What is an old-growth forest and how is it defined?
EU legislation and its transposition in national law use the term old-growth forest, which is defined as follows:
A forest stand or area consisting of native tree species that have developed, predominantly through natural processes, structures and dynamics normally associated with late-seral developmental phases in primary or undisturbed forests of the same type. Signs of former human activities may be visible, but they are gradually disappearing or too limited to significantly disturb natural processes.
Each Member State has its own local definition with more detailed descriptions and adaptions to local conditions. Old-growth forest is translated as “gammal skog” in Swedish.
