- This means that the landowner takes this seriously and also wants to see a forest that in the future is robust and resilient, says Karin Ekströmer, forest consultant at the Swedish Forest Agency.

The spruce has previously been prioritized by landowners as it is more resistant to grazing damage and is a faster production tree.

The return of the numbers

But with dry and hot summers, the position of the spruce in the Swedish forests has deteriorated.

A contributing factor is the progress of the spruce bark beetle, which attacks spruce but not pine.

- The important thing is that you plant the right kind of tree on the right kind of soil.

The pine can withstand drought much better than the spruce does and it is also more resistant to fires and pests, says Karin Ekströmer.

New law

But it is not only the unpredictable changes in the climate that have contributed to the return of the pine.

In March, the Swedish Forest Agency came up with new regulations that prohibit landowners from planting spruce on land that is better suited for pine.

- It is probably quite important as a signal.

This is necessary for us to be able to have future forests that can actually cope with all the threats and challenges that exist with water shortages and so on, says Karin Ekströmer.

In the video below, you can hear how Östergötland landowners tackle the forest's future challenges

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How do you get a pine forest up without the ungulates eating it?

Hear Ulrika Kraft Stenlund here about how that challenge for Anders Åneklint will go.

Photo: Lena Liljeborg / SVT