On June 26, some 200 participants gathered at Gålö peninsula in the Stockholm archipelago, to take part in Future Forests' excursion. Sunny weather and fresh ocean winds made for an unforgettable day.
The weather could not have been better for the IUFRO Future Forests excursion. The programme was a success too, with 12 presentations spread out over two excursion trails.
The focus of the excursion was the complex interplay between forest, forestry and society stakeholders during climate change. The presentations gave participants insights into the latest research and into how local Swedish stakeholders interpret and interact with forest and climate science.
Aside from Future Forests researchers at SLU and Umeå University (UmU), presenters from Spilkråkan, Nordiske skogskvinner and The Saami Council also took part. Their talks were well received and led to many interesting discussions.
Viktoria Byback, Ingrid Stjernquist and Helena Geijer spoke about the importance of including an equality perspective to achieve sustainable forestry. Karin Nutti Pilflykt from The Saami Council along with Tim Horstkotte (UmU) talked about how forestry and reindeer husbandry can co-exist and feed off each other.
The land hosts were Jakob Bäckman from Skärgårdsstiftelsen and Johannes Ackemo from the Swedish Forest Agency. Together, they presented the trial and research sites founded at northern Gålö in 2022, to gather knowledge about continuous cover forestry, CCF.
Participants also had the opportunity to learn about the concept of co-production of knowledge, where local stakeholders and researchers jointly produce knowledge about the forest and its usage. Janina Priebe (UmU) and Isabelle Hallberg-Sramek (SLU) talked about various studies that indicate how co-production of knowledge leads to better knowledge.
Mari Jönsson from SLU Swedish Species Information Centre spoke of the importance of citizen science in terms of biodiversity, and Luis Andrés Guillén (SLU) focused on the difficulties of creating a green infrastructure.
On southern Gålö, Anniina Kietäväinen (SLU) held a presentation on the socio-economic aspects of the environmental goals for Swedish forestry, while Auvikki de Boon (UmU) received many questions about her study on how EU regulations affect Swedish forestry.
Handling of wildfires and climate change-related risks was the theme for Jenny Ingridsdotter (UmU), Carola Häggström and Kristina Blennow (SLU).
A careful blend of topics and presenters made for a rich dialogue on the multi-faceted interactions between people and forests in the light of new threats and opportunities. The entire excursion programme along with information on the research sites at Gålö are available online.
Following the excursion, participants said they appreciated how well organised it was and how great the stew from Gålö havsbad tasted. Many were also grateful for the opportunity to cool off in the sea during lunch.
Not everyone took a swim though; many stayed in the lunch tent to listen to Alfred Bergkvist, Amy Hakanson and Óskar Freyr Guðnason from the Royal College of Music who entertained us with folk music played on fiddle, guitar and zither.
The Futures Forests organising team would like to thank all participants for coming along, hosts for letting us stay in this amazing place, presenters for their excellent keynotes and last but not least the bus hosts and volunteers for their invaluable work during the day. A special thanks to Gålö havsbad for a great lunch. Finally thanks to Alfred, Amy and Óskar for the music.
Participants walked from excursion point to excursion point. Photo: Anders Anrell
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One of about a dozen presentations during the excursion. Photo: Anders Anrell
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At lunch, a local music students gave a top-class performance. Photo: Anders Anrell
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Future Forests' event group was made up by Ida Wallin, Emma Holmström, Mari Jönsson and Janina Priebe.
Bus hosts:
Volunteers and assistants: