Två stenar på rad och en kulturstubbe : Obesuttnas kulturarv möter det storskaliga skogsbruket

The forest is a vital resource in society’s climate transition. There is a need for greater extraction of forest raw materials to meet the demand for green energy both now and in the future. But there are many other values in the forest, including heritage such as abundant ancient and cultural remains. Ancient and cultural remains are at great risk of damage in today’s mechanized forestry. Evaluations have shown that a total of 27% of all known ancient remains were damaged in connection with regeneration felling in 2023. The same evaluation also showed that ancient remains with visible markings, especially in the form of cultural stumps, were less likely to be damaged. For the system of cultural stumps to be an effective protection for ancient and cultural remains in forestry, it is necessary that they are correctly placed, and that the degree of marking is complete. This, in turn, requires a good knowledge base in the form of high-density inventories, and archaeological competence to guide the work of ”setting out” cultural stumps.