Did you know that more than half of Sweden’s total land area, 57% or 23 million hectares, is covered with forest. This corresponds to the surface of the whole of Great Britain. The north of the country is characterized by hilly landscapes with fir forests. There are also extensive birch forests up to an altitude of 800 meters.
Twenty percent of the paper products we use in Germany are made from Swedish forest wood fibers. Since the 1950s, 60 percent of Swedish forests have been razed to the ground and turned into economically successful but simple-minded timber production areas.
For every tree that is felled, three new ones are planted.
With such efficient forest management and such large amounts of logging, one might think that the Swedish forest is in danger of running out. But it’s actually the other way around. The forest grows more than 120 million cubic meters annually, but only 75% of the increment is cut down.
What is the increase based on? That the Swedish forest is managed in a way that favors quality and growth. And that you reforest after each logging. For every tree that is felled, three new ones are planted.
The oldest tree in the world is in Sweden
The swedes love their forests and protect them too. A Swedish spruce holds the age record. This tree is a proud 9500 years old in Sweden. It is probably the oldest tree in the world.
Old Tjikko is a 9550 year old Norway spruce that grows in the mountains of Fulufjället National Park in the Swedish province of Dalarna. The area belongs to the municipality of Älvdalen and is five kilometers east of the Norwegian border.
In the beautiful and world-famous KungsträdgÃ¥rden (German: King’s Garden) there are ancient elms. It is thanks to some activists from the 70s that you can still see them today.
When they were supposed to be felled at the time, the activists chained themselves to the trees in the “Battle for the Elms”. If you look closely, you can still see cuts in the chains on the elms.
Thank you for reading! If you would like to read another Blog Post – Klick here – Topic: 5 Reasons Sweden is the Best Country to be a Parent
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