Early on Wednesday 7 June last year, Erik Kagge got on his bike and pedaled towards Damåsen in Sørkedalen. The pulse increased. It was a cool summer day, with a slight breeze, but he had a job to do. He was to examine the forest on Damåsen more closely, to prevent it from disappearing. A few years earlier he had made a discovery there that made him rejoice alone among the trees: A rare arboreal fungus. Wanted to stop clear-cutting Kagge works as a biologist in the Norwegian Nature Conservation Association Oslo and Akershus. The week before, the association had learned that the Regional Office for Agriculture had approved clear-cutting at Damåsen. Now Kagge stepped inside while the gravel crunched, because they had submitted a complaint about the felling decision. The Nature Conservancy Association knew that the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, NINA, had mapped the forest on Damåsen for the Urban Environment Agency in Oslo municipality. NINA classified parts of the area as the habitat type “Old spruce forest with A value”. That is, biologically very important. Small margins Now Kagge was to visit the area in connection with the complaint. It was important for the Nature Conservancy to have good photos and observations of the forest they wanted to protect. But this time he made a completely different discovery. – I came up cycling to take pictures and see a bit more of the forest, and saw that the machines were already on their way. The road up to Damåsen is characterized by felling in the areas around the old forest. Photo: Gunhild Hjermundrud / news Kagge saw the forest workers get into the machines to start work. He notified the Nature Conservancy. They quickly contacted both the Agricultural Office and the forest manager in Løvenskiold, who owns the forest, to investigate whether they were aware of the complaint that had been submitted. Looking for life Now we are back at Damåsen. Kagge will investigate whether he can find the red-listed mushroom species again. It was not to be seen last year, but perhaps it lives here after all. Knife, mirror and headlamp are some of what the biologist takes with him on a species hunt. Photo: Gunhild Hjermundrud / news For the old spruce forest still stands here. The complaint from the Nature Conservation Association was upheld: Løvenskiold took the nature type into account, and now the old forest stands safely for an indefinite period. Want information about applications The Nature Conservation Association believes that this story shows a weakness in the system that is supposed to take care of important natural areas in the Oslo region. And they believe that they themselves can be part of the solution. In addition to Kagge and Håkon Eide Gundersen from the Nature Conservancy, Even Bergseng from Norskog and Magnus Rydning, operations manager at Løvenskiold Skog, accompany us on the trip. Also outside the picture is Carl Gustaf Rye-Florentz, who is Løvenskiold’s forest manager. Photo: Gunhild Hjermundrud / news The Nature Conservancy Association wishes they had found out about the application for felling when the Landbrukskontoret received it. Then they could tell them that NINA classified the area as very valuable, before the clearing was approved and the felling started. – Inspection of felling applications can provide important information for the proceedings about natural values that have gone “under the radar”, says Håkon Eide Gundersen. He is the general manager of the Nature Conservation Association Oslo and Akershus (Noa). It was Håkon Eide Gundersen who answered the phones to check that the complaint had arrived last year. But he would rather not have to experience the same thing again. Photo: Gunhild Hjermundrud / news Requests easier access Because Oslomarka is important to so many, separate rules apply to logging here. They are described in what is called the Marka regulation. It states that the forest owners must apply to cut in their own forest if it is within the field boundary. The mixture of dead and living trees is important for the value of the old-growth forest. Photo: Gunhild Hjermundrud / news Planned logging must be approved by the municipality, and the application must be submitted electronically. Today, you can find decisions about felling in the authorities’ mailing lists. The mailing lists provide an overview of all case documents that the municipalities receive or send. But this is not good enough, says Håkon Gundersen. Gundersen gets excited when he gets the chance to see a red-listed species. Photo: Gunhild Hjermundrud / news – It does not provide a real opportunity to provide input to the municipalities along the way. He wants the applications to also be made public. Gundersen says that it is a big job to find the felling decisions among everything that is published in all the postal lists: There are 17 municipalities that are covered by the Land Regulations. Erik Kagge says he is struggling to get an overview. – Now we have to be on different mailing lists and check every week, which requires a lot of time, and it often means that we can overlook things, says the biologist. Many who use the forest Gundersen believe that an inspection system can also give those who use and enjoy Marka a greater opportunity to express their opinion about how the forest should be used. – The opportunity to participate is not only reserved for organizations with many volunteers who set aside time to monitor these mailing lists. It should be a right and an opportunity that everyone has, he says. He points out that for many, a stable forest environment is positive for mental health. – The nearby forest, which is used for all “everyday trips”, has incredibly great value for many, for recreation, relaxation, physical and mental health. Taking the matter further The Oslo and Akershus Nature Conservation Association has asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Food to publish all applications and decisions on Marka logging in the same place. But they have not received approval for it from the ministry. So now they have complained about an access solution to the Civil Ombudsman. The common barnacle mushroom also grows on Damåsen. Photo: Gunhild Hjermundrud / news They have justified the access requirement, among other things, in Norway’s obligations according to the Aarhus Convention. It contains provisions on people’s right to environmental information, and the right to participate in matters concerning the environment. – We want a dynamic transparency solution, for example a website, where you can continuously see which felling applications have been submitted, and which decisions have been made, says Gundersen. Gjensyn So we have entered the old forest at Damåsen. Erik Kagge is slightly ahead of the rest of us on the trail. He knows exactly where we are going. He sits down by an old spruce trunk and finds the headlamp. It was on this trunk that he discovered the red-listed species several years ago. And this year it has appeared again. us when it “blooms”. Then a golden fruiting body grows out from under the tree trunk, where it is dark and moist and safe. Kagge calls it the mushroom’s genital organ. – It is late in the year, so now it has become quite limp. But it is nice to see it again. – The first time I saw it here I was very happy. Then I did some victory shouts in the forest alone. Would take this into account in the application With us to Damåsen is also Even Bergseng. He works for Norskog, one of several interest organizations for forest owners, and represents the landowner Løvenskiold. – Logging was also planned in the area we are in now, based on the fact that we had no information that there were special environmental values here that were somewhat different from the surrounding areas. He says the logging application would have looked different if they had known about NINA’s mapping. Even Bergseng in the old forest on Damåsen. Photo: Gunhild Hjermundrud / news – Then of course it would not contain the area designated as that nature type. This applies to all nature types here. We stay away from them, and also all the registered species. The head of forestry in Løvenskiold, Carl Gustav Rye-Florentz, says that they are very concerned about conducting forestry within the applicable laws and regulations. Forest manager Garl Gustaf Rye-Florentz in the forest at Damåsen. Photo: Gunhild Hjermundrud / news – In line with laws and regulations Agriculture and Food Minister Geir Pollestad says they will not spend money on making such an offer as the Nature Conservancy is asking for. Agriculture and Food Minister Geir Pollestad believes that the current system of mailing lists offers a good offer to those interested in following up on applications for felling in Oslomarka. Here he is standing in a cornfield on Ås. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB – Today it is the case that the municipalities put this on their mailing lists and it is available electronically, and I think it both offers a good offer to those who want to have access, and it is in line with they promise and apply as applicable. – How should ordinary people stay informed about where logging has been applied for? – I think that regardless of what kind of solution you choose, most people will not sit and watch applications for felling. Pollestad believes that it will be dependent on organizations that sit and follow along. Considerations for forestry The Minister of Agriculture is also concerned that the applications should be processed quickly, so that it will be possible to run profitable forestry. – There is a limit to how much delaying activity you can have, too, in order to ensure transparency, says Pollestad. He believes it is a political question whether a new solution is to be found. – We have meant that we don’t need that. Coincidences Biologist Erik Kagge disagrees: – How coincidental was it really that you discovered that there was going to be logging in this area? – We found out via the mailing lists. What was coincidental was that we hadn’t taken a summer holiday, because the decision came in just before the summer holidays, he says. His boots sink a little into the moss as we speak. – If there is a public database where it is available, then it is much easier for us, and others, to get an overview, says Kagge. While the others are being interviewed, Kagge continues to search, and finds several species that are categorized as threatened or near threatened in the area of Damåsen. Photo: Gunhild Hjermundrud / news
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Requires a new inspection solution for all felling applications in Marka – Norway
