Only in Iceland...

Only in Iceland would "watering the forest" be considered a "normal" task for a ranger.  Historically before the settlement of Iceland by the norse there would have been scrub birch woodland around the coastal regions. After settlement much of these birch forests were cleared for grazing land or used for fuel and tools.

Now Icelandic forests should not be confused with those that we get in the UK. Up here it takes a great deal longer for trees to reach any significant height.  On the reserve we have some trees that are at waist height, with many of them spreading out across the ground at low levels rather than growing vertically.  The heavy snow fall and icy winter winds have a great deal to do with these very odd growth trends.

At Skalanes we are re-foresting areas of the reserve with tiny saplings that are a mere 6 inches in height, but they will over time help prevent soil erosion, provide a more diverse range of plants and become home to small birds and insects.

We currently have approximately 6000 in trays waiting to be planted. After the dry couple of days that we have had (the fords are really low!) Izzy and I headed over to "water the forest" before we start doing some of the planting tomorrow.

Over the season we will hopefully plant a couple of thousand of these saplings with help from our volunteer groups. More on these wee trees later.

We also still have the team from "Around Iceland on Inspiration" who were mentioned in the previous blog. Riaan and Dan will hopefully be heading off on the next leg of their journey tomorrow having spent 3 nights with us here at Skalanes.  We wish them both well on the rest of their awesome journey.

Below are some recent photographs from the reserve, including one of our latest bird species to turn up...Ringed Plover.

"Welcome to the Forest! Please do not step on the trees!"

Ringed Plover (Male & Female)

"Around Iceland on Inspiration" - Riaan and Dan´s Kayak