A first analysis from the Forest Agency shows that there are large clear-cuts both where a freight train derailed and where a man died after his car drove down into a crack as a result of the floods, reports Sveriges Radio Ekot.
It could indicate that the felling has had an impact on the events that have occurred, says Anja Lomander, soil specialist at the Forest Agency, to the radio.
Clear-cuts do not absorb water in the same way as land where there are more trees, therefore the runoff from the clear-cut areas increases. Lomander is now calling for a deeper analysis of the accidents in Västernorrland.
The road network was also damaged in connection with the cloudbursts. About 40 roads were damaged or washed away.
If we have a forestry that contributes to destroying the railway connection between northern and southern Sweden, that if anything has significance for Sweden's civil preparedness, says Anja Lomander.
