Naturarvet in the hot air

GOOD NEWS! The state will cover the cost of fire protection. Funds raised now go to Skarnhålan old-growth forest. See the area preserved on the fundraising map here.

OBS! This collection is finished! Please support our fundraiser for Skarnhålans old-growth forest .

Support the collection to cover the cost of the post-fire clean-up after the forest fire. You can make a contribution to Iglekärr here. You can also make a donation marked "Iglekärr" to Swish 9011172 | BG 901-1172 | PG 901117-2

🌳❤️🌲 Thanks to a BIG gift of 100 000 SEK and many other gifts from you fantastic donors, the goal has been achieved. 🌳❤️🌲 All the surplus will of course go into the collection for Skarnhålans old-growth forest. Take the opportunity to buy umbrella trees or forest plots in the finest of forests in Risveden.

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A fire broke out on Biodiversity Day, 22 May, at a picnic area at the eastern end of Stora Iglekärr, the lake that gives its name to Iglekärrs old-growth forest, which Naturarvet acquired in 2012 and opened in 2016, when it also became a nature reserve.

The cape at the eastern end of Stora Iglekärr where the fire broke out. Photo: Leif Danielson

The fire is under control and the post-extinguishing work was completed during week 22. The costs for post-extinguishing amount to more than 120 000 SEK for Naturarvets part as landowner of Ale Sålanda 2:22 which constitutes Iglekärr's nature reserve. There is no insurance, nor does the state cover the costs of fire protection ordered by the rescue services in nature reserves where the land is owned by private owners, so this is a cost that falls on the landowner even though we have no control over it. Make a contribution to Naturarvet to help cover our costs by clicking here.

Great devastation that can eventually bring biodiversity. Photo Mårten Bydén

Some values have been lost, such as the old spruce, the 200-year-old tree that adorns our Christmas gift certificate, which does not survive but contributes to the life of the forest in other ways, as dead wood. At the same time, a fire can eventually benefit biodiversity in certain areas. If you want to visit the fire area, be aware that there is a high risk of damaged trees falling. The West Coast Foundation has posted warning signs around the area. Naturarvet advises against visiting the fire area in the near future and urges great caution when visiting in the next few years. Please visit Iglekärr's old-growth forest anyway, there are so many other beautiful things to experience there and in the other areas, Solliden, Skarnhålans old-growth forest and Ekliden nature reserve, which together make up 206 hectares of contiguous protected wilderness in Risveden.

The map shows the extent of the fire area in the 206 ha protected area of Risveden. We will be able to follow the development of the area and see how it compares to, for example, a smaller area of about 5 ha in Skarnhålan old-growth forest, which was felled about 40 years ago, with 145-year-old remnant pine trees that have self-regenerated and have not been cleared or thinned. The County Council has placed insect traps in the fire area that will show how species associated with fire fields migrate to the area. The County Council has also posted signs to leave the insect traps alone.

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Here is our Facebook post that we published when the news of the fire spread like wildfire in the Swedish media: