In addition to the general consideration for the environment that Sweden’s forestry companies show in their daily work in the forest, there are many projects currently underway aimed at improving living conditions for specific species. Here are a couple of current examples:
SCA is digging up food for the ortolan bunting bird
The red-listed bird species called the ortolan bunting needs fertile clearings to survive in northern Sweden. It is primarily the open, varied environment with a good availability of insects that attracts the bird. SCA's conservation specialists are participating in a project to test different measures to increase the availability of food for the bunting. Currently, they are testing out digging up large mineral-rich patches of soil a quarter of a square-metre in size so that bare soil emerges.
BillerudKorsnäs is taking the pool frog's habitat into consideration
In Sweden, the rare pool frog species is found mostly along the northern Upplands coastline. Besides needing reasonably warm spring weather, the pool frog needs access to water and fenland environments, and to be able to move between these. Billerud Korsnäs and Bergvik have commissioned a study into how the frog lives and moves around, and the companies have made proposals to the Swedish Forest Agency on how the relevant forests should be managed so that the frog can thrive.
To enable trout spawning, Stora Enso is restoring waterways after the timber floating of the 1900s
Smaller waterways, power plants, timber floating and forest-transport roads - these are just some of the reasons behind the changes in water-based landscapes around Sweden over the last 100 years. At Skärjån stream in Söderhamn and Gävle, Stora Enso is part of a large project to restore water environments. This work is beneficial to many types of species including the sea trout and the freshwater pearl mussel.
Holmen is performing controlled forest fires to help insects and plants
Did you know that forestry companies burn forests for the sake of biodiversity? Certain kinds of forest plants and animals rely on the heat from fires, or on rotten, dead trees. On a section of Holmen's lands in Västerbotten, Holmen carried out controlled burning on seven occasions between 2000 and 2017. One of the effects of these efforts is that there is now a complete population of the rare wood-living Tragosora Depsarium beetle on this land.
Södra is setting up 5,500 insect hotels for solitary bees
In an extra effort to help pollinating bees, Södra's forest owners have set up 5,500 bee hotels in the forests of their forest-owner members. These bee hotels provide the bees a place to lay their eggs. Solitary bees are avid pollinators and help contribute to a greater harvest of fruit and berries.
