Swedish Homestead Series: How to Manage a Forest

Simeon Fuchs and his brother, Swedish farmers, tell us how they manage their woods, what principles underlie the thinning of the forest, and how they produce firewood from the harvested birch logs.

Simeon and his brother are responsible for the proper management of a 45-acre family forest plot. Their work brings the family income from the sale of wood to paper producers. In addition, the brothers make firewood to keep their home warm in the winter.

In this video series, the brothers go to the forest to cut trees for further firewood production. According to Simeon, the best firewood is from the local birch because it's easy to split thin logs on a hydraulic splitter, birch firewood burns well and long, and firewood is essential by-product in sustainable forest management. The brothers remove the thin trees of birch to clear the space for the growth of pines from the lower level of the forest. In addition, they care about increasing biodiversity, including insects, whose presence makes the forest healthier.

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