A large amount of Sallows has been harmed by SCA during a logging in Övre Storforsen in Piteå municipality even though they are considered trees with high conservation values.

In the county of Norrbotten the forest cover amounts to 42%. There are 3.3 milions of hectares of productive forest land below the border for sub-alpine forest. A mere 1.8% of the productive forest land below this border is protected by Swedish law. Unprotected High Conservation Value Forests (HCVF) exists and should be protected as soon as possible in order to guarantee a sustaineble biological diversity in the forests of Norrbotten.

Clear-cut areas and forest land less than 21 years old amounts to 19% of the productive forest land in the county of Norrbotten. The total dominance of clear-cutting as forestry-method has resulted in many red-listed species. A forest in Norrbotten is 100-150 years in general when it’s logged. That’s not an impressive age as a normal spruce can become 400 years old in an Old-Growth Forest and a pine 800 years. In addition more species settle down the longer the forest has existed.

The biggest forest owners are Sveaskog (35%), SCA (11%) and The National Property Board (of Sweden) (6%).

Norrbotten in the middle of the map. Download the NordicForests.org Map for Google Earth here .