Skyddsvärda träd på kyrkogårdar.

: Förekomst och förändringar i södra Värmland

Abstract

Old and large trees are now rare in the forest landscape but in cultural landscapes such as cemeteries, a relatively high proportion remains. When trees reach a certain age and size, they develop substrates that benefit, or are required by, other organisms for the survival of the latter. In 2004 an action program for particularly valuable trees in the cultural landscape was introduced by Naturvårdsverket (Swedish Environmental Protection Agency). As part of this program an inventory of such trees was conducted as an initial step in conservation efforts. In the county of southern Värmland trees of conservation value were surveyed during the early 2000s.This study focuses on previously documented trees of conservation value in cemeteries in southern Värmland. By re-visiting eight cemeteries and assessing trees using the AHA method, which evaluates the likelihood of trees hosting red-listed insects, the fate and management of these trees was examined. A total of 144 trees were included in the study. Of these, 103 were relocated while 41 were missing. Only nine of the missing trees had been replaced through replanting. The results show a decline of approximately 28 % in trees of conservation value over a period of about twenty years. This decline may be attributed to several factors with tree pests and safety-related management actions being possible contributing causes. According to the AHA method 2 trees are classified as class I trees, meaning that they have a very high probability of hosting red-listed insects. 23 trees fall into class II, and 18 trees are assessed as class III. 60 of the trees are classified as R-class, meaning that in the future they may replace the current class I–III trees.

Date of Award	2026-Jun
Original language	Swedish
Awarding Institution	Faculty of Natural Science
Supervisor	Johan Elmberg (Supervisor) & Ingemar Jönsson (Examiner)