Some trails that cross private land may have upwards of 60 landowners along the trail.
– We have quite a lot of trails in Jämtland Härjedalen, about 300 kilometers on private land alone, says Andreas Edholm from Jämtland Härjedalen Tourism, who is the project manager for coordinating hiking trails.
During Jämtland Härjedalen Tourism’s work to review the county’s hiking trails, it has been discovered that in many places there is a lack of agreement with landowners about who is responsible for the trail.
– As long as nothing happens, there is no danger. But when more people find a path, it is good for the landowners to look over how it looks, and that there is someone in charge.
Laid out spans are considered a facility, that is why a legal question arises precisely when there are spans along the joints.
The money changes the conditions
Land owners are not always aware that they can bear responsibility for hikers. A hiking trail can be equipped in parts with, for example, braces to facilitate walking.
– If you trip over a rock or root, you cannot hold the landowner responsible, but this does not apply to fences.
Ideal forces
One reason why an agreement may be missing, says Andreas Edholm, is that landowners rarely have objections to a hiking trail crossing their land.
– There can often be non-profit forces or old traditions behind the management of the trail, and therefore official agreements may be missing. It works until the day it no longer does.