Planning nature consideration is not only important for harvesting. Effective planning is also a prerequisite for nature consideration in other forestry operations, such as soil scarification, pre-commercial thinning, thinning and road construction.
Soil scarification and pre-commercial thinning
Before harvesting starts, we plan the nature conservation that must be integrated into the soil scarification process after harvesting.
Some examples of nature consideration when scarifying are that we do not scarify flushes, and avoid driving over them. We do not scarify the protection and buffer zones that are left around streams. We also avoid damaging the root systems of standing trees and high stumps.
By pre-commercial thinning, we promote high wood production while maintaining key natural environments. These operations are adapted to the varying characteristics of a forest environment. We select the individual trees that can be saved and the trunks that can be removed.
Important nature conservation considerations comprise saving sallow, rowan and alder, and a large proportion of hardwood trees in buffer zones around streams. Flushes and small marshy sites comprising wet soil must not be cleaned.
Nature consideration when thinning
Thinning has a major impact on the characteristics of the future forest stand. Thinking ahead and creating ideal conditions for species to survive in the thinned-out forest is therefore vital. By planning for effective nature consideration when thinning, we also increase opportunities for a more functional nature conservation in future harvesting.
Maintaining biodiversity requires variation in the forest landscape. Our nature consideration when thinning takes various forms, depending on the type of forest. We create greater variation by thinning similar, well-cleaned young forests and heavily thinned old forests. In unmanaged thinning stands, maintaining and sometimes strengthening natural values is important.
Save conservation zones
Nature conservation zones, such as flushes, outcrops of bedrock, slopes and ravines, must be saved when thinning. Creating a stratified forest is also important, with a large proportion of hardwood trees around waterways.
Examples of detailed nature consideration are that we always save sallow, rowan and alder. We try to promote high conservation value trees, such as thick and old trees, and also save trees that can develop into high conservation value trees. We generally save all dead trees.
In stands dominated by a particular species of tree, we save the trees that are diverse. For example, we save any spruce trees growing in a pine stand.
Illustration: Martin Holmer