Brad Withrow-Robinson. OSU Forestry & Natural Resources agent, Benton, Linn and Polk Counties.
In the fjord regions of Norway, both forestry and farming are limited to the area between the rock and the water. The bottom of the valley is farmed, and the narrow toes of the valley walls are forested. Many communities were not connected by roads until the 1920s. It is beautiful country, but it strikes me as a beautiful place to starve. It is not hard to see why so many people left for America in the late 19th Century. Those who stayed looked for alternative sources of income to supplement farm incomes/earnings.
Many of the family farm and forest owners in the Andalsness area of Romdal Conty are now “farming tourists” to one degree or another. Farmers in the Innfjorden valley now run a cooperative of about 60 rental cabins in their traditional summer pasture areas near the head of the valley. They are popular destinations in summer and winter for fishing, hiking and skiing. The vacationers are not limited to the cooperatives land holding, since Scandinavian tradition and law allows open access for such activities across all lands.
It is not an easy or lucrative place to grow and especially harvest and sell logs.
Wish you were here.
Brad
