Environmental consideration to cultural heritage
Here you will find statistics on the proportion of known cultural heritage sites that are affected by regeneration felling.
The statistics are based on a sample survey of felling notifications where the felling has been conducted and where there is a known and registered cultural heritage site. The inventory started in 2012 and about 500 objects are inventoried each year.
Cultural heritage sites affected by regeneration felling
At the latest inventory in 2024, 11 percent of the known cultural heritage sites in the country were damaged or severely damaged during regeneration felling.
If you add impact such as light track damage and branches left on the site, 30 percent were affected or damaged.
The damage levels are in line with the inventories of recent years.
The level of damage among individual owners other owners has remained relatively stable.
Over the years, Northern Norrland has shown varying results, between low and high levels of damage. This year, damage or serious damage is 8 percent.
Southern Norrland's damage level this year was 12 percent, significantly lower than last year's result, which then stood out as the region with the largest proportion of damage and serious damage. This year's result is on a par with 2022's.
Svealands´s damage levels, which have always been low and slowly falling, were 8 percent for the third year in a row.
The proportion of cultural sites with damage or serious damage was 11 percent in Götaland, which is on a par with the inventory results of the last three years.
Causes of damage to cultural heritage sites
Soil scarification continues to be the single largest cause of damage to the cultural remains. The inventory in 2024 shows that the proportion of cultural remains with damage or serious damage due to soil scarification is 6 percent.
The second most common cause of injury is driving injuries, 3 percent. This is followed by felling residues and wind-felled trees of 1 percent each. Logging residues are never classified as serious damage. The low proportion of driving damage may be due to the high proportion of scarification damage. Driving damage is difficult to perceive where soil preparation has been carried out.
Damage from other forestry measures such as for example stump harvesting and ditching, was less than 1 percent at the latest inventory.
A cultural heritage site can have several damages, but we only present the most serious damage.
Looking at the regional level, Svealand in 2024, together with Southern Norrland, had the lowest level of soil scarification damage. Götaland had, as last year, the highest level of damage caused by soil preparation.
In Northern Norrland, damage and serious damage caused by driving damage and felling residues has decreased the most. In Southern Norrland, all causes of damage have decreased (felling residues, driving damage, soil preparation and windfalls).
Damage by type of cultural heritage site
The most common type of site in the inventory is the clearance cairn. Building remains, abandoned fields, charcoal productions sites, croft sites and fences are also relatively common. Trap pits, croft sites and ancient settlement sites are the types of remains with the highest proportion of damage and serious damage.
Cultural heritage stumps and other marking
The use of cultural stumps differs between regions. In Götaland, only 15 percent of the known cultural remains are marked with cultural stumps, in Svealand the corresponding figure is 58 percent. In Southern Norrland, 66 percent are marked with cultural stumps and in Northern Norrland 75 percent.
The proportion of damaged or serious damaged cultural remains is higher when there is no form of marking. Götaland has the highest proportion of damage and serious damage caused by soil preparation in the country. In addition, most known remains in the country are planted here.
A cultural stump is 1.3 m high (±0.5 m) and is used as a marker of cultural remains to prevent damage during forestry operations.
The highest proportion of cultural heritage sites with correctly placed cultural stumps, i.e. when the cultural stumps are outside and around the cultural heritage site, was found in southern Norrland, 41 percent, followed by northern Norrland 32 percent and Svealand 20 percent. Götaland had the lowest proportion of correctly placed culture stumps with 1 percent.
It is rare to use other clear markings such as high stumps, posts and signs.
Surrounding consideration areas
In cases where the County Administrative Board has written a decision, the area surrounding the cultureal heritage site is also assessed. In 2023 and 2024, the level of damage and serious damage was 37 percent in inventoried surrounding consideration areas. In recent years, the proportion of damage and serious damage to these areas has been 30-40 percent for the whole country. The single largest cause of damage is soil scarification. In second place is driving damage, followed by windfalls and felling residues.
Often there is a combination of causes of damage. The number of inventoried areas is relatively low, which is why the figure is only presented at the country level.
