The main focus of research and monitoring at Grimsö Wildlife Research Station is applied ecology related to wildlife and natural resource management. The station is located in central Sweden, in an area mainly consisting of intensively managed spruce and pine forest.

Ecosystems and climate
Grimsö Wildlife Research Station hosts a research area of 13 000 ha. The main ecosystems surrounding the station are coniferous forests, lakes, streams and wetlands. The area is situated along Limes Norrlandicus and therefore the climate poses a mix of hemi-boreal and boreal, with a mean annual temperature of 4.7 °C. The station is located at 118 m a.s.l.

History and organisation
Grimsö Wildlife Research Station was initiated in 1974 as an ecological research station run by the Environmental Protection Agency. Since 1992 Grismö is hosted by the Department of Ecology at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). Approximately 40 people work at Grimsö, including researchers, undergraduate and postgraduate students, field assistants as well as administrative and technical staff.

Location
Grimsö Wildlife Research Station is located in Lindesberg municipality in the Bergslagen Region in central Sweden, less than a 2.5-hour drive from Stockholm.

Plan your visit
If you want to carry out research, arrange a course or hold a conference at Grimsö, please contact the station, see the station’s SLU page for contact details.

Research area
Conventionally managed forest dominates the region, but the research area also includes two forest reserves (ca 900 and 425 ha, respectively), some meadows around the station, but only a small proportion of agricultural land. Thanks to a relatively dense network of small gravel roads, the accessibility is good to all parts of the area. Sampling plots may be established throughout the research area, including physical installations, given they will not affect the vegetation etc and management negatively.

Facilities, equipment and staff support
The facilities and equipment at Grimsö Wildlife Research Station include a genetic laboratory, a game handling facility, plant preparation lab, wood and metal workshops, cars for fieldwork, dog kennels, WIFI. The station staff is experienced in various wildlife survey techniques, such as capturing and marking of animals and immobilisation technology, and may support external projects with planning and field work. Projects may also get IT support and administrative services. Offices, conference facilities, lecture rooms, lodging with kitchenettes a large joint kitchen and a lunch restaurant, are also available at the station.

Wildlife monitoring is an important part of the station's activities. A large part of the monitoring was initiated during the 1970s, but new data series have been added over time and as methods developed. The continuous surveys focus on topics like population dynamics, reproduction, life history traits, body measures etc of for example moose, roe deer, red fox, voles and starlings. The monitoring also includes a tick survey, phenology data on vegetation and ca 70 migratory bird species, and weather data.

SITES Thematic programmes

Open data available
Meteorological data from the station is available on the SITES Data Portal. Some of Grimsö’s survey data are also part of national monitoring systems, for example the data on vole population dynamics. Additional data on wildlife monitoring can be obtained from the SITES Station Manager.

• LTER Sweden
• LIFE­PLAN – A Planetary Inventory of Life
• Grimsö Wildlife Research Station hosts SLU Wildlife Damage Centre, a national information centre for wildlife caused damages and their potential preventions. Together with the county boards, the Wildlife Damage Centre also organize the annual surveys of the large carnivores.

• Grimsö Wildlife Research Station on SLU's website.