The combined assessment by the Swedish Forest Agency and the Forestry Board indicates that on the order of 10 million cubic meters of forest may have fallen. The hardest hit are Dalarna and Gävleborg counties, but significant damage has occurred along the coast from Uppland to Norrbotten and parts of Västernorrland and Jämtland.
According to Magnus Martinsson, forest coordinator at the Swedish Forest Agency, the figures are still preliminary and may be adjusted both upwards and downwards.
"It will clear up, but it will take time. Right now, the weather is very difficult in these areas. This makes the work of estimating volumes more difficult," Martinsson says.
Fourth worst
The preliminary estimate that 10 million cubic meters of forest fell makes Storm Johannes the fourth most devastating storm since records began in the early 1930s.
The most devastating storm was Gudrun in 2005 when 75 million cubic meters of forest fell.
Fredrik Munter, CEO of the forest owners' association Mellanskog, which has many members in the worst-affected areas, says that with so many trees blown down, billions in value are at stake.
"That doesn't mean all is lost. We can save some," Munter says.
Pressures
The storm damage is equivalent to about a year's worth of logging. Now this will be taken care of in less than six months. This will lead to increased costs and probably lower payments for the timber. He is now asking for simplified permit processes from the authorities, for example for logging notifications.
He doesn't know what the insurance situation is like among the members. Many are probably insured, others are not.
"For individual forest owners, this is a disaster, a trauma," Munter says.
It was on 27–28 December 2025 that storm Johannes swept across northern and central Sweden. It was followed shortly after by storm Anna, which has worsened the situation. According to observations by the Swedish Forest Agency, the storm has caused damage to forests from Norrbotten down to northern Uppland.
Corrected: In an earlier version of this text, the storm Per was missing from the fact box.
The storms in Sweden that have caused the most damage to forests since 1993, measured in cubic meters of felled forest (m3sk):
1. Storm Gudrun, 2005, felled 75 million cubic meters of forest in Götaland, Kronoberg and Jönköping counties.
2. Storms Simone, Hilde, Sven and Ivar during the autumn and winter of 2013 felled a total of 14 million cubic meters of forest. Storm Ivar hit hardest, felling approximately 8 million cubic meters of forest in Norrland.
3. Storm Per in 2007 mainly affected northern Götaland and Svealand and felled 12 million cubic meters of forest.
4. Storm Johannes in December 2025 preliminarily felled 10 million cubic meters of forest, primarily in the counties of Dalarna and Gävleborg.
Source: Development of forest damage since 1993 (Swedish Forestry Board)
