The wild boar is known to disturb the forest floor by rooting in the soil as they search for food. Soil is a vital part of the carbon cycle and stores large amounts of carbon. There is limited knowledge on how this feeding behavior may alter the content of organic matter in the soil and consequently the ability of the soil to store carbon. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of rooting on organic matter concentration by (1) comparing soil from rooted and un-rooted plots and (2) investigating whether the density of rooted areas within each plot affects organic matter concentration. Our results showed no effects of rooting on organic matter concentration. The soil in our study area contained very high concentrations of organic matter (83%) which could have been a factor in why no effects were detected. Our overall results indicate that rooting does not, in the short term, affect the ability of the soil to store carbon in a coniferous forest in southern Sweden. However, this does not exclude rooting as a potential factor influencing soil carbon storage, as several other studies have detected significant differences in soil concentration. The complexity of ecosystems and factors influencing their properties leads to contrasting results between studies. It is relevant in a climate change perspective to further investigate the effects rooting may have on carbon storage in the soil.

Studien är ett designdrivet forskningsprojekt som besvarar frågeställningen: Vilka materiella designkvalitéer finns det i svenskt vildsvinsläder och hur kan dessa appliceras i produktdesign? Frågeställningen undersöks främst genom en material driven designmetod och resultatet analyseras genom teorier om design för hållbar utveckling och design för emotionell varaktighet. Den material drivna designmetoden inleddes med fri utforskning av materialet, första intryck dokumenterades och hypoteser kring materialet dömdes inkorrekta. För att undersöka de tekniska egenskaperna utfördes materialtester. Materialupplevelsen utforskades genom ett metodverktyg där 10 deltagare besvarade frågor kring materialets performativa, sensoriska, affektiva och tolkande egenskaper. Testerna avslutades med en reflektion av materialets positiva, negativa och unika egenskaper. Kunskapen av vildsvinslädrets designkvalitéer används sedan i en idégenerering process för att skapa en hållbar produkt med emotionell varaktighet. Idégenerering mynnar ut i studiens designförslag, en stol med dyna och ryggstöd av vildsvinsläder. Studien avslutas med en slutsats som bekräftar designkvalitéerna i vildsvinläder och en diskussion som belyser insikter som uppkommit under studiens genomförande. / The study is a design-driven research project that answers the question: What material design qualities are there in Swedish wild boar leather and how can these be applied in product design? The question is primarily investigated through a material-driven design method and results is analysed through theories of design for sustainable development and design for emotional durability. The material-driven design method began with free exploration of the material, first impressions were documented and hypotheses about the material were deemed incorrect. To investigate the technical characteristics, tests were carried out. The material experience is explored through a tool where 10 participants answered questions about the material's performative, sensory, affective, and interpretive properties. The tests ended with a reflection of the material's positive, negative, and unique properties. The knowledge of the design qualities of wild boar leather was then used in an idea generation process to create a sustainable product with emotional durability. The idea generation culminates in the study's design proposal, a chair with cushion and backrest made of wild boar leather. The study concludes with a conclusion that confirms the design qualities of wild boar leather and a discussion that highlights insights that emerged during the study's implementation.

I april-juli år 2010 undersöktes tre studieområden i mellersta Sverige avseende hur fördelningen av vildsvinsbök såg ut i dessa områden. Resultaten visade att vildsvinsbök främst återfanns i miljöer dominerade av tall-och granskog där åldern på träden låg runt 45-90 år, samt med fältskikt bestående av bärris, mossa eller gräs. På två utav de tre lokalerna påverkades inte arealen på bök av faktorer såsom trädartsammansättning, trädålder eller fältskikt men det fanns däremot korrelationer mellan dessa faktorer på en utav lokalerna. Vidare påverkades arealen på bök inte av populationstäthet eller hur lång tid vildsvin förekommit i området. / In April-July in 2010, three forest dominated areas in central Sweden were studied to investigate wild boar rooting habits. The results showed that rooting mainly occurred in pine-and spruce dominated habitats where tree-ages varied between 45-90 years old and with ground surface vegetation consisting of shrubs (blueberry/lingonberry), mosses and grass. In two of the three study areas the size of rooted areas was not affected by factors such as tree species composition, forest age or vegetation ground cover, but correlations between these factors were found in one of the areas. The size of rooted areas was not affected by the population density or the time with wild boar present in the area.