A biodiversity crisis is looming in Sweden. The country is one of the largest in Europe and is thickly forested, with trees being its most valuable natural resource beside iron ore. The cutting, though, is very aggressive, and clearcuts are the norm. In recent years, loggers have moved into the oldest forests of all, which harbor a growing list of threatened and endangered species, over 2,100 at last count.
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In order to keep the most important areas safe from the saw, a corps of activists has trained itself to identify rare species, especially fungi and lichens, that frequent the high conservation value areas. Proof of their tiny presence (requiring the constant use of magnifying lenses) can be used to protect special tracts, but the work is very demanding. Over the course of a summer month, a rotating group of volunteer scientists will survey dozens of hectares (by hiking many miles) every day, inspecting, turning, and lifting each old or dead tree in sight.