Part of E18 highway dug into the ground on man's property: 'Now the forest is dying'

Johan Fischer inherited a forest in Västmanland, Sweden, from his late father, a place filled with generations of family memories. His joy in this inheritance was shattered when he discovered that a forestry company, hired to build a gravel road, had instead used hundreds of tons of asphalt.

“

The only joy in this is that dad didn't have to see what has now happened. He would have been so sad.

The asphalt originated from a nearby E18 highway construction project. It was temporarily stored on a neighboring property before being transported to Fischer's land. The company had billed him for gravel, but the land was covered in black asphalt piles, emitting a strong tar smell. Fischer was shocked, recalling his own experience with drone footage for an investigation into a landslide caused by fill materials.

“

I was in shock. The whole forest smelled of tar and was filled with piles of black asphalt.

"My father's forest is dying now," Fischer stated, noting that the water in a pond on the property is dead and trees are beginning to wither. Environmental experts have expressed concern, with one former police environmental crime specialist noting that such materials can contain hazardous substances and are unsuitable for building forest roads. Preliminary tests on the asphalt using a special spray indicated the presence of cancer-causing agents.

“

Now my father's forest is dying.