Environmental consideration

The statistics are based on a random survey of felling notifications where the felling has been carried out. Inventory of environmental consideration have been conducted using various methods since the late 1990s.

During the 2021/2022–2023/2024 felling seasons, 85 percent of the regeneration-felled area was located on fellings where some form of consideration area was left. For regeneration fellings carried out during the felling seasons 2021/2022–2023/2024 that include a water edge, environmental consideration in the form of a consideration zone was left along 65 percent of the water edge length. The average width of these consideration zones was 14 meters. Water refers to watercourses, lakes or the sea, but not ditches

Starting with this year’s publication, the results are based on a newly developed inventory of environmental consideration left at felling, including an updated method for estimating the width of consideration zones along water. This means that this year’s results are not fully comparable with those of previous years. Additional statistics from the new environmental consideration inventory, such as the distribution of consideration areas by nature-value class, will be published on 24 March 2026.

Environmental consideration areas

The proportion of forest land area left as environmental consideration areas after felling varies greatly between different felling objects. When dividing fellings into classes based on the proportion of area left for consideration, then 15 percent lacks area of environmental consideration on the felled area during the felling seasons 2021/2022–2023/2024. The area of felling includes both the felled area and consideration area. On 30 percent of the area of felling, consideration areas were left in the class up to 5 percent. 11 percent of the area of felling contained consideration areas in the class of 20–30 percent, and on 5 percent of the area of felling, 30 percent or more had been left as environmental consideration areas.

Estimates for the proportion of forest land area left as environmental consideration areas after regeneration felling are available from the Swedish Forestry Agency's inventories from 1999 onwards. Due to changes in inventory methods, the time series is divided into four parts with a 1–2 year gap. In 2008, the inventory R Polytax were developed into Polytax II and in 2015 the Hänsynsuppföljningen took over from Polytax II. Between 2019/2020 and 2022/2023, the monitoring system shifted from Hänsynsuppföljningen to Hänsynsuppföljningen 2.0. The difference in levels between the two time series is most likely mainly due to differences in the inventory method.

The total share of area designated as consideration areas was 9 percent for the country as a whole. By region, the share of consideration areas was 11 percent in Northern Norrland, 8 percent in Southern Norrland, 9 percent in Svealand, and 6 percent in Götaland.

Figure 4 shows a greater proportion of consideration by Other owners than Individual owners during the felling seasons 2021/2022–2023/2024. The relationship between ownership classes in the total consideration is consistent across all consideration types.

Consideration areas around water in regeneration felling

On fellings bordering any type of shoreline (ocean, lake or watercourse), a protection zone has been left as consideration for 65 percent of the shoreline length during the felling seasons 2021/2022–2023/2024. The average width of these protection zones is 11 meters on all fellings. For individual owners, the average width is just over 9 meters and for other owners just under 14 meters.

35 percent of the shoreline length within fellings completely lacks a protection zone during the felling seasons 2021/2022–2023/2024. For individual owners, 41 percent of the stretch lacks a protection zone towards the shoreline, while for other owners it is 30 percent.

Size of contiguous bare forest land

Fellings that, during a period of three felling seasons from the time of the felling, with less than 20 meters from each other, are in this context considered as contiguous bare forest land. This is regardless of whether they lie across a property boundary or felled at different times, if it happened within the specified time interval.

In Sweden, the average size of contiguous areas is 4.5 hectares, and the median size is 2.5 hectares in 2023. The 95th percentile (the five percent largest contiguous areas) is 15.1 hectares or larger. The median size is 4.3 hectares in Norra Norrland, which is the part of the country with the largest areas of contiguous bare forest land. The size decreases further south in the country and the median size in Götaland is 1.9 hectares.

The county with the largest size of contiguous bare forest land is Norrbotten, where the 5 percent largest areas are 27.8 hectares or larger. Kronoberg county has the smallest size of contiguous bare forest land, where the largest 5 percent are 6.5 hectares or larger.

From the year 2013 we can see a slightly decreasing trend for the size of contiguous bare forest land in the 95th percentile. A break in that trend can be seen from 2018 onwards. The change in the size of contiguous bare forest land can be seen in the 95th percentile, while neither the mean nor the median has any clear trend during the period (figure 7).

Living trees and dead wood left as consideration on the felled area

The volume of trees that has been left as consideration on the area of felling per substrate type varies between different parts of the country. The felled area here refers to the area of the felling excluding consideration area. The volume left per hectare for living trees is higher in the two southern parts of the country compared to the northern parts during the felling seasons 2012/2013– 2013/2014.

Volume of wood left as consideration on the felled area

Pine is mainly left as seed and shelter trees, while artificial snags mainly consist of Spruce. Conservation trees mainly consist of pine but also birch and other trees.

Left volume of dead wood by extent of decay

Hard dead wood dominates the volume of dead wood left per hectare in all parts of the country and in northern Norrland, that was particularly clear. The volume includes both standing and lying dead wood.

Number of conservation trees of left on the felled area

The number of conservation trees left on the felled area has remained at the same level for a long time, while the number of smaller trees has steadily decreased since the end of the 90s.