Swedish forest stands strong against environmental threats – Göteborgs-Posten

Swedish forest stands strong against environmental threats – Göteborgs-Posten

In the past 20 years, the damage to the Swedish forests are not increased due to environmental threats. It shows a longitudinal study.

For 30 years, several hundred sample plots followed forest loss development. The result shows that the Swedish forests have fared well from environmental threats.

– The last 20 years, the damage has not increased. We also see that the devastating sulfur emissions are greatly reduced, but that the recovery from acidification of forest soils is slow, says Sture Wijk, an ecologist at the National Board of Forestry.

It was in the early 1980s as damage to forests grew in Central Europe . The suspicion was directed against air pollution and soil acidification, which increased. Similar forest damage was observed in southern Sweden and the Swedish Forest Agency started observing claims developments.

Sample plots established with a wide geographic spread in the Swedish forests in 1984. The deposition of air pollutants and chemical properties of the soil water was measured, as well as tree growth and nutrient conditions in leaves and needles.

– We have thereby gained much new knowledge about the environmental impact of the forest exposed to and how forest ecosystems respond, says Cecilia Akselsson at Lund University, who led the evaluation, in a press release.

The measurements have yielded data that has been used in several research projects and given a greater understanding of the effects of climate change, air pollution, and forestry.

The studies ended after three decades, but as early as the beginning of the 90th century, the environmental threats that increase the damage to the forest to subside.

– Now, thirty years later, we can conclude that the forest fared well, says Sture Wijk.

acidification has declined but there are other threats, both natural and man-made:

– In recent years, the storm damage and bark beetles that is the big problem of the forest. And we should not forget nitrogen deposition from combustion, traffic and agriculture, says Sture Wijk.

Although emissions from farms purified better so still increasing road transport, which affect forests and can become a threat in the future.