Notification of regeneration felling in normal forests

In 2023, 242,216 hectares were notified for regeneration felling in normal forest.

Individual forest owners notified 147,417 hectares, which was 10 percent more than in 2022. Other owners reported 94,799 hectares, about the same as the year before. Over the past eight years, individual forest owners have reported a larger area than other forest owners. As shown in Figure 3, the notified area for individual forest owners varies more from year to year than it does for other forest owners.

In this context, normal forest refers to normal forest according to Section 14 of the Forestry Act, which means forest on land that is suitable for wood production and that is not used to a significant extent for other purposes.

Notified area for final felling increased by 25 per cent in Northern Norrland and by 17 per cent in Götaland. In Svealand, the area notified for final felling decreased by 8 percent and in Southern Norrland the area was unchanged.

Applications for permits for regeneration felling in montane forests

In 2023, the Swedish Forest Agency received applications for permits for regeneration felling of montane forests on 12,393 hectares of productive forest land. This is more than twice as much compared with 2022. Applications for regeneration felling in montane forests since 1995 are shown in Figure 5.

In May 2020, the Land and Environment Court of Appeal ruled that forest owners who have been denied a permit for felling in montane forests are entitled to compensation from the state, corresponding to 125 percent of the forest's market value. As a result of the ruling, we have subsequently been able to see that applications for felling of montane forests have increased sharply.

Montane forest refers to montane forest according to Section 15 of the Forestry Act. The montane border is an administrative boundary for forestry in the montane area and harsh climate conditions. The montane border demarcates the montane forest

Applications for permits for regeneration felling in valuable broadleaved forests

In 2023, the area in the application for a felling permit in broadleaf forest increased by 13 percent, to 1,031 hectares, compared with 2022. Figure 6 shows the development between 1995 and 2023 for the area applied for a permit for felling of broadleaf forest.

Notification and application for felling for purposes other than timber production

In 2023, a total of 6,312 hectares of productive forest land for purposes other than timber production were notified and applied for. Of this, the majority, 6,101 hectares, were in so-called normal forest, 143 hectares in montane forest and 68 hectares in deciduous forest.

Compared to last year, the notified area increased in normal forests by 5 per cent and in broadleaf forests by 15 per cent. In montane forests, the area decreased by 46 percent. See Figure 7 which shows how the area in notifications and applications for felling for purposes other than timber production has developed since 1995.

Please note that notifications are not required for all fellings carried out for purposes other than wood production. A notification is not required for felling of areas that are subject to a law other than the Forestry Act. Examples of this are power lines, roads other than forest roads, railways, residential buildings, industrial land, market quarries, golf courses and ski resorts. A notification is also not required for felling for purposes other than timber production within the detailed plan and in the defence areas.