Ifrågavarande kronopark skall benämnas Skatan : en skogshistorisk analys av Ekoparken Skatan
People have utilised and influenced the boreal forest for many centuries. Prior to the industrial revolution during the 19th century, however, human use primarily only had a low impact on the forest. When the timberfrontier swept over the country, the Swedish forests came to change for ever. The stu...
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| Formato: | L3 |
| Lenguaje: | sueco Inglés |
| Publicado: |
SLU/Dept. of Forest Ecology and Management
2008
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| Materias: |
| _version_ | 1855572001430700032 |
|---|---|
| author | Ross, Alexander |
| author_browse | Ross, Alexander |
| author_facet | Ross, Alexander |
| author_sort | Ross, Alexander |
| collection | Epsilon Archive for Student Projects |
| description | People have utilised and influenced the boreal forest for many centuries. Prior to the industrial revolution during the 19th century, however, human use primarily only had a low impact on the forest. When the timberfrontier swept over the country, the Swedish forests came to change for ever. The study site for this thesis is situated in the northern part of the county of Västerbotten, Sweden, and has previously been a National forest. Today the area is an ecopark and the land is owned by the forest company Sveaskog. An ecopark is a forested area of at least 1000 hektares where ecological values take precedence over financial values. The main objective of this study was to describe how people have utilised the forest in Skatan Ecopark, since the first forest surveys were produced almost 140 years ago. I have also investigated how this use has influenced the forest structure to present date. By studying historical records and cultural traces in the forest I have been able to analyze the forest ecosystem on a smaller, as well as on a larger spatial scale. On the basis of these results I have presented recomendations for the future management of the ecopark.
My field surveys were conducted on the parts of the ecopark which previously constituted the state forest Skatan. From the stands with an average stand age above 140 years, I selected twelve areas which through their size and shape were suitable for inventory. The results from this study showed that the impact of human forest utilisation has been extensive since the introduction of industrial forestry to the area. The belt transect inventory of cultural traces at the study site showed that there are few traces of preindustrial forest use, but many traces from industrial forest use. The historical records show that the harvesting method has changed from selective harvesting to clear cutting. As early as before the end of the 19th century, the area of old growth forests had decreased substantially in the area compared to preindustrial levels. The average timber volume at the study site has increased by approximately 130 % since 1915. The old stands in the area have thus become denser and younger. The historical retrospective study performed on the present old stands shows that only one of the stands was uninfluenced by industrial forestry in 1871. The old forest stands in the ecopark today, are all influenced by industrial forestry and are generally not a representative remainder of the forest structure before the introduction of industrial forestry to the area. Present old stands in the ecopark are, with only one exception, the result of "neglected management".
In the ecoparks managed by Sveaskog at least half of the productive forest land is reserved for nature conservation. In the areas of the ecopark where forestry is practiced, ecological and cultural values take precedence over economic values. This presents a unique opportunity for the ecological and cultural values of the area to influence the forest management. My opinion is that the forest management should strive to recreate a forest state which is similar to the preindustrial forest structure. Practically this means that the amount of woody debris and the area of old forest must increase. The previous fire dynamics must also be recreated. If biological diversity is to be ensured over time, forest protection can not only encompass present old stands; young stands must also be managed to form future old growth forests. The preindustrial landscape was characterized by a mosaic of different biotopes in various stages of succession, but with a dominance of older multistoried stands. The aims of the forest management should be to strive towards a similar landscape. |
| format | L3 |
| id | RepoSLU12106 |
| institution | Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences |
| language | swe Inglés |
| publishDate | 2008 |
| publishDateSort | 2008 |
| publisher | SLU/Dept. of Forest Ecology and Management |
| publisherStr | SLU/Dept. of Forest Ecology and Management |
| record_format | eprints |
| spelling | RepoSLU121062017-11-07T12:13:43Z Ifrågavarande kronopark skall benämnas Skatan : en skogshistorisk analys av Ekoparken Skatan A historical analysis of Ecopark Skatan Ross, Alexander kulturspår i träd skogshistoria kronopark skogsstruktur skogsskötsel People have utilised and influenced the boreal forest for many centuries. Prior to the industrial revolution during the 19th century, however, human use primarily only had a low impact on the forest. When the timberfrontier swept over the country, the Swedish forests came to change for ever. The study site for this thesis is situated in the northern part of the county of Västerbotten, Sweden, and has previously been a National forest. Today the area is an ecopark and the land is owned by the forest company Sveaskog. An ecopark is a forested area of at least 1000 hektares where ecological values take precedence over financial values. The main objective of this study was to describe how people have utilised the forest in Skatan Ecopark, since the first forest surveys were produced almost 140 years ago. I have also investigated how this use has influenced the forest structure to present date. By studying historical records and cultural traces in the forest I have been able to analyze the forest ecosystem on a smaller, as well as on a larger spatial scale. On the basis of these results I have presented recomendations for the future management of the ecopark. My field surveys were conducted on the parts of the ecopark which previously constituted the state forest Skatan. From the stands with an average stand age above 140 years, I selected twelve areas which through their size and shape were suitable for inventory. The results from this study showed that the impact of human forest utilisation has been extensive since the introduction of industrial forestry to the area. The belt transect inventory of cultural traces at the study site showed that there are few traces of preindustrial forest use, but many traces from industrial forest use. The historical records show that the harvesting method has changed from selective harvesting to clear cutting. As early as before the end of the 19th century, the area of old growth forests had decreased substantially in the area compared to preindustrial levels. The average timber volume at the study site has increased by approximately 130 % since 1915. The old stands in the area have thus become denser and younger. The historical retrospective study performed on the present old stands shows that only one of the stands was uninfluenced by industrial forestry in 1871. The old forest stands in the ecopark today, are all influenced by industrial forestry and are generally not a representative remainder of the forest structure before the introduction of industrial forestry to the area. Present old stands in the ecopark are, with only one exception, the result of "neglected management". In the ecoparks managed by Sveaskog at least half of the productive forest land is reserved for nature conservation. In the areas of the ecopark where forestry is practiced, ecological and cultural values take precedence over economic values. This presents a unique opportunity for the ecological and cultural values of the area to influence the forest management. My opinion is that the forest management should strive to recreate a forest state which is similar to the preindustrial forest structure. Practically this means that the amount of woody debris and the area of old forest must increase. The previous fire dynamics must also be recreated. If biological diversity is to be ensured over time, forest protection can not only encompass present old stands; young stands must also be managed to form future old growth forests. The preindustrial landscape was characterized by a mosaic of different biotopes in various stages of succession, but with a dominance of older multistoried stands. The aims of the forest management should be to strive towards a similar landscape. Människan har utnyttjat och påverkat den boreala skogen under århundraden. Fram tills den industriella revolutionen under 1800 talet lämnade dock vår påverkan i första hand småskaliga spår i naturen. När timmervågen svepte över landet kom de svenska skogarna att förändras för all framtid. Undersökningsområdet som låg till grund för denna studie ligger i norra Västerbotten och har tidigare varit en kronopark. Idag är området en ekopark och marken ägs av Sveaskog. En ekopark är ett sammanhängande skogslandskap på minst 1000 hektar där ekologiska värden prioriteras framför ekonomiska. Det övergripande syftet med arbetet var att beskriva hur människan nyttjat skogen i Ekoparken Skatan sedan de första skogsindelningshandlingarna producerades för snart 140 år sedan. Vidare har jag undersökt hur detta nyttjande har påverkat skogens struktur fram tills idag. Genom att undersöka skogshistoriskt material och kulturspår kunde jag analysera skogsekosystemen i såväl större som mindre spatial skala. Med ledning av detta har jag gett råd för den framtida skötseln av ekoparken. Jag utförde mina fältstudier på de delar av ekoparken som tidigare utgjorde kronoparken Skatan. Av de bestånd som hade en medelbeståndsålder på över 140 år valde jag ut tolv stycken som var lämpliga för inventering genom deras storlek och form. Resultaten från denna studie visade att intensiteten av människans skogsutnyttjande har varit mycket omfattande redan sedan början av det industriella skogsbrukets introduktion i området. Bältesinventeringen efter kulturspår i området visade att det finns få spår relaterade till förindustriellt nyttjande men rikligt med spår från industriellt skogsbruk. Det historiska källmaterialet visade att skogsbruksättet i området har förändrats från blädningsbruk till trakthyggesbruk. Redan innan 1800-talets slut hade arealen gammal skog minskat betydligt jämfört med de förindustriella nivåerna i undersökningsområdet. Det genomsnittliga virkesförrådet i området har ökat med cirka 130 % sedan 1915. De gamla skogarna i undersökningsområdet har alltså blivit tätare och yngre. Den historiska tillbakablick som jag har gjort på dagens gamla bestånd visar att endast en avdelning var opåverkad av skogsbruk 1871. Dagens gamla bestånd i Ekoparken Skatan är idag alla påverkade av modernt skogsbruk och är generellt sett inte en representativ rest för skogstillståndet före det industriella skogsbruket. De gamla skogarna i ekoparken idag är med endast ett undantag ett resultat av ”eftersatt skötsel”. I Sveaskogs ekoparker avsätts minst hälften av den produktiva skogsmarken för naturvård och i delarna där skogsbruk bedrivs anpassas det efter områdets natur- och kulturvärden. Detta ger en unik möjlighet att låta områdets skogshistoria forma dagens skog och skogsskötsel. I Ekoparken Skatan anser jag att skötselmålet för en övervägande del av arealen bör vara att återskapa ett liknande skogstillstånd som rådde före det industriella skogsbrukets introduktion. Konkret innebär detta bland annat att mängden död ved och arealen gammal skog måste öka i området och att branddynamiken måste återskapas. Om den biologiska mångfalden ska säkras över längre tid kan inte bara nuvarande gamla skogar skyddas; även unga skogar måste skötas för att uppnå framtida områden med gammal skog. Det förindustriella landskapet kännetecknades av en mosaik av olika naturtyper i olika successionsstadier, men med en dominans av äldre flerskiktade bestånd. Skötselarbetet i ekoparken bör sträva mot ett liknande mosaiklandskap. SLU/Dept. of Forest Ecology and Management 2008 L3 swe eng https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/12106/ |
| spellingShingle | kulturspår i träd skogshistoria kronopark skogsstruktur skogsskötsel Ross, Alexander Ifrågavarande kronopark skall benämnas Skatan : en skogshistorisk analys av Ekoparken Skatan |
| title | Ifrågavarande kronopark skall benämnas Skatan : en skogshistorisk analys av Ekoparken Skatan |
| title_full | Ifrågavarande kronopark skall benämnas Skatan : en skogshistorisk analys av Ekoparken Skatan |
| title_fullStr | Ifrågavarande kronopark skall benämnas Skatan : en skogshistorisk analys av Ekoparken Skatan |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ifrågavarande kronopark skall benämnas Skatan : en skogshistorisk analys av Ekoparken Skatan |
| title_short | Ifrågavarande kronopark skall benämnas Skatan : en skogshistorisk analys av Ekoparken Skatan |
| title_sort | ifrågavarande kronopark skall benämnas skatan : en skogshistorisk analys av ekoparken skatan |
| topic | kulturspår i träd skogshistoria kronopark skogsstruktur skogsskötsel |