SCA and Sami villages met in field excursions

Normally, FSC Sweden hosts an annual field excursion between forestry companies and Sami villages, but this year they were unable to do so. Anna Westerlund and Håkan Sars, SCA’s two specialists focusing on reindeer husbandry issues, then took matters into their own hands.

“We decided to arrange two meetings because we believe it is very valuable to meet in the forest and discuss needs, measures and challenges”, says Anna.

Met on grazing lands

In Älvsbyn, the field meeting was held on the Luokta-Mávas Sami village’s winter grazing lands, and in Strömsund the group met on the winter grazing area of the Ohredahke Sami village.

“It was good that we could arrange the excursions together with the Sami villages, so that they could describe how they use the landscape we were in and explain what is important to them and what challenges they face in their daily work”, says Håkan.

In addition to the Sami villages, researchers from SLU and Umeå University were also invited, as well as the Swedish Sami Association (SSR), SCA’s forest management representatives and specialists in nature conservation and forest management.

“The researchers contributed the latest findings, Håkan adds. Among other things, they explained how pre-commercial thinning and thinning affect ground lichen, what is happening with the so-called ground lichen map, and what research is currently underway.”

Discussed measures

During the meetings, the group visited a number of forest stands where exercises and discussions were aimed at highlighting how they create value for reindeer husbandry.

“We discussed which measures may be appropriate to implement and also evaluated some measures that have already been carried out”, Anna explains.

Coordinated planning includes, among other things, final felling, roads, planting material (including contorta pine) and soil scarification methods. The discussions focused heavily on how SCA can create more usable landscapes for reindeer and facilitate reindeer husbandry in terms of moving herds and monitoring them.

“This includes, among other things, how we preserve and manage lichen-rich areas and how we can reduce the negative effects of overly dense stands, where we place logging residue after thinning, and how we can adapt harvesting in older forests. Co-planning must be carried out from a landscape perspective, and therefore measures such as pre commercial thinning and thinning are also important to manage when we plan together, so that they are carried out in the right way and in the right places”, says Håkan.

Both pre-commercial thinning and thinning are measures appreciated by reindeer husbandry.

“They are positive for ground lichens and improve accessibility for both reindeer and reindeer herders”, says Anna.

Willingness to collaborate

The excursions show that there is a strong willingness to cooperate. SCA’s strategy for long-term collaboration with reindeer husbandry, presented this spring, supports cooperation and contributes to increased understanding and alignment between the parties.

“Many feel that it shows we have a high level of ambition and that we are at the forefront of the forestry sector. But it is far too early for the strategy to be evaluated in detail”, says Anna.

And of course, there are also differences of opinion and issues where the industries are not aligned.

“We can see, for example, that there are differences in views on the pace at which measures should or can be implemented, and which measures that have the best effect. Continued dialogue is therefore needed about what should be prioritised and where, says Anna. The use of contorta pine is also a point of contention, but it was not a prominent topic during the meetings.”

“We have also stated in our strategy that we will use contorta in a way that reduces its impact on reindeer husbandry, Håkan adds. An important part of this is to map, together with the Sami villages, areas of particular importance.”

No single solution

One of the most important lessons from the days is that adaptation for reindeer husbandry cannot be treated as a generic measure.

“No, there is no one solution that fits everywhere. We need to start from each Sami village and the function of their areas for the reindeer, and combine that with the variation in the landscape in order to determine which adaptations are feasible”, says Anna, and continues:

“SCA’s forest management in areas of major importance for reindeer husbandry needs to be more site-specific, more varied and have a clearer objective. Once that is in place, we have good opportunities to create better conditions for both reindeer grazing, lichens and forest production in the long term.”

The value of learning

Per Funkquist, SCA’s Sustainability Director and one of SCA’s representatives in the cooperation with the Swedish Sami Association, sees great value in the excursions.

“In our strategy for SCA’s long-term collaboration with reindeer husbandry, we highlight the value of learning and increased knowledge among both forestry actors and reindeer herders about how our activities affect one another. These field days are a good example of how we work in practice to strengthen dialogue and increase understanding. By creating a forum for discussion, we can come closer to one another and, in the long term, develop and improve how we can take reindeer husbandry needs into account in long-term forest planning”, Per concludes.

Top picture shows the group in Strömsund when they reviewed a thinning carried out with consideration for ground lichen. During the thinning, SCA avoided placing extraction routes where ground lichen is present and also avoided leaving logging residues on the lichen. In addition, we have slightly reduced the basal area in parts of the stand with a high proportion of ground lichen, meaning that we have thinned the trees a little more than usual to benefit the lichens.