It is the grassroots movement The Forest Uprising that together with Greenpeace and Ohredahke Samiby implement the blockade. They have stopped one of SCA’s logging machines on Lake Lungsjön, west of Ramsele, in Sollefteå municipality, by building a camp around it.
The dispute is about SCA’s conflict with, among others, Ohredahke Sami village. The Sami villages withdrew their consent to harvest on January 24, but SCA continues to cut down the forest in a way that the Sami believe is unsustainable.
Is suspected of self -proceeding
The blockade started on Thursday morning, in the afternoon police arrived at the scene.
– The police have said that those who are close to 90 meters from the harvesting machine will receive the crime suspicion with the unanimous procedure. Right now we have four people at the forest machine, says Sofia Olsson, spokesperson Forest Uprising.
In addition to the four activists at the forest machine, another five protesters are in place. They plan to stay.
– We have built up two larger tents, have camping equipment, so the plan is to be here as long as possible. How long it will be depends on how SCA and the police act, says Sofia Olsson.
Suffer from intensive felling
According to the activists, Ohredahke Sami village has been hit hard for years by SCA’s intensive felling. Over the past decade, close to a third of the Sami village’s forests that have never been harvested – and therefore have high natural values - still harvested by SCA. This makes the reindeer more difficult to graze freely, as they are dependent on old forests with a lot of suspension.
– The campaign is primarily about how SCA created total devastation in the forests here in the area. And also that they do not have a respectful and equal dialogue with the Sami village about what will happen on their traditional lands, says Sofia Olsson.
Criticizes the large companies
The activists not only criticize SCA, but to several large forest companies.
– We have done actions against Sveaskog and Stora Enso. Our focus is the large companies and how their working methods need to change fundamentally. We believe in a natural forestry, which is in balance with the boundaries of nature, and which is more locally anchored. SCA is a multi -billion company that is trying to get as many trees as possible for short -term profits, says Sofia Olsson.
Prompted the activists to move
SCA’s function manager in the Karl Larsson area says that the company urged the activists to move.
– The police from Östersund have also been present and had a dialogue with the activists. But they refuse to remove themselves, especially a person who has been buzzing in a tree, which is stuck in the machine, says Karl Larsson.
According to him, the Sami village’s withdrawal of consent to harvesting is problematic.
– We are certified according to a voluntary system called, FSE. Within the framework of FSE, we as landowners have a co -planning process together with the Sami villages concerned, where we describe what areas and forest measures we want to perform. In this case, the Sami village has taken back its consent. We cannot really see that it is possible to do within FSE, says Karl Larsson.
Trying to get permission mediation
Now SCA has turned to FSE to create a mediation. A mediation person has been appointed, but longer than that has not come.
The activists have said they are prepared to stay for a long time.
– It is incredibly regrettable. These are community -disruptive activities when choosing to take the law into your own hands. I do not know what will happen, but my hope is that activists will capture their reason, that they are leaving there so we can continue our legal business, says Karl Larsson.