Forests in Småland in several different generations. Since the first national forest inventory in the 1920s, the timber stock has steadily increased. This is largely thanks to increased knowledge of forest management and refined seedlings that make the forest grow better.
The first national forest inventory in Götaland was conducted in 1923-1925. It showed a relatively low timber stock on private forest land in Götaland—only 70 cubic meters per hectare, and the growth was estimated at 3.4 cubic meters per hectare. The percentage of open land was as high as 16 percent. 80 years later, the timber stock was 179 cubic meters per hectare, with a growth of 7.3 cubic meters. The percentage of open land had now decreased to 4.9 percent. One explanation for the positive development is increased knowledge of forest management and improved economic conditions for smaller forest owners. Simply put, you earn more from a well-managed forest with good regeneration. Another explanation is Södra's investment in refined seedlings that produce trees that grow better.
The Storms Gudrun and Per
After the storms Gudrun and Per in 2005 and 2007, the gap between growth and Harvesting has increased again. The storms had a huge impact on individual forest owners, but for the overall timber stock statistics, the period marked a temporary decline in an otherwise strong growth curve. For every tree harvested, Södra plants three new ones.
The timber stock nationwide totals 3.5 billion cubic meters. According to the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, which conducts the national forest inventory, this growth is expected to continue increasing to close to 5 billion cubic meters by 2110.