the company forests are sertified by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The sertificate that is supposed to ensure also ecological sustainability of the forestry is allowing the ancient forest destruction to continue.

Here are some examples of unprotected old-growth forests in Norrbotten. Most of them are owned by Swedish state and managed by the state forest company Sveaskog. Some of them are under an acute threat to be logged in near future.

Contact person:
Olli Manninen, ollimanninen