Trees

Are trees for nature or for logging? That is the big question here.

Vast forests are everywhere in Sweden. But is that really nature? Yes and no.

The first thing you notice is that almost all the trees are young. Truly old trees can only be found in city parks or sometimes in a meadow by a farm.

Most forests here are privately owned. Even though the right of public access (allemansrätt) allows everyone to walk anywhere, it’s the forest owner who determines what it looks like.

Most forests are thus tree plantations, meant to produce timber. Preferably straight trunks, because those yield well. When, after about eighty years, the forest is “ready” for logging, giant machines come and within three days the entire forest is gone, including all the nature within it. The following year, new saplings are planted, and, lo and behold, after a few years nature recovers around the planted saplings, and it looks nice again for both humans and animals.

Unfortunately, after some more years, the forest owner comes with a chainsaw to remove all the young trees and shrubs between his planted saplings, creating a stiff plantation of living poles.

Where, after a few years, the most beautiful mosses start to grow again.

Sometimes, for some reason, a forest owner doesn’t do anything to his forest, and it grows into a beautiful natural area. When you discover such a forest, you are happy, you go there more often to walk, you start to love that forest. But then suddenly plastic ribbons are hanging around the trees, and you know what is going to happen. Soon the entire beautiful forest will be gone, and only piles of stripped trunks will remain along the road. Lesson: never fall in love with a Swedish forest unless it is a nature reserve.

And yes, fortunately, there are also real nature reserves on several places.

There, nature comes first. There, nature can take its course. And there, a primeval forest can slowly but surely emerge again.

Crooked trees are beautiful too.

Dead trees are allowed to remain lying and they provide shelter to countless small animals.

Only on the walking paths is a tree that blocks the way sawed through.

Or not, then you have to climb over it or walk around it.

Fortunately, there is also a third possibility. Along the lakes, forest owners often leave a strip of forest. Sometimes there is a boat or a barbecue spot, it is clearly intended that one can enjoy nature here for a while.

And in the month of May, along all the roads and in all the gardens, first all the cherry trees and then all the apple trees are in bloom. A beautiful sight!