Forest fertilization in Sweden increased sharply in 2024, covering 40,000 hectares compared with 15,000 hectares in 2023. This marks a statistically significant rise from the record-low level of 10,000 hectares in 2022, returning to levels last recorded before the start of the war in Ukraine, according to the Swedish Forest Agency.
Over the past 30 years the fertilized area has varied widely, from 10,000 hectares in 2022 to 80,000 hectares in 2010. The fall in 2022 followed rising fertilizer costs linked to the war in Ukraine.
Forest regeneration measures decreased slightly in 2024. Mechanical soil scarification fell from 167,800 hectares to 160,800 hectares, while planted areas declined from 188,700 hectares to 180,400 hectares. In total, 192,000 hectares were regenerated, down from 198,700 hectares in 2023. These changes are within the statistical margin of error and not considered significant. Supplementary planting, however, increased again after successive declines since the 2019 peak of 58 million seedlings.
Continuous-cover forestry reached 733,000 hectares in 2024, with 535,000 hectares on privately owned land and 198,000 hectares on other ownerships. The confidence interval ranged from 618,000 to 847,000 hectares, overlapping with the 2023 range of 666,000 to 891,000 hectares. While the point estimate declined from 778,000 hectares in 2023, the overlap indicates no statistically significant change.
Ash recycling expanded to 16,400 hectares in 2024, with 50,300 tonnes of ash spread. This is the second-largest area since records began in 2009. Götaland saw an increase compared to 2023, while Svealand recorded a decrease. Between 2009 and 2024, 79% of ash recycling occurred in Götaland, 19% in Svealand, and 2% in Norrland.
