Reykjavík city hall has allocated 15 million ISK for reforestation programs in Iceland.
City council approved the resolution, put forward by mayor Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, to fund programs which would plant trees in Heiðmörk and around Mt. Esja. Part of the goal of the program is to create jobs for young unemployed.
While the measure is focused on those as young as 17, it does not exclude older people who want to take part in the program. About 1,500 schoolage Icelanders in the capital area will soon be looking for summer work.
Reforestation in Iceland has seen a sudden upswing in interest as the country looks for new employment opportunities. According to legend, Iceland was at the time of the Settlement covered with trees, from mountaintop to shore. Today, the tree scarcity is the subject of oft-repeated jokes such as standing up being the solution to the problem of being lost in an Icelandic forest.