Almost 9 percent of the area of regeneration felling is left as environmental consideration areas

Nyhet | Statistik - 14 December 2023

The median contiguous area of regeneration felling was 2.4 hectares in 2022 and the largest 5 percent of contiguous areas of regeneration were 14.7 hectares or larger. Just over 9 percent of the regeneration area was left as environmental consideration areas during the felling seasons 2017/2018 – 2019/2020. The average width of the zones left as consideration areas around water was 11 metres and the proportion of the shoreline that lacked a zone with consideration areas was 29 percent.

Environmental consideration areas

Areas of consideration were left on just over 82 percent of the area of regeneration felling, during the felling seasons 2017/2018 – 2019/2020. The total area of consideration accounts for just over 9 percent of the area of regeneration felling for the entire country. In northern and southern Norrland, the proportion of area of regeneration felling that was left as consideration areas was 10 precent and just over 11 percent respectively and approximately 8 and 7 percent in Svealand and Götaland respectively.

Consideration areas around water in regeneration felling

On regeneration fellings with some form of shoreline, protective zones have been left as consideration areas on 71 percent of the total shoreline during the felling seasons 2017/2018 – 2019/2020. The average width of the zones left alongside water was 11 metres. For individual owners, the average width is just under 10 metres and for other owners just under 13 metres.

Size of contiguous bare forest land

The average size of contiguous bare forest land area following regeneration felling was, in 2022 and for the country as a whole, 4.4 hectares, and the median size was 2.4. The 95th percentile (the five percent largest areas of contiguous bare forest land) was 14.7 hectares or larger.

Since 2013 there has been a decrease in the size of contiguous bare forest land area following regeneration felling in the 95 percentile. This trend continued until 2018 when it started to increase again. Neither the mean nor the median show any obvious trends during the period following 2018.

Explanation

Shoreline means the area where land meets sea, lake or watercourse.

Contiguous bare forest area in this context means areas of regeneration fellings that have a common border and have been carried out within a period of three felling seasons. Regeneration fellings within 20 metres are considered contiguous regardless of property boundaries.

The statistics are a part of Sweden's official statistics.

All results are found in our Statistical database