Hedmarktoppen Folkehøgskule Reported to Police for Illegal Logging in National Park – NRK Innlandet – Local News, TV and Radio

The national park administrator in Femundsmarka was informed about the videos.

– They filmed that they cut down large trees in various places which they subsequently burned in large fires. It’s prohibited in a national park, says Femundsmarka National Park Manager Kirsten Thyrum.

The rector of the popular high school was surprised when he received the phone call about what happened and that they would be reported to the police.

With ax and saw

Students from the Hedmarktoppen Folk High School sports and outdoor line are on the road in Femundsmarka National Park right after school starts each fall. On the tours, students are divided into groups where they will spend the night alone, according to the director.

The wood is introduced in some places in the area that can be used for heating. But it’s not allowed to cut down or damage trees there, he informs the national park manager.

– They brought an ax and a saw and amused themselves by throwing an ax at fresh wood, Kirsten Thyrum said.

The school principal, Geir Byberg, says it is true that classes have brought this equipment on trips. But that’s just for use on the timber.

– I hope and believe that it is due to ignorance that has happened. I don’t think it was done in bad faith, says Byberg.

Protect forests

Nothing is allowed in national parks that could destroy conservation values. In Femundsmarka there is a protected old pine.

– They are important because they are not found in ordinary forests. They are important for woodpeckers, lichens, fungi, and insects, for example. Many of the species on the red list are found in Femundsmarka and are linked to old trees, says Kirsten Thyrum.

The crime seen on admission took place in the fall of 2019. The principal admits that the school is not good enough to inform students about the rules.

– They are adults, but when we take students to an area that is a nature reserve, we must be very careful and explain the rules that apply in the area. We have to get better at that, Byberg says.

National park manager Kirsten Thyrum thinks it’s a shame that something like this could happen in a wild line. Especially since it is also prohibited to cut wood on someone else’s land also outside the protected area, she says.

– It is very sad that young people who go to popular secondary school because they have this interest are taught about illegalities, he says.

The students were also on Swedish soil, in a nature reserve there. The Swedes have also denounced the school.

Thyrum says they have 30 large information signs at the entrance to Norway’s national parks. But you probably don’t think everyone is aware of the rules that apply in these areas.

– Perhaps we need to find other ways of informing so that it reaches everyone. But like I said, the information has been configured on the gateways. We hope the school class will become familiar with it, says Thyrum.

Regrets

The sports and nature line at the folk high school is on tour again this fall. This time, the school made sure no one brings an ax and saw on the trip, the principal says.

– Then it is not possible in the same way to do something that is not right. I’m sure the teacher is even more precise with the guidelines than before, says Geir Byberg.

He adds that they are very sorry for what happened and will make sure similar things don’t happen in the future.

– We will do our part to communicate the correct practice to future and alumni, says the director.

The national park manager says this isn’t the first time they’ve found out that someone has done things like popular high school. But that it is not always possible to find out who is behind the destruction.

Thyrum hopes that reporting the case to the police will mean that the school takes proper responsibility. And that more people know the rules of national parks.

– If discovered in the countryside, you will be informed in town by the Norwegian Environmental Protection Agency or the mountain board. But these come out in late fall and it’s not that easy to get over it, but they have filmed it here themselves.

The police will investigate the case.