This report compares programmes of coordinated recipient control for rivers in northern Sweden. The aim was to investigate differences in the programme of the Ume and Vindel Rivers compared with those of Skellefte, Torne, Kalix and Ångerman Rivers. Future impacts on Ume and Vindel Rivers, and consequently the programme, were also studied. A quantitative method, namely meta-analysis, was used in order to collect data of programmes on Water Information System Sweden (VISS). The results of this study showed that the programme for the streams is slightly different regarding measured parameters, number of sampling points and sampling frequency. However, the similarities between the programmes of Ume and Vindel Rivers and Torne and Kalix Rivers are greater than compered to Skellefte River. The conclusion is that the differences in the programmes may have a natural explanation such as different emissions to the recipients, but can also indicate different ambitions. The programme may be affected and in need of change if a potential nickel sulphide mine in Tärnaby, Storuman is established and joins the water conservation association of the Ume and Vindel Rivers. Intensified forestry might also increase future impacts.

For the first time, Mid-Late Holocene insect fossil assemblages were studied from inland northern Sweden, producing new evidence relating to both natural environmental changes and human impacts. The insect fossil assemblages from natural deposits indicated extensive woodland with old and dead wood and a deep litter layer of decaying matter. Human impacts became apparent from the 1st millennium AD, when the landscape around many sites became more open, with elements of heath. It is difficult to determine whether these changes were driven purely by human activity, indicating subtle landscape change as a result of periodic exploitation, or if natural influences were significant in creating this landscape structure. If connected with human use, then the impacts of periodic exploitation can be seen to be subtle and localised, but notable enough to leave tell-tale signs in the insect fossil record. These relatively subtle changes in the environment can be compared with the more severe effects found during periods of historically known permanent settlement, where extensively open and disturbed habitats are suggested in the insect fossil record. Species associated with arable and pasture land are restricted to the last few hundred years, in association with settled occupation. The climate signal in the insect fossil record has been weak, and use of the Mutual Climatic Range method (MCR) has not revealed evidence of climatic fluctuations during the Late Holocene period.

Since the Swedish health care system is mostly organized at a regional level and the population density across the Swedish regions are variating, the supply of health care differs among the regions. Population density and the centralization of care is also affecting the distribution of health care facilities since most opportunities for care will be found where population density is high, such as larger cities. In northern Sweden where the larger parts of the area are sparsely populated and the main cities are mostly located along the coast, accessibility to health care for the rural population and their urban counterparts are therefore very different. The level of accessibility to health care can be more crucial in some situations than in other, one of these is childbirth. Since the labour process can develop quickly, the need to get the right care at the right time can be vital for both mother and child.  In the past years there have been changes to the maternity hospital distribution in northern Sweden. This is due to the closure of Sollefteå maternity hospital and the temporal closing of Lycksele maternity hospital. The aim of this thesis is to analyse the change in accessibility between 2013 and 2019 as a result of these shutdowns. This is done using service area analysis through the ArcGIS network analyst extension. The result show that the closures have had large impact on the spatial accessibility, increasing travel times to maternity hospitals for the inland population. Those who are mostly affected are people who already had poor accessibility, these are also places who have a small population. The result also shows that around 90 % of the women could reach their closest maternity hospital within one hour in 2013 compared to around 80 % in 2019. Around 40 % of the women are at higher risk of childbirth complications since they exceed 20 minutes travel time, this was the same value in 2013 as for 2019. As conclusion, closures have decreased accessibility for women in the inland of northern Sweden but the largest part of the population remain having good accessibility to their closest maternity hospital.

<p>The aim of this study is to investigate colonization processes and population and agricultural development during the 16th century. The studied geographical area consists of the northern part of the northernmost province of Sweden of that time, Västerbotten. During this period, this part of Sweden consists of four parishes, from the south to the north: Piteå, Luleå, Kalix and Torneå. The area constitutes a bailiwick (county administrative division) of its own, the northern bailiwick of Västerbotten. The geographical area studied in this thesis is today’s County of Norrbotten below the border of Lappmarken and Torneå Municipality in Finland.</p><p>By the middle of the 16th century the region is an established and developed agricultural district. The average farm’s acreage is nearly three acres. The differences between the parishes are considerable, however. Besides arable farming and cattle farming, fishing is important.</p><p>Studying land colonization, settlements and population in 16th century Sweden means being limited mainly to one kind of source, namely bailiff accounts (fogderäkenskaper). These accounts consist of cadastres (land registers of rent and revenue), registers of other ordinary and extraordinary taxes, and, from the end of 1560s, the tithe registers. This collection of registers constitutes the bailiffs’ accounts of incomes and expenses and is an expression of the increased control exerted by the Crown over production and private wealth in the country.</p><p>An important task has been to check the quality of the sources for the study. Quality means in this context up-to-dateness and completeness. An investigation of the sources shows that they were regularly updated. By comparing the different registers the completeness can be examined, i.e. the extent to which they correctly follow the instructions, “undervisningar”.</p><p>These circumstances, the up-to-dateness and completeness of the sources, guarantee the possibility of describing, in a correct manner, the real situation in the region regarding the land colonization, settlements and population.</p><p>Placing the development in the studied region in a geographical context has been important. Some studies have been performed using the cadastre registers, many of which were included in the Nordic project studying the late medieval desertion of the colonization process in Sweden during the 16th century, Nordiska ödegårdsprojektet.</p><p>A feature of the development in Sweden during the 16th century is two periods of growth and a weak or retrograde period in between. A common pattern in the settlement development is a strong growth in 1540s and 1550s. In the late 1560s and during the 1570s the settlements are weakening, stagnating or decreasing. From 1580 and onwards, another growth of farms is established again, to a greater or smaller extent.</p><p>The increase in the population is generally considered to be the main cause of the land colonization process in the 1540s and 1550s. The weaker development of the next two decades is related to the Nordic Seven Years’ War (Nordiska sjuårskriget), with its great negative impact on many areas in Sweden. After a fast recovery the colonization process starts again and is in progress for the rest of the century.</p><p>A closer study of the situation in two parishes in Norrbotten shows that the two periods of growth have different qualities. The first period, during the 1540s and 1550s, illustrates traditional progress through colonization. The growth consists of farm divisions and the establishment of new farms. The development of new farms follows a certain pattern. By clearing land the farm is established, a first registration is made, and the farm obtains tax release for a few years and is finally entered in the land register (jordeboken). During this period the agricultural sector is growing when both new and already established farms contribute by land reclamation.</p><p>During the second period of growth the farm division process continues and new farms are established. However, this time the new farms are generally of another kind. They are very small and are established mainly by detaching parts or buying land from older farms, not by land reclamation. The agricultural sector is not growing, with some exceptions, during this period. Furthermore, the population increase during the earlier period, which seemed to “force” the agricultural sector to grow, is not effective this time. Instead, during this second period, a population decrease takes place.</p><p>The general picture of the settlement development in Sweden during the 16th century is growth. The differences between regions concern the strength of the total growth of farms during this century. In Norrbotten the development is weaker than in most other regions in Sweden. The western part of the country seems on the whole to have a stronger growth than the eastern and northern part. It should be observed, however, that areas situated very close to each other can show quite a different progress.</p>

The aim of this study is to investigate colonization processes and population and agricultural development during the 16th century. The studied geographical area consists of the northern part of the northernmost province of Sweden of that time, Västerbotten. During this period, this part of Sweden consists of four parishes, from the south to the north: Piteå, Luleå, Kalix and Torneå. The area constitutes a bailiwick (county administrative division) of its own, the northern bailiwick of Västerbotten. The geographical area studied in this thesis is today’s County of Norrbotten below the border of Lappmarken and Torneå Municipality in Finland. By the middle of the 16th century the region is an established and developed agricultural district. The average farm’s acreage is nearly three acres. The differences between the parishes are considerable, however. Besides arable farming and cattle farming, fishing is important. Studying land colonization, settlements and population in 16th century Sweden means being limited mainly to one kind of source, namely bailiff accounts (fogderäkenskaper). These accounts consist of cadastres (land registers of rent and revenue), registers of other ordinary and extraordinary taxes, and, from the end of 1560s, the tithe registers. This collection of registers constitutes the bailiffs’ accounts of incomes and expenses and is an expression of the increased control exerted by the Crown over production and private wealth in the country. An important task has been to check the quality of the sources for the study. Quality means in this context up-to-dateness and completeness. An investigation of the sources shows that they were regularly updated. By comparing the different registers the completeness can be examined, i.e. the extent to which they correctly follow the instructions, “undervisningar”. These circumstances, the up-to-dateness and completeness of the sources, guarantee the possibility of describing, in a correct manner, the real situation in the region regarding the land colonization, settlements and population. Placing the development in the studied region in a geographical context has been important. Some studies have been performed using the cadastre registers, many of which were included in the Nordic project studying the late medieval desertion of the colonization process in Sweden during the 16th century, Nordiska ödegårdsprojektet. A feature of the development in Sweden during the 16th century is two periods of growth and a weak or retrograde period in between. A common pattern in the settlement development is a strong growth in 1540s and 1550s. In the late 1560s and during the 1570s the settlements are weakening, stagnating or decreasing. From 1580 and onwards, another growth of farms is established again, to a greater or smaller extent. The increase in the population is generally considered to be the main cause of the land colonization process in the 1540s and 1550s. The weaker development of the next two decades is related to the Nordic Seven Years’ War (Nordiska sjuårskriget), with its great negative impact on many areas in Sweden. After a fast recovery the colonization process starts again and is in progress for the rest of the century. A closer study of the situation in two parishes in Norrbotten shows that the two periods of growth have different qualities. The first period, during the 1540s and 1550s, illustrates traditional progress through colonization. The growth consists of farm divisions and the establishment of new farms. The development of new farms follows a certain pattern. By clearing land the farm is established, a first registration is made, and the farm obtains tax release for a few years and is finally entered in the land register (jordeboken). During this period the agricultural sector is growing when both new and already established farms contribute by land reclamation. During the second period of growth the farm division process continues and new farms are established. However, this time the new farms are generally of another kind. They are very small and are established mainly by detaching parts or buying land from older farms, not by land reclamation. The agricultural sector is not growing, with some exceptions, during this period. Furthermore, the population increase during the earlier period, which seemed to “force” the agricultural sector to grow, is not effective this time. Instead, during this second period, a population decrease takes place. The general picture of the settlement development in Sweden during the 16th century is growth. The differences between regions concern the strength of the total growth of farms during this century. In Norrbotten the development is weaker than in most other regions in Sweden. The western part of the country seems on the whole to have a stronger growth than the eastern and northern part. It should be observed, however, that areas situated very close to each other can show quite a different progress.

The purpose with this report was to investigate the possibilities for smaller district heating plants to use recovered wood waste (RT-flis) as fuel. A smaller district heating plant in the north of Sweden (Sorsele värmeverk AB) was the main study object. To be able to incinerate this fuel there are a number of requirements that need to be fulfilled according to the law. In addition to these requirements, the incineration of this fuel also needs to be profitable. The results for this study were obtained through interviews, investigations of the incineration laws and the fuel supply, as well as an analysis of the opinions occurring within the personnel of the heating plants. The results show that the possibility to incinerate RT-flis depends on the appropriate technology; the possibility to fulfill the requirements of the law, as well as it has to be profitable. All these parameters are in close relation to each other. Whether it is technologically possible to use RT-flis largely depends on the construction and technology of the heater, which affects the possibility to fulfill the requirements on, for example, air emissions. Economically, main issues include investments into measuring equipment, but also the accessibility of fuel. The most important aspect is the quality of the fuel (e.g., contaminations).

Forestry affects most of the forest-covered land in Sweden. In the landscape, the most common stream type is headwaters, which are important sites for many processes and organisms in both the terrestrial and the aquatic ecosystems. The aim of this study was to investigate how the abundance of benthic invertebrate functional feeding groups in headwater streams develops after clear-cutting and if it also is possible to detect a change in the composition of feeding groups. The study also attempts to determine what factors have an effect on temporal changes in abundance of these groups. For the study, 11 sites in northern Sweden were sampled for benthic invertebrates using a Surber-sampler, and for each site canopy-cover and pH was obtained. Further, the age of the surrounding forest at each was visually assessed and created a 100-year gradient along which temporal changes in abundance of the functional feeding groups were investigated. The results revealed that the total abundance of organisms was the highest short after clear-cutting and afterward decreased to the lowest level in streams with the highest age of surrounding forest. Significant results for the functional feeding groups were found for predators, shredders and scrapers, which also had the highest levels of abundance early after clear-cutting and thereafter decreased. The result shows that clear-cutting, not only changes the fundamental terrestrial conditions, but also has an impact on the abundance of different benthic functional feeding group.

In this thesis freeze-thaw along roads in northern Sweden is examined. The examinations are put in a context of changing climate and its amplification towards the Arctic region on earth. The research focuses on the impact of a warmer climate on ground freeze-thaw and in exten- sion road maintenance in the region. The investigation is presented through two scientific papers, where the first examines how ground temperatures are developed during a single frost season experiment, where a natural accumulation of snow cover and a continual removal of snow cover occur respectively. In the second paper, ground temperature data from sub-Arctic Sweden that has been logged by the Swedish Transport Administration, has been collected and freeze-thaw cycles have been calculated and analysed. The results are related to regional landscape factors and are in the context of regional climate change discussed to reach understanding of challenges for road maintenance in the region and opportunities to reach resilience. The results in Paper 1 show that also a thin cover of snow has impact on the freeze-thaw frequency, duration and intensity that occur in and on the surface of the ground. Furthermore the results show that the ground temperatures rise in due to an increase in snow cover amounts and that this process occurs in several steps. Paper 2 shows that the occurrence of ground freeze-thaw is affected by the proximity to open waters. Warmer temperatures in the air may cause later ice freeze-up and earlier ice break-up on lakes, rivers and on the Gulf of Bothnia and roads in northern Sweden are in general situated on the coast or near rivers. Ground temperatures around 0 °C has a high negative impact on road stability and a warmer and wetter climate in northern Sweden may thus increase road deterioration. The economic development in Sweden stays dependent on extraction of natural resources in sub-Arctic Sweden and thus it is of major concern to main- tain and improve road infrastructure in the region.

The last century, forest fires have decreased in frequency due to efficient fire-suppression along with the growth of the industrial forestry. Since 1990, fire has been reintroduced under controlled forms to recreate burnt habitats. Many species that are dependent on, or benefits from, forest fires have increased since fire was reintroduced. The importance of connectivity is often addressed in ecological research. This is particularly important for species dependent on short-lived habitats such as burnt forests. The aim of this study was to investigate if a higher connectivity between burnt forests leads to an increased occurrence of fire-related insects. The study also attempts to determine in what way connectivity and other variables in a burnt forest, such as amount of living and dead wood, distance to the coast and altitude, affects fire-related species. To investigate this, six burnt forests in Västerbotten County were sampled for fire-related insects. The sites were chosen along a gradient from high to low connectivity and close to far from the coast. The results showed that there are too few burnt forests in Västerbotten County to conduct a study of this magnitude. Still, the results provide an insight in how different environmental variables affect the number of fire-related species. The results showed a trend that increasing amount of living and dead wood and longer distance from the coast increase the local richness of fire-related species. Concerning the main aim in the study about connectivity, the analysis gives no support to either accept or reject the hypothesis.

This essay is about the earliest sites in the county of Norrbotten, Sweden. The sites are dated to the Mesolitic period through radiocarbon dating. This essay includes an analysis which is based on the lithic material from fourteen archaeological examined sites in the county of Norrbotten. The aim of this essay is to investigate if there are any significant differences between the sites comparing lithic raw-materials and artifacts. The quantitative analysis confirms differences between the sites and their lithic material. There are visible differences within the raw-materials, artefacts and amount of lithic material. The possible reasons for differences in the lithic material are discussed through the essay: settlement patterns, chronology and geographical location of the sites.