Sweden: Willow Cushman (Learning on Excursions)

Program: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Exchange, Spring

A few days ago, my class went on an excursion to visit nearby forest ecosystems: a national park and a production stand. We’ve spent a lot of time this semester learning about key forest structures, how different forestry practices can alter these structures, and the resulting impacts on local biodiversity. 

Our first stop was Europe’s smallest national park, Dalby Söderskog (pictured left). The 27-hectare park is one of the few spots in Sweden’s southern Skåne region that has been relatively untouched by human activity since the early 20th century.

The forest’s tree species composition was incredibly diverse and created a multi-story canopy. Huge broadleaves dominated the upper canopy, providing critical habitat for a number of forest specialist species. Despite visiting in the winter, the forest was flourishing with life and rich with birdsong

Next, we stopped at a nearby spruce monoculture production forest. In this stand, even-aged trees created a thick canopy that blocked out most of the light. Only a few moss species could survive on the otherwise barren forest floor. The forest was completely silent; only an occasional crow passing overhead could be heard. Due to Sweden’s intensive forestry practices, many of the country’s forested areas are similarly empty and do not provide enough resources for forest specialist species to thrive. 

Even though I had heard a lot about the major differences between historic forest conditions and heavily managed production forests, experiencing it myself was shocking. At the end of the excursion, the class discussed alternative management strategies and how they might benefit the local biotic community.