The transfer of peasant forest to sawmill companies in Northern Sweden

Abstract

The 1840s inaugurated a period of expansion for timber exports from Norrland which lasted for over thirty years:¹ its background was rising West European demand and the evolution of a system of international free trade, led both in commercial policy and in the market, by England and France. This caused the traditional regions for international timber supply to lose ground relative to the new Swedish competitor. In Norrland early in the nineteenth century large tracts of forest had been handed over by the state to independent peasants, and in many cases title to these forests was subsequently passed on by various means to expanding sawmill companies. The consequences of this were investigated by government committees which reported both social perils and depletion of the forests;² depredations caused by such companies were thus placed under restrictions. The right of free contract was limited in the 1880s by regulating certain types of forest leasehold agreements. At the same time, however, sawmill owners began buying forest lots on such a scale that the very existence of the independent peasant class in Norrland was thought to be threatened. More radical counter-measures were demanded, and were brought into effect in 1906 when the purchase of peasant land in Norrland by companies was prohibited.³ The mutual dealings of peasants and companies gradually came to be viewed as social conflict, and even as a form of class struggle. It is therefore of particular interest to investigate the precise character and scope of the terms under which forest land was transferred: this article will examine the problem in a limited period. Since the evolution of the timber industry in Norrland was by no means uniform, partly because natural conditions varied from place to place, the present enquiry should be regarded as a case-study.