Skogsbrand, Skinnskatteberg - Färnaleden

**Forest fires

It is sometimes easy to forget that forest fires are a natural part of the forest life cycle and that many species depend on regular fires for their survival. Before the mid-19th century, forests in northern Sweden burned at intervals of around 80-110 years and in southern Sweden even more frequently. For example, the forest in the Norra Kvill National Park in Kalmar County burned almost every 20 years during the 15th-17th centuries. In modern times, a more efficient and widespread rescue organization has led to a significant decrease in the number of forest fires, which has had a negative impact on fire-demanding species. Therefore, in recent years, more and more small controlled burns, so-called conservation burns, are being carried out. The Skinnskatteberg-Färna hiking trail stretches across the Lapland nature reserve, where the County Administrative Board has carried out conservation burns as part of the EU Life Taiga project.

Over the past decade, Sweden has experienced unusually severe forest fires. Many factors can affect the course and outcome of a forest fire. Rising temperatures due to climate change combined with increased drainage of forest land and an increase in the proportion of conifers may be contributing factors to more severe forest fires in recent times.

Swedish forest fires in modern times:

The forest fire in Kräklingbo Gotland in 1992 covered an area of about 1000 hectares.

The forest fire in Tyresta Stockholm in 1999 covered an area of approximately 200 hectares.

The forest fire in Bodträskfors Boden in 2006 covered an area of approximately 1 900 hectares.

The forest fire in Västmanland in 2014 covered an area of approximately 14 000 hectares.

The forest fires in Hälsingland in 2018 covered a total area of just over 20 000 hectares.

One hectare is the size of a 100 x 100 meter square, or 1.4 full-size football fields.

Forest fires have a complex duality that balances the often terrifying experience of the fire's progression with the subsequent rebirth of nature. As we humans strive today to foster a more resilient forest, consisting of more wetlands and a higher proportion of deciduous trees where appropriate, biodiversity should benefit in the future while making our forest fires easier to control.

**Conservation burning

Today, more and more controlled burns are being carried out as part of nature conservation by county administrative boards, forest companies and private forest owners. One example of this is the completed Life Taiga project, which ran between 2015-2020 with Västmanland County Administrative Board as project owner. You can see some of the results of that project along this hiking trail. Today, the Life2Taiga project is underway, where the County Administrative Board is carrying out conservation burns to increase the natural values of fire-prone pine forests in large parts of Sweden, including along this hiking trail and also in Finland. The project runs from 2022 to 2028 and is financed by the European Commission's LIFE fund.