Giant aspen forest in Skråmträsk

Burträsk, Skellefteå

Two kilometres south of Skråmträsk lies one of Sweden’s most remarkable forests. A somewhat forgotten and seldom-visited old forest that has been able to exist in peace, free from human interference. Wear a pair of rubber boots and make your way along a forest path covered in knobby roots and the occasional water-clogged hole. You don’t know much about aspen as a tree species, but you’ve heard that they don’t normally live for much longer than 100 years before they start rotting from within. And when you stand next to one of the trees, you are sure that you would probably manage to put your arms around it if this was a normal aspen. But the aspen growing in Skråmträsk are not normal trees. Instead, you’ll encounter trees that are nearly 300 years old with vast canopies more than 26 metres above the ground. Probably the oldest aspens in Sweden.

Directions

Take a left in Skråmträsk and follow the road along the eastern side of Skråmträsket lake. Continue straight ahead for about 2 km after passing the lake. Then turn left, to a smaller road. Follow that road west, first past farmland and then towards the forest. After about 1 km you will arrive at a small parking lot. Follow the path from the parking lot for about 100 metres. You have arrived.