At the end of last year, from 27 to 29 December, the biggest storm of the past decade raged across Sweden. Assessment of the losses it caused is still under way, and the figures are likely to rise.

Storm “Johannes” came as an unwelcome surprise to Sweden's northern regions at the end of 2025, causing widespread power cuts and considerable destruction in forest stands. A little later the Nordic countries were also “visited” by storm “Anna”. More than 10 million cubic metres of timber were blown down in Sweden's forests, the heaviest losses in the past 10 years.

The Swedish Forest Agency described “Johannes” as “possibly the most extensive storm to hit the country in the past ten years” and the fourth “most destructive” since the 1930s. The storm struck Sweden, Norway and Finland, devastating large areas of commercially managed forest.

The worst damage is in Dalarna and Gävleborg county, some 300 kilometres north of Stockholm. The storm's path led on through Uppland and Norrbotten county near the Finnish border. According to Fredrik Munter, chief executive of Mellanskog (one of Sweden's largest forest cooperatives), the value of the felled timber runs into billions of kronor; forestry crews are working hard to salvage as much as possible before rising air temperatures cause the wood to deteriorate rapidly.

In Sweden, three people were killed by falling trees during the storm. Tens of thousands of households were left without electricity. There were no fatalities in Finland or Norway, but those countries too saw extensive power cuts, blocked roads and snow damage.

Forestry operations manager Magnus Martinson noted that the extent of the damage is still hard to determine, as prolonged bad weather is making it difficult to assess the situation. Swedish foresters explain that many storm-hit areas remain inaccessible because of fallen trees, snowed-in roads and unstable terrain. The Swedish Forest Agency warns that the volume of destroyed timber calculated so far is likely to increase as forest owners and managers continue to report on conditions in their forests. Satellite survey data will be updated over the coming weeks.

“Johannes” was followed a few days later by “Anna”, adding to the damage in northern and central Sweden and putting still more strain on emergency services and forestry workers who were already stretched to the limit.

Increasingly frequent storms are compounding the severe problems facing the Nordic forest sector. Climate fluctuations are becoming more intense, and economic and ecological risks are growing. Experts warn that the scale of the damage could disrupt timber flows; the rush to salvage storm-felled trees is increasing harvesting volumes, which in turn may have a growing impact on European markets. Forest sector specialists point out that many of the world's productive forests have recently been affected by extreme and unpredictable weather.