Nature conservation burning in Ejheden Ecopark

Sveaskog is planning to conduct a programme of nature conservation burning in Ejheden Ecopark in northern Dalarna. The burning, which will be the largest ever undertaken in Sweden to date, will take in around 300 hectares of forest.

It is hoped to start the burning process some time during the next few weeks, although the exact date will be determined by wind and weather conditions at the site.

An ecopark shaped by fire

Ejheden Ecopark, which is also known as ‘the ecopark of fire’, is situated 30 km north of Furudal and covers an area of 6,900 hectares, 4,500 hectares of which is productive forest land. The flora and fauna in Ejheden Ecopark bear the scars of a long history of fires, and the robust pine trees that dominate the park have all been regularly touched by flames.

The natural fire interval for this type of forest is around 100 years. In order to maintain the natural values associated with the park’s fire-impressed pine forest, Sveaskog will conduct a nature conservation burning using clearly defined methods.

Important for insects and birds

Most trees survive the effects of fire, although some do suffer fire damage. For some trees, this damage is the precursor to a slow process of death, a process which has critical importance for insect life.

Some 40 or so insect species in Sweden are directly dependent on fire and require dead and fire-damaged wood in order to survive. In addition, there are also more than 1,000 species of plants, insects, birds and animals that benefit from the open and leafy forest environment left behind after a fire.

A nature value survey has been conducted in Ejheden Ecopark, producing a wealth of nature conservation data. For most of the forest holding in the park, the survey concluded that burning the standing forest would both preserve and strengthen the existing nature values and contribute to recreating additional nature values associated with fire-damaged forests.

Collaboration with Lycksele company

Sveaskog owns and manages the area that is to be burned. Lycksele-based Skogsdesign AB has been engaged to plan and carry out the burn. Skogsdesign will also be involved in the extinguishing work undertaken once the burning process is complete.

Most of the area in question will be burned as a nature conservation burn of standing forest, but there will also be a small amount of clearance burning.
The area will be split into three sections from north to south. These sections will be burned one at a time and it is estimated that each section will take around 24 hours to burn. Wind direction on site will determine the starting point for the fire.

Three days plus extinguishing

The burn will take about three days to complete. Additional time will be taken up putting out the fires. As far as possible, a nature conservation burn should resemble a natural fire and therefore this burning, as with other nature conservation burning, will be carried out at that point in the year when natural fires usually occur.

Breeding birds are the creatures most at risk from nature conservation burning. Other birds and animals escape when they sense danger approaching. The nature value surveys carried out did not find any signs of the area having any breeding grounds or living sites for species that could be regarded as particularly sensitive.

Game stocks increase

Although some individuals will not survive a fire, it is generally possible to say that forest fires have a significant benefit as many species thrive or are totally dependent on the effects of fire.

After a fire, it is common to find large accumulations of leaves and bushes, which usually results in game stocks in the area increasing.