Timber felling has shaped these strangely sparse forests. Photo: Naturcentrum AB.
Timber felling
Extensive clear-cutting has occurred in Gränslandet for more than 300 years, ever since Røros Copper Works was founded in 1644. At first, it was to satisfy the smelting furnaces’ insatiable need for wood. Later, forestry companies wanted the valuable timber. Naturally, felling has left its mark in Gränslandet’s forest landscape.
The last timber felling
As late as the 1950s, the Norwegian state owned forestry enterprise Statens Skoger cleared a large area around Lake Rogen. This was one of the last large clearances in Norway and Sweden to be carried out in the old-fashioned way with horses, axes and crosscut saws. The lumberjacks wandered into the forests and lived in simple cabins all winter. Within a period of four years, 20 000 cubic metres were felled in this way.
The finest and oldest pines were selected for floating. Pines that were of a poorer quality, for example rotted, crooked and warped, were left. That’s why you can still find ancient pines in Gränslandet.