Environment in the forest at Jos-Olatjärn Photo: Olli Manninen

The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation has made 78 findings of seven different red-listed species in the forest at Jos-Olatjärn, Malung, Dalarna. According to Bergvik Skog, whoch is owned to a majority by Stora Enso, that is not enough to save the forest from being logged. One of the found red-listed species is Oligoporus lateritius which is considered Vulnurable in Sweden.

Oligoporus lateritius in Jos-Olatjärn Photo: Olli Manninen

Old-growth pine-forest in Ormtjärnen. Photo: Olli Manninen

Stora Enso is planning to log Ormtjärnen in Ovanåker municipality, Gävleborg, Sweden. Even though the forest consists of old-growth pine-forest. According to the field inventory that the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation has made these kind of forests have high conservation values in the region. Even though there are some traces of old selective logging the old-growth structures persist and the biological diversity is high. The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation has made 35 findings of seven red-listed species in the area. One of them is Sceletocutis lenis which is considered vulnerable to extinction in Sweden.

Natural pine-forest at Vallsjön. Photo: Olli Manninen

A natural pine-forest that Bergvik Skog, which is owned to a majority by Stora Enso, has notified for logging. The older part of the forest indicates such High Conservation Values that it shouldn’t be logged according to the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.
42 findings of six red-listed species has been made. One of them was Antrodia albobrunnea which is considered vulnerable to extinction by swedish biological expertise.

Antrodia albobrunnea in the forest at southern Vallsjön

Environment of natural pine-forest at Grotthöjden. Photo: Olli Manninen

A natural pine-forest notified for logging. The forest is part of a big continuos forest area. Stora Enso will log and therefore fragmentize this High Conservation Value Forest area. 63 findings of nine red-listed species has been made in the area. One of them is Oligoporus placenta which is classified as Vulnerable on the swedish red-list.

Natural pine-forest at Grotthöjden that Stora Enso will log. Photo: Olli Manninen

Some of the endangered forests around Stor Flaten and Stora Snesen in Leksand, Dalecarlia, Sweden

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After a field-study in Dalecarlia the summer of 2008 the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation gave attention to the High Conservation Value Forests around the lakes of Stor-Flaten and Stora Snesen in the municipality of Leksand. More than 130 findings of 16 different red-listed species were made in the critically endangered forests. All areas that were visited had Old-Growth Forest structures and the biological diversity was well preserved. These forests are interesting from a nature conservation perspective as they together constitute a big coherent High Conservation Value Forest area. With that knowledge Bergvik Skog, part of Stora Enso, has logged areas around lake Flaten.

A logged forest by lake Stor-Flaten Photo: John Green

– This is a catastrophe as larger well preserved natural pine forests with high conservation values are rare because of modern forestry. Bergvik Skog has planned to log almost all High Conservation Value Forests in this area. As there is a lack of funds to protect the area for the state the land-owner Bergvik Skog should protect these forests on a voluntarily basis, says Mikael Karlsson, Chairman of the SSNC.

Flaten-Snesen

The lakes of Stor-Flaten and Stora Snesen are visible in the map. Roughly one can interpret the image in the following way: large continuos areas of darker green are old forest. Light green areas are plantations and the light grey-brown-purple colour represents clear-cut areas.

Åsa Rydell, ecological officer at the municipality of Leksand has since a couple years reacted on the fact that Bergvik Skog is notifying High Conservation Value Forests for logging to the Swedish Forest Agency. In a statement on the website of the Forest Network of the SSNC she says that such a fine area as the forests around Flaten should not be logged. Especially as the land-owner Bergvik Skog is certified according to the FSC-standard. Bergvik Skog should know better.

Despite the obvious high conservation values Stora Enso is still planning to clearcut the forests. The county board has not enough money to buy it for protection and Stora Enso refuses to make voluntary protection decisions. The lack of resources for nature protection and cynical attitude in the forest companies makes this case very typical in Sweden today. Nobody seems to be responsible and as a result old-growth forests are destroyed all the time.

These High Conservation Value Forest are not only biologically valuable but it’s also an area for outdoor life and recreation. This mosaic of old forest, mires and lakes makes the area a unique place for wilderness area experience that both the local population and tourists have been enjoying.