How is plantation forest actually defined, and does this type of forest occur in Sweden?
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) a plantation forest is a:
Planted forest that is intensively managed and, at planting and stand maturity, has one or two species, even age class, and regular spacing.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which certifies forests according to rules for responsible forestry, defines Swedish forest stands as plantation forest if they are dominated by alien tree species, planted on agricultural land or made up of spruce in the nemoral zone, i.e. the deciduous forest region in southern and southwestern Sweden.
Are there plantation forests in Sweden?
Plantation forests are typically associated with intensively managed forests with very short rotation times, consisting of row upon row of trees planted in straight lines. Some areas of young forests in Sweden can look similar to this, to the extent that one type of planted tree dominates in the first few years. But gradually, many other species and self-sown trees of various kinds emerge, resulting in more varied forests.
When forests are harvested, a large number of trees and forest patches are left untouched to become part of the new stand. This helps new forest acquire important characteristics from older trees.
So, even if certain areas of planted forests in Sweden bare some visual similarities to plantation forests when young, these are not plantation forests according to the established definition.