Wants To Ramp Up Re-Forestation In Iceland

The Icelandic Forestry Association passed a resolution yesterday that aims to plant some 8 million trees in Iceland over the next five years.

RÚV reports that the Icelandic government will be called upon to actively assist in this effort. The matter is especially urgent as tree planting has actually been declining in Iceland since 2007, and municipal authorities are therefore also encouraged to make preparations ready soon to plant more trees.

According to popular legend, about 25% of Iceland was covered with forests at the time of the Settlement in the 9th century. Since then, factors both human-driven and natural have contributed to their decline.

Today, efforts continue to reforest the country. On this map, you can see where Iceland’s forests can be found. The green dots are natural birch forests, yellow dots are birch shrubbery and red dots are cultivated forests.