Moose damage accounts for nearly SEK 1 billion in southern Sweden

Moose browsing damage to pine sites incurs major costs in the forest industry every year. On estates owned by Södra’s members, the annual loss is an estimated SEK 450 million. The total cost in Götaland is SEK 980 million per year.

"This is the first time we’ve been able to make such a detailed calculation, and the results are clear. Landowners carry an unacceptably high cost for the large moose population," said Göran Örlander, forestry strategist at Södra.

The estimated wood loss and impact on the forest economy is based on the 2015/16 moose-browsing inventory (Swe: ÄBIN). The calculation model has been developed by the Forestry Research Institute of Sweden and is applied to browsing damage to young pine forests. In southern Sweden, the percentage of severely damaged stems ranges from 39-77 percent depending on the county, with an average of 61 percent.

"The maximum acceptable rate of damage is 30 percent. If we could come down to that level, the annual cost for Södra’s members would be SEK 115 million, rather than SEK 450 million. The financial loss is thus four times higher than reasonable," said Göran Örlander.

County	Pine,%	Damage,%	Total cost, SEK million
Östergötland	40	73	145
Jönköping	46	39	90
Kronoberg	42	65	145
Kalmar	45	76	195
Blekinge	28	77	35
Skåne	35	60	65
Halland	31	52	40
Västra Götaland	47	56	265
Average	42	61	980