The introduction of modern forest management and clear-cutting in Sweden: Ridö State Forest 1832–2014

Abstract

The effects of clear-cutting and potential alternatives continue to be hot topics during discussions of forestry and nature conservation. This study presents forest data from Ridön, an island in Lake Mälaren in central Sweden, where forest management and clear-cutting have been applied for almost 200 years. The main objective of the study was to identify changes in forest management and forest conditions over time. The forest transition in Sweden during the 1800s is also covered, and the importance of early forest experiments is discussed, exemplified by Ridön. This study is based on eight forest management plans and maps, from 1832 to 2014. Our results show a transformation from large, continuous areas of heterogeneous forest to small homogeneous stands. Clear-cutting has been the main logging method applied to Ridön for almost 200 years, which is in contrast with the general historical trend of selective cutting preceding clear-cutting in the Nordic countries. Our analysis shows that forestry has changed from the exploitation of resources to sustainable management. Currently, forest management at Ridön aims to create a nature reserve characterized by unevenaged forest with an increased deciduous component. Hence, the intention is to obtain a forest similar to as it was in 1832. By analyzing spatially precise data on forest stands over long periods and in relation to contemporary silvicultural methods, it is possible to discern the impact of forest management, to understand the drivers of the longterm changes in managed forest, and it also allows for a more educated discussion on today's forest management.

The origins of prescribed burning in Scandinavian forestry: the seminal role of Joel Wretlind in the management of fire-dependent forests

“…However, Norway spruce started to acquire more economic value in the 1890s, which then swayed some of the previous advocates (Holmgren 1959;Granström 1991). Additionally, clear-cutting was experimented with as early as the 1880s in some parts of Sweden, under the influence of German forestry (Lundmark et al 2017), and began to be applied more widely in the early 1910s. It was supposed to be sufficient to ensure good conditions for forest regeneration and sustainable production (Holmgren 1959;Lundmark et al 2017).…”

“…Additionally, clear-cutting was experimented with as early as the 1880s in some parts of Sweden, under the influence of German forestry (Lundmark et al 2017), and began to be applied more widely in the early 1910s. It was supposed to be sufficient to ensure good conditions for forest regeneration and sustainable production (Holmgren 1959;Lundmark et al 2017). In the early 1900s, burning began to be seen as a superfluous operation with no significant effect on regeneration.…”

Norway Spruce Stem Parameters in Sites with Different Stand Densities in Lithuanian Hemiboreal Forest

“…The following measures are often preferred: improved regeneration material (seedlings), fertilization, selection of sitespecific regeneration methods, different intensities of intermediate cuttings, etc. [6][7][8]. The optimal environmental conditions, appropriate silvicultural techniques and harvesting regime provide the basis for the growth of good quality wood [2,9].…”

Cultivation of the Targeted Forest Plantations

“…In Sweden, energy plantations with short cutting times are grown on an area of 1.200 ha for heat and electricity production. Whereas in 1984, about 14% of the energy produced in Sweden was derived from the dendro-mass, it was planned to increase this figure to 61% by 2015 [6]. The assessment and comparison results of the regional capacity in Northern Europe to cultivate fast-growing woody biomass showed that the potential for biomass productivity in fast-growing forest plantations is 58.5 million cubic meters per year [7].…”