(edit title) Collecting firewood from forests Is it OK? Options

[SimonD]

Hello,

we are new to Sweden and want to ask, is it OK to collect twigs and branches in forests that are already on the ground? no full trees, just twigs and branches.

Thanks

[Johno]

Strictly no even to that. Obviously all woodlands are owned by someone, the commune if nobody else. And while the timber is the valuable bit, the branches, stripped bark etc get collected for burning at local power/district heating plants. But dont make it obvious and you will get away with it. Near us, after Gudrun, the commune tidied up but didnt make a very good job of it. Despite a warning not to by our local cottage society, I confess I ended up doing some minor clearing opposite our cottage and added the bits to the firewood stock. Conclusion, tiny amounts, nobody will care.

[skogsbo]

as mentioned above it's a no no. I have some forest where all the off cuts etc. are on the ground still and will be going for wood bio mass in the next few months. That said, if someone came and asked me politely I could probably point them towards a bit of forest that you could happily pick clean.

For FSC and PEFC (sustainable forestry accreditation etc.) then forests should not be picked clean, a % of forest has to be left natural and never felled or cleaned. Also if offcuts etc. have been on the ground for over 12mths they should be left, as they have become part of the environment with wildlife inhabiting them. The wood that rots also returns nutrients to the soil.

What most people want out of their forests though is any spruce logs/off cuts from the winter etc. before peak summer (30th June), because these become a breeding ground for beetles which then go on to damage/kill fresh standing spruces. This only applies to freshly cut spruce though, again not stuff over 12mths.

I know in parts of eastern Europe what hits the forest floor is fair game, this gives great open orienteering running. In Russia forest owners put a special mark on diseased or beetled trees indicating that local villagers can chop them down for themselves.

[Svensksmith]

As we only lived in Sweden for one winter, I was able to clear a fencerow out and have enough firewood to last the season. I would have to have resorted to purchasing firewood for the next year if we would not have moved, as all the trees on the rest of my property were mostly scrub...which kinda goes against my grain as I have never purchased one stick of firewood in 20+ years of heating with wood.

Quite a contrast to here in the US where I regularly find dead trees and/or piles of wood from farmer's fencerows that are free for the cutting and hauling. I'm not sure what that says about the difference between the two countries. Seems as though Swedes either doesn't waste much or the landowners are a bit less generous.