There is no clear improvement compared with previous years and the injuries are still far from the national targets, which is that a maximum of 15 per cent may have an injury.

- It is worrying that year after year we highlight such bad results without seeing improvements, says Christer Kalén, game specialist at the Swedish Forest Agency.

He also believes that great efforts are needed to achieve a better balance between the deer animals and the availability of forage in the forest.

Costs the country billions

The damage leads to reduced forest growth, degraded quality and significant economic losses for forest owners. In the worst case, the tree dies completely.

According to a previous report from the Swedish Forest Agency, grazing damage is estimated to cause losses in the forest industry equivalent to at least SEK 7.2 billion each year.