Few European countries have experienced such a dramatic change in forests as Iceland. Once, as much as 40 percent of the island was covered with woodlands, mostly birch. By the early 20th century, however, only tiny fragments remained, with sheep grazing and harsh winters holding back woodland regrowth. The responsibility for protecting and expanding what was left, and for trying to grow new forests, fell to Skógræktin, the Icelandic Forest Service (IFS).
A national effort to restore the forests
Founded in 1908, the IFS’s first tasks were to halt the destruction of the last birch woods and try to cultivate more. Early on, the agency acquired and safeguarded key forest remnants including Hallormsstaðaskógur and Vaglaskógur, both of which became important sites for later forest recovery projects. Over decades, the agency expanded its work to shelter additional patches of birch as well as to encourage wider landowners to allow the birch to recover, something that often meant fencing out sheep and giving seedlings a chance to root.
The challenge has never been limited to birch alone. Since its founding, the IFS has experimented with many new species, seeking trees that could thrive in Iceland’s cool conditions. In more recent decades, five species have proven most reliable in new forests, including Alaskan aspen, downy birch, Russian larch, Sitka spruce, and lodgepole pine. On some occasions, hopes for imported trees met setbacks: the Scots pine, once planted widely, suffered major losses from disease in the 1960s, though a few hardy individuals have persisted.
New priorities: from erosion control to carbon capture
In attempting to restore Iceland’s woodlands, the Forest Service has sometimes tried solutions with unexpected effects. One example came in 1945, when the introduction of Alaskan lupine aimed to halt soil erosion but had mixed ecological outcomes. More recently, the drivers for afforestation have broadened. Global environmental concerns, including carbon sequestration, are now central to Iceland’s forest-planting programmes.
Support for farm-based forestry has become central as well. Under a grant scheme, the agency works with individual landowners across the country to produce seedlings, help design forest plans, and share knowledge on maintaining young forests. Funding from the state for these activities reached a high point just before the 2008 financial downturn, but after a period of slow growth, planting activity is once again increasing.
Today, Iceland remains only about 2 percent forested, but the long-term goal is to reach 10 percent. The director of the Service, Þröstur Eysteinsson, oversees a structure that balances research, forest service operations, and financial management. Although the agency merged with the Icelandic Soil Conservation Service in 2024 to form a new organisation called Land og skógur (Land and Forest), its role as a leader in Iceland’s forestry efforts continues, with a particular focus on science, education, and international cooperation.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- Wikipedia (Icelandic) in Icelandic
