Forest History

Exploring History. Sharing Stories. Understanding the past of forests

In the Forest History research group, we focus on understanding how forest ecosystems have developed in Northern Scandinavia by exploring people and forests historically from a long-term perspective.

Dendrochronology Tjeggelvas– Naturmorgon i P1 på julaftonsmorgon More Readings

Our Research

A particular focus in our research has been directed towards early forest exploitation and Sami forest use and forest reserves in the northernmost part of Sweden. Our primarily research areas are:

Historical forest use
The dynamics of the natural forest
The history of forest management
Conflicts between forestry and nature conservation
Document people's stories on forests and forestry

We collaborate with many researchers in Sweden and abroad and have a long-standing collaboration with the Silvermuseum in Arjeplog (Dr. Ingela Bergman and Dr. Malin Brännström). The outcome of our research has resulted in new knowledge of northern cultural forested landscapes, their history, and their future and our mission are to provide better knowledge for today’s management of our forest.

A favourite quote: “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Winston Churchill.

Publications

Sacred Tree publication

“A Sacred Tree in the Boreal forest: A Narrative About a Sámi Shaman, her Tree, and the Forest Landscape” Published in the journal Human Ecology by authors Ingela Bergman and Lars Östlund This research documents a sacred tree use by a Sami woman shaman in the early 19th century. The tree still exist and has an stone offering platform inside the tree. The life story of Guoksik-gummo and her relation to the pre-industrial forest landscape and one specific bird, the Siberian Jay, is related. The authors further discuss how the Sami cultural heritage in northern forests should be respected and protected

Education and Awareness

A core part of the group is the promote awareness and understanding through teaching Forest History at the Undergraduate and Graduate Levels at SLU.

For more information about joining our courses, click on the buttons below

Masters Course Undergraduate Course

In the fire and food experiment, students get the opportunity to test different fire-building techniques and cook some traditional foods. Groups gathered their respective materials, researched their assigned fire/food, and spent the day working hard to accomplish their tasks.

Fire styles included a Sámi Árrán hearth fire, Sámi Nuorssjo log fire, traditional three-log fires, cooking pits for smoking and drying meats and vegetables, as well as a classic fire used to prepare kolbulle, food eaten by Scandinavia loggers in the early 20th century. .