ATL: “A tailored management model for higher profitability”

The trade magazine ATL visited Hyggligt’s continuous-cover harvest (hyggesfri avverkning) in Tölingsnäs outside Vingåker to see how centered selective logging (centrerad plockhuggning) works in practice. Forest owner Lars Pontén explains why the feel of the forest and its recreational value weighed heavily in the decision to try an alternative method.

“It looks good and seems promising—the forest feel is still there. But I’m cautious and will wait to give a verdict until it’s finished. Only then will we know how much forest is left.”

ATL also highlights Hyggligt’s management model, based on Nils Fagerberg’s research, which focuses on maximizing value growth per tree rather than volume growth at the stand level. Using drone scanning, optimization algorithms, and in‑cab visualization support in the harvester, the system selects exactly which trees to remove at each intervention.

“Many people already know there are biodiversity benefits to continuous-cover forestry (hyggesfritt skogsbruk), but not that there are also financial benefits and greater opportunities to combine multiple objectives,” says Erik Ek Elmqvist, co‑founder of Hyggligt.

The feature also describes how the method is aligned with the landowner’s goals, how extraction levels are adapted for different species, and how regrowth happens naturally to gradually create a more multi‑layered stand. ATL also raises topics frequently discussed in continuous-cover forestry (hyggesfritt skogsbruk), such as wind stability, regeneration, and productivity in heavy thinnings.

Read the full article here:
https://www.atl.nu/hyggligt-vill-oka-vardet-i-hyggesfritt-skogsbruk