Temporal variations of Cs-137 in Sots Pine

Sweden belongs to an exclusive group of nine countries in the world with a forest cover greater than 65% of the land area. Forest products make a large proportion of Sweden’s net export income. Not only wood fibres but also berries and meat from the forests are important. Game hunting, reindeer farming, berries and mushroom gathering, as well as fresh water fishery, are all included in human food chains that are likely to be affected if the forest ecosystem is contaminated by radioactive nuclides. Another main reason for focusing on uptake and availability of radio nuclides in the forest ecosystems is the safe radiation environment, an environmental goal decided by the Swedish Government (Prop.2000/01:130). This means that both people’s health and the biological diversity should be protected against harmful effects from ionizing radiation.