Escape from the city
For many years, Anna-Karin Swärd and Ulf Hultqvist were self-employed with a busy schedule balancing lots of commitments. But they got tired of life in the big city and chose to move out and become forest owners.
“I was born and raised in Stockholm and for both Ulf and me it was natural to live and work there once we had completed our education. That was how it was supposed to be. But a quieter life beckoned – whenever we had spare time, we headed out of town. Mostly it was trips with our sailing boat in the archipelago,” Anna-Karin remembers.
Over the years, the capital became more crowded and less enjoyable, and they began to wonder if it gave them the life they wanted. Was this how it was to be until they retired? They started looking at properties and in 2013 they had the opportunity to rent a forest farm outside Gnesta.
“We moved there and realized that life in the forest suited us very well. But it was too close to Stockholm. We were still drawn back to the city and spent far too much time sitting in traffic. We wanted to get further away and started looking for our own forest property,” says Ulf.
Anna-Karin and Ulf finally settled on Vånevik farm on the coast south of Oskarshamn and have owned the property since 2016.
“Now we have the forest, a jetty for the boat and the sea to sail on. That said, being a forest owner takes a lot of time, so we haven't had much time for boating yet,” notes Ulf.
Unique forest
Vånevik farm comprises 150 hectares of forest plus 30 hectares along the Baltic Sea. A large part of the forest, which is double certified to PEFC and FSC®, consists of a unique coastal forest with old pine and oak.
“The area closest to the sea is our "feel good forest". It's like a big park and we try to take care of it ourselves,” says Anna-Karin.
“The forest between the old national road and the E22 is our production forest and we have help from Södra to manage it. It is mostly pine, oak and birch. There is not so much spruce, which is a relief bearing in mind the damage caused by the spruce bark beetle,” says Ulf. A couple of years ago, Anna-Karin and Ulf thinned out a lot of damaged spruce, and in the fall, it is time to carry out normal thinning.
“Thinning and leaving a large part of the forest untouched has given the pine more space to thrive and this has turned out really well,” says Ulf, adding: “Since we bought the forest, we have come to the conclusion that we want to leave the trees in our forest as long as is financially viable. We invest in pine and mixed forest and want to avoid regeneration felling. We think this is an effective way to manage the forest.”
Anna-Karin and Ulf’s forest is in a very dry and sunny part of the country. This means that they avoid rain and high winds, but the disadvantage is that both pine and oak can die during dry periods and the risk of forest fires is high in the summer months. And that’s a worry.
“In 2021 there was a fire in the forests around Fliseryd and the seaplanes fetched water from the Baltic Sea right by us every 14 minutes to put out the fire. We don't want that to happen to our forest,” says Ulf.
Engaging with visitors
A popular hiking trail, the Stenhuggarleden, runs across Ulf and Anna-Karin's land, from the stonemason museum in Vånevik out to Näset, which is located on neighbouring coastal land where a lot of people like to stay.
“Since we have lots of visitors, we like to share with them something about ourselves and our forest - that it is actually private individuals who own the forest in which they are walking. This is why we participate in the initiative "Welcome to my forest." And because of the fire risk, we are particularly keen to inform visitors not to be careless with cigarette butts and glass bottles,” says Anna-Karin.
Investing in sustainability
Ulf and Anna-Karin see their forest ownership as an investment. A financial investment, of course, but also an investment in a sustainable future.
“When we bought the forest farm, we obviously saw it as a sensible way to invest our hard-earned money. But it is not only the economics that is important. We believe that the forest will have an even more vital role in the future, and therefore circularity and sustainability influence everything we do. We want to use the forest and at the same time conserve it, and that places demands both on our knowledge and our long-term commitment,” says Ulf.
And there is plenty of commitment from both Anna-Karin and Ulf. Although they still spend some of their time as business consultants, they have many ongoing projects in their forest.
Passionate about versatility
Anna-Karin says Ulf is the one with the most forest knowledge.
“When we were looking for forest to buy, I started reading about forest economics and that lead to me learning more about other positive aspects of forestry - it's all connected,” says Ulf.
Anna-Karin would rather focus on developing the other values that their forest has to offer. She wants to invest in multiple uses and therefore, together with Ulf, she has, among other things, become involved in the production of climate-smart products from the forest.
“Growing forests act as carbon sinks and are thus climate-smart. In order to achieve the best possible growth, it is important to thin, and of the trees we thin out, we sell some to Södra and some become firewood and wood for heating. We use wood ourselves to heat our house, but we also sell a lot to private individuals,” she says.
“The solar panels that were installed in 2017 generate ‘free’ and environmentally-friendly electricity, which we partly consume ourselves on the farm and partly sell.
“Through the Skogens Kraft project, which is an initiative to strengthen the development of small-scale business based on forestry, we have also started producing so-called biochar from branches and tops, says Anna-Karin.
Self-produced biochar
Biochar is created through a pyrolysis process which means that the organic material is broken down in a special boiler under almost oxygen-free conditions. This gives the carbon a microporous surface with the ability to absorb both moisture and nutrients, which is why it works so well as a soil conditioner.
“Biochar benefits all types of soil. At the same time the carbon is bound in the soil which thus constitutes a carbon sink. It helps sandy soils to bind nutrients and liquid and makes clay soils less claggy. We use the biochar in our own cultivation of, among other things, kale, potatoes, asparagus and tomatoes. But it is also sold to end consumers in 12-litre bags, both through us and via local partners,” says Ulf.
“And this autumn, together with Studieförbundet Vuxenskolan, we are starting courses on how to make your own biochar,” adds Anna-Karin.
Bets on nature tourism
Anna-Karin's involvement in Skogens Kraft has encouraged her to invest in another branch of the forest – nature tourism. Anna-Karin has signed up Vånevik farm as a member of the Naturturismföretagen nature tourism organization which works for better conditions to drive nature-based tourism and encourage the industry’s sustainable development. She is also active in Mera Ut, which is a project for inspiration and cooperation in nature tourism in the municipality of Oskarshamn.
“Ulf and I want to constantly find new and develop hidden values and services from our forest. This year we have started nature tourism on a small scale. We have joined the Eremit organization for overnight stays in the forest, and thereby offer a parking space for motorhomes on one of our own “secret happy places” along the coast where you can get away from it all. Our boat house has no electricity, sewage or running water, but offers bathing in the sea, and we rent it out as a Hermit's Cottage, which is our take on glamping,” says Anna-Karin.
“When the tourist season is over, we plan to rent out the boathouse for secluded meetings where, for example, management groups can meet and talk and plan in peace and quiet, without Wi-Fi and PowerPoint presentations. And for courses or workshops arranged by us on, for example, the circular economy. In addition, the hiking trail that crosses our land can work perfectly for walk and talk conversations,” says Ulf.
Engaged in startups
Ulf and Anna-Karin are not only passionate about developing their own forest farm. Through his involvement in the steering group for the Investors Southeast network, Ulf joins and connects people who are interested in investing in start-up companies with the entrepreneurs in the region who are seeking growth and looking for capital and skills. Anna-Karin, who is also interested in this type of network, has become involved in DigInvest, which works to get women in south-eastern Sweden interested in joining as co-owners of startups.
“Most of the people who invest in startups are men, so I want to support women in learning more and become curious about so-called ‘business angel’ activities,” she says.
At the beginning of June, Ulf and Anna-Karin had a meeting with Erik Bengtson from Södra Ädla. Södra Ädla is Södra's venture to invest in companies whose business ideas directly develop the long-term values of the forest farm, and through this venture Södra wants to lead the development in forestry instead of conforming to it. The meeting led to a focus group meeting being scheduled.
When Anna-Karin and Ulf bought Vånevik farm, they also became members of Södra. “We came in contact with Södra's elected officials at the Forest and Environment fair here in Oskarshamn in September 2016, a biennial event. This year, I am involved myself in arranging it. And we received a great welcome from both Södra and our land-owning neighbours with whom we have very good relations,” says Ulf, who is also responsible for water issues in the trustee council in Mönsterås sbo.
Where forest, rocks and sea meet
It is easy to understand why the forest means so much to Ulf and Anna-Karin. They take care of it, nurture it and are working to find new ways to use it. Sustainable ways. But at the same time they simply enjoy being out in it.
“We love being here on our farm at Vånevik. Our favourite place is where the forest, the rocks and the sea meet,” says Anna-Karin.
“We also enjoy being able to hunt on our own land and we always have meat in the freezer. We pick berries and mushrooms and still have some left over from last season. We have not yet had time to develop the fishery, but that will come,” says Ulf.
“You also need to be physically fit to be a forest owner. The forest will keep us strong and active even when we are retired,” laughs Anna-Karin.
Anna-Karin and Ulf are confident that the forest will create opportunities for them in the future, including opportunities that they are yet to discover.
“If you are curious and have an open mind, the forest can lead to many new business opportunities. We want to be a part of that!” they say.
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