The project carries out research in wood production, wood quality, aesthetic and environmental effects, syliviculture and economics and has a budget of 4.7 MSEK. Stiftelsen Skogssällskapet funds the project. As of 2008-05-01 the project also has a bioenergy component funded by STEM and a new staff member, Folke Bohlin. Project staff is composed of:
Tord Johansson Forest production
Mats Nylinder Wood quality
Lotta Woxblom Wood quality
Anders Lindhagen Aesthetic and environmental effects
Roland Hörnfeldt Sylviculture, biologic systems
Lennart Eriksson Economics, synthesis, coordinator
By collecting experience from earlier afforestation trials in the beginning of the 90-ies, the present project will also be able to pronounce itself on the sustainability of different afforestation alternatives. More about the back ground of the project in the Swedish website. Project results as per 06/07 have been collected in resultat (Pdf) which also displays the continued plans for the project.
Applied analysis is at the core of the project and a corner stone of the project is the inventory of existing afforestation attempts in the field. Accounts of two such field trips/inventories are available in Swedish for Uppsala and Sala- Hedemora. A third trip was conducted in Skåne in October 2007 and a fourth in Skaraborg in June 2008.
The project has an interdisciplinary and applied approach. A number of the qualities and criteria investigated are illustrated in the photographic material displayed under the links above. The aim of the model which is being developed for evaluating different afforestation alternatives is to provide a general appraisal of all pertinent criteria and dimensions. At the same time the model may be restricted to handling specific questions on a case by case basis.
Afforestation of abandoned agricultural lands is important since it touches new “hot topics” such as energy supply, forestry industry’s raw material needs and land management in general.
Contact person: Lennart Eriksson