Area of approved regeneration unchanged in 2024

Nyhet | Statistik - 27 November 2025

Statistics from the Swedish Forest Agency show that 81 percent of the annual harvested forest area has been regenerated to the levels stipulated by the regulations as of 2021 in the Forestry Act. This year’s survey remains at roughly the same level as last year’s which was the lowest approval figure for ten years. To facilitate comparability over time in the statistics the results from the Swedish Forest Agency’s survey of regeneration quality are presented according to both the new and old regulations.

In 2022, the Swedish Forest Agency revised the regulations regarding the obligation to establish new forests following a regeneration felling. Hence, this year the results from the Swedish Forest Agency’s survey of regeneration quality are presented according to both the new and old regulations. The purpose is to facilitate comparability over time in the statistics. The comparability of different parts of the results is affected to varying degrees.

 Approved regeneration according to the old regulations

The proportion of regenerations estimated to meet the requirements of the old regulations—Section 6 of the Forestry Act, concerning the number of main seedlings and the maximum proportion of gaps—has shown an increasing trend from the turn of the millennium until a few years ago, when the proportion of approved area began to decline. This year’s survey remains at roughly the same level as last year’s.

The highest proportion of approved regenerations is found in Northern Norrland, with 88 percent approved area, followed by Southern Norrland at 81 percent and Götaland at 80 percent approved area. The lowest approved share is in Svealand, with 74 percent approved area.

Approved regeneration according to the new regulations

The proportion of regenerations estimated to meet the requirements of the new regulations of the Forestry Act §6 amounts to 94 percent, according to the survey. The highest share of approved regenerations under the new regulations is found in Northern Norrland with 98 percent, followed by Götaland with 97 percent and Svealand with 92 percent. The lowest approved share is in Southern Norrland, at 90 percent.

Naturally regenerated seedlings in planted regenerations

This year’s survey shows that the number of main seedlings per hectare in planted regeneration, divided into planted and naturally regenerated seedlings, is 1,432 planted and 967 naturally regenerated main seedlings. On average, this means that naturally regenerated seedlings account for 40 percent of the main seedlings in planted regeneration.

Explanations

We report the results in accordance with the regulations in Section 6 of the Forestry Act (1979:429) which applied up until 2021. From the 1 April 2022 new regulations come into force pertaining to the minimum number of main plants/main stems that must be present for a regeneration to be seen as approved.

For the regeneration to be classified as approved, the number of main plants in the inventoried regeneration must amount to at least the prescribed number per hectare and the area of gaps must be below the prescribed level. The inventory instruction is similar, but not identical, to the instructions for supervision under the Forestry Act.

Felling involves cutting down more or less all trees, which creates a clear-cut area with or without seed trees or shelterwood trees. After felling, the forest owner is legally required to ensure that a new forest is established using one of the following methods:

• Planting, with or without seed trees or shelterwood trees.
• Natural regeneration, with or without seed trees/shelterwood trees, with the aim of regenerating naturally.
• Sowing with seeds on an area with or without seed trees or shelterwood trees.

Ownership classes:

• Individual owners = Single owners, estates and small companies (sole traders).
• Other owners = State, state owned companies/corporations, other public owners, private-sector companies/corporations and other private owners except individual owners.

The statistics are included in the Official Statistics of Sweden.