Boden’s largest wetland project approved

“This project is the largest wetland project for which the municipality has been granted funding. The municipality is working strategically and has taken a holistic approach to the Lörbäcken stream in collaboration with the County Administrative Board and industry, to secure future development within the catchment area while at the same time not negatively impacting our water bodies. Flarkmyran is a starting point in the effort to reduce nutrient inputs to Lörbäcken,” says Emilia Björkemyr, environmental strategist at the Municipality of Boden.

In total, the Municipality of Boden has been granted SEK 4,096,320 from LONA (Local Nature Conservation Projects) for the initiative at Flarkmyran.

The project area covers approximately 45 hectares and currently consists of a 40–50-year-old mixed forest. Historically, the area has been affected by forest drainage and forestry operations, which have led to nutrients—primarily phosphorus and nitrogen—leaching from the soil and being transported to nearby watercourses.

The aim of the project is to re-wet the drained wetland within the catchment area flowing toward Lörbäcken, which in turn leads to the Natura 2000 site Persöfjärden. Both Lörbäcken and Persöfjärden are already heavily impacted.

Through excavation, plugging, and infilling of ditches, the natural hydrology and vegetation will now be restored.

The project will run until autumn 2028, which includes two active snow-free field seasons followed by monitoring.

As the area is adjacent to Boden Industrial Park and the Boden Cleantech Center, the planned measures play an important role in future development in the surrounding area. In addition to reducing nutrient loads, the project is expected to contribute to increased biodiversity, improve the soil’s water-retention capacity—thereby creating a greater buffer against future extreme weather events—and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The restoration contributes to several national environmental objectives, including reduced eutrophication, thriving wetlands, a rich diversity of plant and animal life, limited environmental impact, and living lakes and watercourses.