Despite increased consideration for nature and greatly increased forest protection, the natural forests with high natural values in Jämtland County are disappearing - and the habitats required for threatened species to survive, shows a new report.
The conclusion drawn is that more logging-free alternatives are needed in forestry.
There is both great opposition to clear-cut forest management methods within the forestry industry, but also a great interest among many private forest owners in clear-cut, not least here in the county, a survey shows.
"Profitable and good for the climate"
A couple who have chosen clear-cut forestry is Styrbjörn Kindströmer and his partner Catrine in the village of Öravattnet, a couple of miles outside Stugun in Ragunda municipality.
The point of no-till is to let the trees grow and get paid more for them once they are felled.
- Felling fully roughed timber is significantly more economical than felling a lot for pulp wood, as is the case in a clear-cutting mill, says Styrbjörn Kindströmer.
They have farmed the forest without clearing since 2016 - and replaced the machines in the forest with horses.
- It is profitable, good for the environment and for the climate.
And no, it's not about going back to the 19th century and horses are not needed, you can drive without hygges at least, says Styrbjörn Kindströmer.
In the logging-free forestry, Styrbjörn Kindströmer drives out the wood with horses.
"There will be no driving tracks", he notes, but adds that of course you don't need horses to use the forest without logging.
Photo: Marie Selander/SVT
See what it looks like in a clear-cut forest in the video above - where landowner Styrbjörn Kindströmer tells more about the background to the decision.