Bland granar och grannar : Ansvar och risk för granbarkborreangrepp i skog

Sammanfattning

This thesis discusses the responsibility of and risk for infestations of spruce bark beetle. The spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus, is a natural part of the Swedish forest ecosystem but causes severe financial damage in forestry. Since 2018, the spruce bark beetle infestations have been substantial in Sweden. The first task of the thesis is to evaluate the balance between the forest production interests and the environmental interests, based on the legal regulation of spruce bark beetle control. Production and environment are the equal aims of the Swedish Forestry Act. The regulation of spruce bark beetle control differs depending on whether the forest is in a conservation area or not. For example, owners of forests outside conservation areas are obliged to take care of damaged, fresh wood of spruce and pine, while such an obligation in general does not exist in conservation areas. In this evaluation, I conclude that the balance between the two interests in the spruce bark beetle regulation is good as a whole. The second question of the thesis is the legal allocation of risk for spruce bark beetle infestations. In this investigation, it is examined whether established law presents a possibility to claim damages for spruce bark beetle infestations that may derive from an adjacent forest. The conclusion drawn is that the regulation of compensation for certain kinds of environmental damage in the Swedish Environmental Code probably would not be applicable as a legal basis for such a claim. By contrast, neighbour law and the Swedish Torts Act could be used as the basis of an action for damages. However, to prove causality regarding the origins of a specific infestation might bring problems, which altogether means that an action for damages faces considerable difficulties. Therefore lastly, some alternative ways of allocating the risk for spruce bark beetle infestations are presented.