After the severe storm that hit Southern Sweden in the beginning of the year many forest owners are looking for alternatives to the dominant spruce. Scientists believe that fast growing larch trees may be an interesting alternative.
Not only does hybrid larch grow very fast, but in older and properly thinned forests it is also relatively resistant to storm damage. Furthermore, larch will improve bio-diversity and it increases light and adds to beauty in our spruce dominated forests.
One of the scientists, Mr Lars-Göran Stener, believes that larch has been neglected and underestimated for a long time. Now is the proper moment for taking account of the advantages that this tree can offer.
Larch should be an interesting complement to spruce, because sawn timber of the former species fetches an equal or even better price than spruce and because hybrid larch is ripe for cutting already in about 35 years time. Furthermore, for the last ten years larch wood as material for facades, panelling, floors and exterior building elements has attracted increasing interest. Now we have to import larch to meet demand, says Lars-Göra Stener