During the early Middle Ages, in the 12th and 13th centuries, reclamation took place. This means that the peasants cleared new land and began to cultivate previously un-farmed wooded districts. On the plains, the land had been farmed for a long time. As the population grew, new farm-land was needed. People moved to the wooded districts, cleared the ground from stone and built farms. This took place in the wooded districts of Småland and in large parts of Dalarrna , Västmanland and Norrland. The same thing happened in Norway. In Finland, both Swedes and Finns were encouraged to cultivate new land on the coast and in the interior of the country.
Many of these new farmers were former slaves. They brought their families to the newly-cleared land and built farms. They combined farming with the tending of live-stock, forestry, charcoal-burning, tar-boiling, fishing and hunting. In some regions, iron was produced. The forest peasants sold part of their products to the town. The citizens needed coal, tar, firewood, timber and iron. The peasants bought salt, spices and cloth when they were in town.
Today, place-names can tell us which areas were cleared and cultivated at this time. In many places, one can see traces of the fields and meadows reclaimed in the Middle Ages.
A fairly mild climate at this time made reclamation easier. New tools which were made of iron also helped in the clearing of new farmland.