Å gjøre et tre fremmed: Om sitkagranas plass i et treløst landskap

Sammendrag

This article analyses the cultural perceptions of Sitka spruce [Picea sitchensis] as an alien tree in Coastal Norway. To do this, I add understandings of the political, societal and local contexts which have played a crucial role in establishing an understanding of Sitka spruce plantations as an unvalued landscape element in the coastal districts where it originally was planted as part of afforestation campaigns and shelterbelt establishment. To understand what it is about Sitka spruce trees – and the place they hold in the Norwegian coastal landscape – that makes them unwanted by many people, I draw upon historical documents and interviews with employees working with nature- and forest management in today’s coastal municipalities. Specifically, the article argues that the perception of Sitka spruce as an unwanted landscape change is also influenced by historical tensions in the valuation of traditional land use practices and perceptions of the traditionally treeless landscape, which comes in addition to the ecological effects of Sitka spruce spread.