Forests and forestry in Iceland

Aðalsteinn Sigurgeirsson Icelandic Forest Research

Not only least forested but probably also the least vegetated

country in Europe

40% in state of desertification

Climatically, Iceland is located within the boreal forest zone

!!

Source: UN/ECE

Iceland: Europe’s least forested country

% forest cover in 36 European countries

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Finland

Sweden

Slovenia

Russia

Austria

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Slovakia

Belarus

Albania

Portugal

Czech R

ep.

Italy

Luxembourg

Bulgaria

Croatia

Lithauania

Germ

any

Switzerland

Poland

Norw

ay

France

Rum

ania

Greece

Spain

Belgium

Hungary

Ukraine

Turkey

Denm

ark

Great Britain

Netherlands

Moldovia

Ireland

Malta

Iceland

% forest

Iceland(0.3%)

Source: Rep. 3rd Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forest in Europe, Lisbon, june 1998

Hlutfall skóg- og kjarrlendis af heildarflatarmáli lands (%) í 46 Evrópulöndum

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Fin

nla

ndS

víþ

jóð

Sló

vení

aSp

ánn

Eist

lan

dR

úss

lan

dB

osn

ía o

g H

erse

góv

ína

Sva

rtfj

alla

lan

dG

rik

klan

dLe

ttla

ndA

ust

urrí

kiLi

ech

ten

stei

nK

róa

tía

Ge

org

íaH

vítr

ússl

and

Port

úgal

Kýp

urSl

óva

kía

No

reg

urM

ake

dóní

aA

lba

nía

Ítal

íaLi

tha

uga

land

Ték

kla

ndL

úxem

borg

And

orra

Bú

lgar

íaS

viss

Þýsk

ala

ndFr

ak

klan

dP

ólla

ndR

úm

enía

Tyr

klan

dB

elg

íaSe

rbía

Ung

verj

ala

ndÚ

kra

ína

Dan

mör

kSt

óra

-Bre

tla

ndM

old

óví

aH

olla

nd

Írla

nd

Ísla

nd

Mal

taV

atí

kan

iðM

óna

kó

Proportion of forest or other wooded land in 46 European countries (source: MCPFE, 2007) (í %).

(1,5%)

% forest cover of total land area

0,3%

10,7%

28,9%

65,9%

72,0%

11,6%9,6%

30,7% 29,7%

31,9%47,1%48,7%

When Iceland was settled 1100 years ago the land was forested, as described in the medieval sagas:

"from the feet of the mountains to the seashore". Forests covered 30-40 % of the total area of Iceland

Historical background

Native woodland before colonization, 25-40 % Native woodlands, today

Native forests: birch, rowan, aspen – no conifers

Juniperus communis

(the only native conifer

species)

• Clearing for pasture and hay fields (esp. in 9.-10. century)• The use of firewood and charcoal (until the 20th century)• Overgrazing by domestic animals (esp. sheep, goats) to this day• Volcanic eruptions with extensive ash fall• Catastrophic floods related to volcanic activity• Climatic factors such as “the little ice age” • Low biodiversity: a predisposing factor?

What happened to the forest after settlement (landnám) ?

Cause: a combination of

many interacting factors

Land degradation followed wholesale destruction of native woodlands

874 NOW

40%

The ‘view’ towards Mt. Hekla, S-Icelandon a windy, dry day in Oct. 2004

Oct. 20, 2004

“Man-made barren land & desert” is the most common “vegetation type”

All terrestrial flora and fauna was ‘wiped out’

during glacial interstadials of the

Pleistocene

Source: PALEOMAP project;

C.R. Scotese(http://www.scotese.com/lastice.htm)

Pleistocene effect on flora and fauna

• All plant and animal species are ‘recent’ (Holocene) immigrants– Mainly widespread generalists with holarctic

distribution– No endemic species (save perhaps one species of

freshwater shrimp)• Low species diversity due to geographic

isolation– Number of vascular plants in similar latitudes &

climatic regions ...• Alaska: >1400 species• N-Norway: >700 spp.• Iceland: 470 spp.

– One native mammal (Arctic fox)

Number of tree species (> 3 m) in North-America

Iceland: 3

Source:Currie DJ, Paquin V. 1987.Large-scale biogeographicalpatterns of species richnessof trees. Nature 329: 326-327

Icelandic birch woodlands

Afforestation

Began in 1899• protection of remaining woodlands

•afforestation experiments

The “Pine stand” at Thingvellir

1899

2003

1899: First experiments in ‘organized’ afforestation

(Danish initiative)1907:

A law on forestry and soil erosion.1913-1935:

Management of native woodlands

1930:Icelandic Forestry Association founded

1990: Land reclamation forest project, first regional forestry ‘pilot’

project1999, 2006:

The Regional Afforestation Projects Act, 5% of plantation forest cover of lowlands (400m)

Afforestation in Iceland

Mynd: Þröstur Eysteinsson

It took half a century to convince Icelandersthat trees could grow in Iceland

The first larch plantation, Hallormsstadur, E-Iceland

• 1937 • 2008

Tree species planted (2000-2005)

Sitka spruce 14,92%

Lodgepole pine 14,92%

Siberian larch 33,72%

Birch 26,34%

White spruce 1,03% Rowan 0,20%

Norway spruce 0,04%Willow 1,62%

Engelmann spruce 2,59%

Black cottonwood 4,61%

Downy birch (Betula pubescens)

Siberian larch (Larix sibirica)

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis)

Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta)

Black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa)

Feltleaf willow (Salix alaxensis) and Hooker willow (S. hookeriana)

Norway spruce (Picea abies)

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) the biggest failure – so far

Source: Icel. Forestry Association (www.skog.is)

Changes in use of tree species1945-2000

Black cottonwood(Populus trichocarpa)

Downy birch(Betula pubescens)

Norway spruce(Picea abies)

Sitka spruce and Lutz spruce(Picea sitchensis & P. xlutzii)

Scots pine(Pinus sylvestris)

Lodgepole pine(Pinus contorta)

% Expansion or reduction of forest or woodland cover (1990-2005) in 46 European countries

Icelandic forests have expanded by 21,000 ha over this period, amounting to 95% increase over this 15-year period (6,3% per annum).

-20

0

20

40

60

80

100

Ísla

ndÍr

land

Spá

nnPo

rtúg

alÍta

líaG

rikkl

and

Danm

örk

Búl

garí

aLi

thau

gala

ndS

tóra

-Bre

tland

Eis

tland

Kýpu

rHv

ítrús

slan

dLe

ttlan

dFr

akkl

and

Sló

vení

aLi

echt

enst

ein

Svi

ssTy

rkla

ndPó

lland

Úkra

ína

Mol

dóví

aÞý

skal

and

Hol

land

Nor

egur

Aus

turr

íki

Sví

þjóð

Lúxe

mbo

rgUn

gver

jala

ndKr

óatía

Geo

rgía

Tékk

land

Sló

vakí

aR

úmen

íaA

ndor

raVa

tíkan

iðM

alta

Món

akó

Svar

tfjal

lala

ndM

aked

ónía

Rús

slan

dFi

nnla

ndB

elgí

aAl

baní

aBo

snía

og

Hers

egóv

ína

Serb

ía

Afforestation 1940-2007• 75% of afforestation in Iceland has occurred since 1990.• 75% of planted forest in Iceland are ‘Kyoto-forests’

Afforestation objectives in IcelandMultiple-use:

• Ecological (rehabilitation of ecosystem processes, habitats, wildlife),

• Economic (wood production, non-wood products),

• Protective (soil and water conservation, shelter, seq. CO2)

• Social (recreation).

Main actors in Icelandic forestry

• Iceland Forest Service– Mgt of state-owned forests,

research, extension, information• Regional Afforestation

Projects (5, in total)– Grants to farmers (800),

extension• Icelandic Forestry

Association– NGO, over 50 local societies– 7500 members (the largest

environmental NGO in Iceland)

Icelandic forest research (research branch of the Iceland Forest Service)

Photos: Mats Wibe Lund©

Mógilsá 1974Mógilsá 1999

Main research areas

• Genetics, genecology, breeding• Silviculture (esp. in establishment phase: site

preparation, tree nutrition, nursery research, establishment methods)

• Forest site research (production capacity), forest inventory, carbon sequestration

• Forest protection (entomology, pathology)• Forests, public perception and rural

development• Forest ecology (esp. ecological effects of

afforestation; biodiversity, water, etc.)

Government policy goal

• To afforest 5% of land area in lowlands (below 400 m a.s.l.)

• = 2% of total land area

Annual change in forest cover 1990-2000 (source: FAO)

Site-types afforested in Iceland since 2000

Planted forests, 1899-2005

For what purpose?

Multiple-use 9.200 32%

Timber 8.700 30%

Land rehabilitation

3.600 12%

Recreation 5.100 18%

Summer cottage surroundings

700 2%

Experimental 200 1%

Christmas trees 500 2%

Shelter 700 2%

Nature conservation

200 1%

28.900

Purported environmental damage

• Forest plantations (esp. conifers) claimed to be a threat to environmental health– Biodiversity– Acidification of soils– Eutrophication of water

• Research has failed to substantiate these claims

Athyrium filix-femina, rarein Iceland, colonizing the forest floor in a plantation of Sitka spruce, N-Iceland

Do you feel that forests are positive or negative for the country?

• Results of a nation-wide poll (Aug. 2004)

• 93% of Icelanders feel that forests are positive for the country

Positive

Would you like to see forests in Iceland increase or decrease in area?

• Results of a nation-wide poll (Aug. 2004)

• 85% of Icelanders feel that forests should expand (66% felt that forests should expand greatly)