Swedish researcher Isac Carlsson finds open forests boost pollinator numbers

During the summer, a team led by doctoral student Isac Carlsson at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala inventoried 66 upland forests in Sweden to assess how pollinating insects respond to forest structure. In the third round of the study, Carlsson reported that open forests containing more flowers host significantly higher numbers of bumblebees and day‑time butterflies than denser, closed‑canopy woods.

The findings highlight the importance of forest openness and floral resources for supporting pollinator communities in Swedish woodland landscapes.