No matter what we do in the forest, whether harvesting, pre-commercial thinning or thinning, nature conservation must always play a central role. Nature conservation has three levels: conservation areas, conservation zones and single-object consideration.
Nature conservation areas
Conservation areas are areas larger than one hectare and, in some cases, are up to several hundred hectares in size. In its ecological landscape planning, SCA makes decisions regarding conservation areas and how they shall be preserved, whether final felling of a mature stand will be postponed or if it will be cultivated using alternative methods due to the high nature value. Postponing final felling entails deferring the harvesting of an area that is mature from a financial perspective.
Conservation zones
Conservation zones are areas between 0.1 and 1 hectare. Conservation zones include buffer zones, wet hollows (long and narrow marshy forest depressions), outcrops of bedrock and slopes. Planning of nature conservation zones is carried out before harvesting.
Single-object consideation
Single-object consideration refers to areas that are less than 0.1 hectare (about 32 x 32 metres). Single-object consideration is the lowest level of nature conservation and involves saving individual trees, tree groups, high stumps and small wet hollows. Single-object consideration plans are prepared by the harvesting team as part of their daily work in the forest.
Illustrations: Martin Holmer