News

The second issue of Skógræktarritið has now been published and is in circulation to subscribers. The Journal is the only journal in Iceland specifically dedicated to forestry and is therefore the main forum for writing for Icelandic foresters and other forestry enthusiasts. The content of the Journal is therefore very diverse.

The second issue contains articles on the Tree of the Year 2022, the first tree in a very long time to reach 30 m in Iceland, about shelterbeds and their effects on microclimate and plant growth, about forestry in “hopeless” areas, about the legal framework for forestry in terms of livestock, about a forestry field trip to Morocco, about the general meeting of the Icelandic Forestry Association and a think piece one the interaction between trees and people, as well as an overview of the main forestry statistics for 2021 and memorials.

For more information on the publication, visit the website of the Icelandic Forestry Association: http://www.skog.is/skograektarritid/

Several forestry associations in Iceland are selling Christmas trees this year, either already cut down or inviting people to come into the forest to pick and cut down their own Christmas tree.

These are the associations selling trees:

Akranes Forestry Association at Slaga, Sunday December 18, 12-3 PM.

A-Húnvetningar Forestry Association at Gunnfríðarstaðaskógur, Saturday December 17, 11 AM – 3 PM.

Árnesingar Forestry Association at Snæfoksstaðir, December 10-11 and December 17-23, 11 AM – 4 PM.

Borgarfjörður Forestry Association at Reykholt, Saturday December 17, 11 AM – 3 PM.

Eyfirðingar Forestry Association at Laugalandsskógur, December 10-11 and December 17-18, 11 AM – 3 PM. Also in Kjarnaskógur every day til December 23, 10 AM – 6 PM.

Garðabær Forestry Association at Smalaholt, Saturday December 17, 11:30 AM – 3:30 PM.

Hafnarfjörður Forestry Association at Þöll on Kaldárselsvegur, every day until December 23, 10 AM – 6 PM. Trees and decorations.

Ísafjörður Forestry Association at site above Bræðratunga, Saturday December 10, 1 – 3 PM.

Mosfellsbær Forestry Association at Hamrahlíð. Every day until December 23. Open 10 AM – 4 PM on weekends, December 12 – 16 at 2 – 5 PM, December  19 – 22 at 12 – 5 AM and December 23 at 10 AM – 4 PM.

Mörk Forestry Association at Stóri-Hvammur, Saturday December 17, 1:30 – 3 PM.

Rangæingar Forestry Association at Bolholt, Saturday December 17, 12 – 3 PM.

Reyðarfjörður Forestry Association at Hagi, Sunday December 11, 10 AM – 1 PM.

Reykjavík Forestry Association at the Elliðavatn Christmas Market on weekends, 12 AM – 5 PM. Christmas Forest at Hólmsheiði on weekends, 11 AM – 4 PM. Christmas tree sale at Lækjartorg on December 17-18, 2 – 6 PM and December 19-22, 4 – 8 PM.

Skilmannahreppur Forestry Association in Álfholtsskógur, December 10-11 and Saturday December 17, 12 – 3:30 PM.

Stykkishólmur Forestry Association in Sauraskógur, Saturday December 10, 11:30 AM – 2 PM and Grensás, Saturday December 17, 11:30 AM – 2 PM.

Fossá Forestry Association at Fossá in Hvalfjörður, December 10-11, 11 AM – 3 PM.

The Icelandic Forestry Association hosts pre-booked groups at Ingunnarstaðir in Brynjudalur.

Further information (in Icelandic) at https://www.skog.is/jolatrjaavefurinn/

Skógræktarfélag Íslands has the pleasure to announce the opening of the exhibition “The Women who plant trees” in collaboration with American visual artist Christalena Hughmanick (www.christalenahughmanick.com/) and the Alliance Francaise of Reykjavík (www.af.is/).

In August 2021, Skógræktarfélag Íslands began a collaboration with Christalena Hughmanick for a special project linking art and forestry, with the ambition to bring the world of forestry to the general public through art. The purpose of this project was to give visibility to the women who have been and still are participating in the reforestation efforts led in Iceland since the 1930s, to share their perspective, and to show how they engage daily with their forests.

The focus was put on the North of Iceland. This area was not only chosen because it is one of the most anciently forested places of the country, but also because the four volunteer forestry associations of the area and the biggest tree nursery of Iceland, situated in Akureyri, are all managed by women.

The goal was to understand what links people to their forests. The project therefore explores how forests embody the collective ambition to address the environmental crisis and improve life conditions in Iceland for almost a century. Christalena Hughmanick recorded nature sounds such as wind blowing through trees and collected the biographies of inspiring women from the North and more. She also led a mediation event at the heart of Kjarnaskógur with women from the forestry associations of Ólafsfjörður and Eyjafjörður, at the occasion of which they could meet and connect to nature together by mobilizing all their senses. The event was recorded and can be listened to on Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tMIfDsru-c.

It is the result of those investigations that Christalena will be presenting in her exhibition. She will be releasing a digital album containing the interviews with some of the women she has met as well as nature sounds that she has recorded. These interviews and photographs of her travels in 2021 will be displayed for the duration of the exhibition. The title of the exhibition is inspired by “The man who planted trees”, a short essay by Jean Giono written in 1953 about Elzéard Bouffier, a sheep farmer who takes upon himself to plant oaks and birch trees in the French mountains of Provence and presents – in a beautiful way – the social and environmental improvements happening over the years for the small mountain community. A story resonating a lot with the history of the Icelandic forestry during the 20th century.

The opening of the exhibition will be on Friday 2nd of December 2022, at 6:30pm, at the Alliance Francaise, Tryggvagata 8, 2nd floor. Christalena Hughmanick will be presenting her work, the pictures, and the album to the visitors, and excerpts of “The man who planted trees” will be read in Icelandic, French and English. The online event can be found on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/863001364879565/863001388212896/?ref=newsfeed

Christalena Hughmanick will also be holding a cyanotype workshop event at the Alliance Francaise to teach about natural dyes and eco-prints on fabric with forest material. The event will be held on Saturday 3rd of December from 11am to 15pm. It is possible to register here for the workshop:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/atelier-cyanotype-tickets-470926924107?fbclid=IwAR03PN61jbuFQlartD–ZwR2lNUXVUg9xqYbd485c0oGzzpyfm7kR0gLwyk

She will then stay to welcome visitors until 6pm to answer questions about her work and the exhibition.

The association’s annual mushroom picking event will be held in the forest of Miðhálsstaðir in Öxnadalur on July 25th, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Our mushroom expert, Guðríður Gyða, will enlighten visitors about life below the forest floor and show how to identify and prepare common edible mushrooms. The goal is to make mushroom picking safe for the novice and for the more advanced to further their skill.

Participants should bring a knife, basket and perhaps a magnifying glass and of course your own reusable mug for the coffee.

Follow directions from the cultural center Melar in Hörgárdalur to the meeting point in the forest.

On Thursday June 2nd, students at Kerhólsskóli in Grímsnes and Grafningshreppur planted 55 trees in Vinaskógur by Þingvellir, in collaboration with the Ombudsman for Children, the Icelandic Forestry Association and the Yrkja fund.

The occasion for the planting was the Children‘s Forum which was first held in November 2019 and again in March of this year. Environmental issues are very important to children and great emphasis was placed on these issues in discussions at both the Children‘s Forums held. The aim of the planting is to offset carbon emissions from emissions related to the travel of the child MPs that attended the Forums and especially those who came the furthest, in accordance with the child MPs’ emphasis on environmental and climate issues and environmentally friendly modes of transport.

Vinaskógur was founded on the occasion of the Land Reclamation Forest Campaign in 1990, based on an idea by then president Mrs. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, who is a patron of the forest. She is also the patron of the Children’s Forum and it is therefore appropriate to choose Vinaskógur for planting now. All students at Kerhólsskóli took part in the planting together with the staff of the Ombudsman for Children. Sævar Helgi Bragason gave a small talk on environmental and nature protection and the planting concluced with refreshments offered by the Ombudsman for Children. The Icelandic Forestry Association is in charge of planting and caring for Vinaskógur.

Sævar Helgi Bragason gives a talk.

Working together.

Putting the tree in the ground.

Planting well under way.

The youngest kids helped to plant the largest tree.

The Annual General Meeting of the Rangæingar Forestry Association will be held on Thursday, June 9th, at Safnaðarheimilið at Hella, Dynskálar 8, starting at 20:00.

On the programme are regular meeting activities. Guest speaker at the meeting will be Hreinn Óskarsson from the Iceland Forest Service.

Refreshments on offer.

The Icelandic Forestry Association and Katla Geopark signed a declaration of co-operation on Wednesday, May 4^th. which aims to strengthen and increase the interest of municipalities in the South in forests and forestry. In collaboration with the Mýrdælingar Forestry Association, the Mörk Forestry Association, nd the Rangæingar Forestry Association the aim is to strengthen and increase the interest of municipalities in the South of Iceland in forests and forestry, by drawing attention to the importance of tree planting as part of the fight against climate change, educating and mobilizing the younger generations and promoting sustainable nature-based tourism in the South. The declaration is part of the Skógarfólkið project by the Icelandic Forestry Association, which aims to create a closer bond between the Icelandic Forestry Association and its member associations, assist them in their socio-cultural activities to enhance their attractiveness within local communities, and find ways to promote forestry in the Icelandic society. The representatives of all parties signed the declaration of co-operation.

Representatives of the collaborating parties at the signing. From left: Elisabeth Bernard, project manager of the collaboration project at the Icelandic Forestry Association; Brynjólfur Jónsson, Director of the Icelandic Forestry Association; Þorsteinn Jónsson, secretary of the Rangæingar Forestry Association; Berglind Sigmundsdóttir, manager of Katla Geopark; Sigurgeir Már Jensson, chairman of the Mýrdælingar Forestry Association and Jón Þorbergsson, chairman of the Mörk Forestry Association.

The office of the Icelandic Forestry Association will be closed on March 29-30, as all the staff will be attending the annual Icelandic Forestry Conference in Haukadalur. We’ll be back on Thursday March 31st, full of new knowledge!

The Mosfellsbær Forestry Association will be held on Tuesday, April 5th, starting at 20:00 in the hall of Björgunarsveitin Kyndill in Mosfellsbæ, at Völuteigur 23.

Programme:

1. Election of chairman and meeting secretary
2. Board report 2021
3. Association’s accounts 2021
4. Membership fee for 2022
5. Election of the board and auditor
6. Other items

The meeting will conclude with a presentation by Björn Traustason on a research project on the survival and thriving of plants on Mosfellsheiði.

Refreshments on offer at the meetings conclusion.

The Hafnarfjörður Forestry Association will host a birdwatching walk in Höfðaskógur on April 21, at 11-13. Meeting point is the Þöll nursery on the Kaldárselsvegur road. Bring your binoculars!

For more info: https://skoghf.is/