Researchers at the Ume? Forestry University estimate that it will be impossible to care of all timber felled by the storm in the southern district (Södra) before next summer.
There just are not enough forest machines in Sweden to take care of all that timber in time. New estimates indicate that the storm has felled at least 80 million cubic meters of forest. That volume equals one whole year's cutting in Sweden as a whole and about five years' cutting in the affected area.
In particular, large harvesters are needed for cutting the trees felled by the storm. In view of the difficult conditions 3 700 harvesters will be needed to finish the job before next summer. An equal number of forwarders will be needed for transporting the timber from the forest to roads. That is about 1 000 more forwarders than the number registered in Sweden. Because harvesters are not entered in the Vehicle Register, it is difficult to estimate their number, but it is certainly not any higher than the number of forwarders.
The estimate is that at least half of the felled timber will remain in the forest on 1st August 2005. The timber still remaining in May 2006 will be worthless.