Bringing Back The Ancient Viking Forests of Iceland | Rewilding Iceland
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- čas přidán 15. 06. 2024
- The vikings cut them down, we want to bring them back! In our latest project we are embarking on a challenge to help bring back the ancient forests of Iceland. We partnered with the Icelandic Forest Service who are reforesting Iceland and trying to accelerate the rate at which trees are being planted. This is where we come in, to help accelerate their planting rate and take the country and the landscape closer to its original forest coverage.
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START REWILDING OUR PLANET TODAY
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⏱️TIMESTAMPS⏱️
0:00 Intro
0:49 Icelandic Landscape
1:02 Forest History
2:36 Reforesting Iceland
3:23 Where we come in
4:09 Our project
5:32 Our unexpected adversary
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
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Bakkakot (literally (river)bank croft or Bankcroft) is an abandoned farm in Skorradalur valley, West Iceland, bought by the IFS in 1979. It includes former fields and pastures in the valley bottom (about 50 ha), a short hillside (50 ha) now mostly planted with pine and spruce, and a large, relatively flat upland area (Bakkakotshals = Bankcroft Hill) of 640 ha, 281.4 of which lie within a fence that excludes sheep.
Prior to human settlement Bankcroft Hill was almost certainly birch and willow dominated woodland, at least 3-5 m in stature. Woodland clearing to create grazing pastures was extensive during the early years of settlement, beginning in 870 CE, and livestock grazing prevented regeneration. Shieldings, where livestock was kept for grazing away from the main farms, were common in upland areas. The area is former sheep grazing land, both winter and summer, for most of Iceland´s history. Farming changed greatly during the 20th century, with more cultivation of hay fields and winter grazing ceasing. Farms with little cultivatable land were often abandoned, as was the case with Bankcroft and several other farms in the area. A large fence was erected around the year 2000 to exclude grazing from most of Skorradalur valley and 280 ha of Bankcroft Hill is within that fence.
The long term goal is to reclaim native birch woodland on the entire area. Natural succession is likely to result in that eventually, but that could take centuries or even millennia. Speeding the process up with planting is necessary in light of carbon sequestration needed to mitigate climate change and getting birch woodlands established at higher elevations as a climate change adaptation measure.
Planting begins in June and should be mostly done by the end of July.
We will be launching our normal detailed project page this week with additional information. For now if you would like to read more about our various projects you can do so here: mossy.earth/projects?...
As an Icelandic forest farmer myself, I am very happy that you guys chose our country to plant trees in! Me and my family have to deal with these gravely, mossy plains as well unfortunately. To fight against the gravel we make our own dirt by recycling food waste. And we fertilize the land by using old manure from our barn, grass that we cut from our garden, and the dirt that we make. It's going pretty good there are some patches of new grass and other plants coming out of the gravel! I am very grateful that you are planting our trees back that our vikings took down! Thank you so much! 🌲🌱
Thank you for the kind words Oz. Your comment made me really really happy. We have had quite a few messages from people from Iceland welcoming us and being excited about the project. You as a forester makes it even more exciting. Also, thank you for the tips :) In which part of the country do you work? - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth Hey Duarte! I am in the western region of the island. It's called "Dalasýsla" I live 15 minutes away from a small town called "Búđardalur". it's 1 hour north of Akranes. No worries mate happy to help!
As a tourist, the current landscape is just beautiful and so unique, don't plant it all.
Can you start a petition to get your government to step up the planting program?
@@cristibalutanot all of it CAN be planted don’t worry
Iceland holds a special place in my heart ever since i participated in a similar project in 1991, at the age of 17. We were a small group of norwegians and icelanders together planting a huge amount of threes just outside of Djupivogur on the southeast coast of Iceland. We even got to meet the Icelandic president at the time, Vigdis Finnbogadottir, as she highly appreciated the project. Since then i always wanted to go back to see how "my" threes had fared.
So in 2014 i brought my daughter with me to Iceland to find out. We set out from Reykjavik with Djupivogur and the threes as our main destination. I remember the anticipation and excitement i felt when we closed up on Djupivogur. And there....lo and behold, the small threes we planted back in 1991 had turned into a beautiful and big forest. An amazing moment, as if i had just discovered the golden city of El-dorado.
What a great story!
Cool man.
Thank you very much!
People like you are the hope of all mankind to keep our planet alive.
thats very special
Congrats on such a wonderful job well done. I hope many more people can see forests that they planted thrive
As a person that lives in Iceland and always found it tragic how much of the forest has been lost i have personally planted 30 or so trees up in Húsavík which has grown insanely big compared to how it was 20 year's ago now you can visibly see the trees for 2000 meters in all directions and every year in summer they plant around 300 trees not alot but considering the town's pupulation of 2200 ish is impressive And i know a few towns are doing the same with growing trees everywhere they can
Wonderful!👏👏👏
In 50 years there will be a nice forest there 😀
Such a cool and ambitious project! Hope that we'll be able to see a significant change in less than 1750 years because I don't think I can stay alive for that long 😅
Thank you Julie! I was hoping you would live to 1750 though :)
@@MossyEarth what a misleading video...
*Iceland is not a very cold place at all*
Average temperature is 0°C across the whole island due to worm oceanic tides.
Siberia is a very cold place...
@@user-qw4jy1oy9r when you put it in that perspective 😅
@@user-qw4jy1oy9r Not only warm oceanic currents (a branch of the North Atlantic Drift), but also (and mainly) South-Western air masses. Coastal areas in the West and South remain above freezing all winter with more rain than snow. All these areas, lowlands and Eastern lowlands (they warmer summers) should be forested. The island looks like tundra, but this biome should only be found in highlands and near glaciers.
@@daylonmurray8068 I know. I live here. Southern West climate is mainly because of Gulfstream. That is where I live.
So interesting how most people would have no idea what the landscape has looked like in the past and hence what it could look like in the future. Hopefully this also invites people to look at ecosystems around them and start questioning things. Well done everyone!
The world of rewilding has certainly opened my eyes when looking at the landscape. Sometimes it makes it look sad such as the countryside which now looks more desolate to me. And then sometimes I see a lot of potential or restoration happening which is really exciting. - Cheers, Duarte
The Sahara Desert is said to have been green with lakes 6000 years ago.
Not all change is man made.
As an Icelander I never knew that there used to be forests here when the vikings came and I first read about it when I studied the Icelandic sagas in school and I could not believe it. This open landscape is what I know, my mom and dad know, my grandparents know, my great grandparents know. The thing is that only certain parts of Iceland are fit for forests and even then the weather is so harsh sometimes that large parts of forests could die out.
@@oligultonn this was due to tragedy of commons though, not harshness of weather. this is even accounting for deforestation from volcanic eruptions.
@@esgee3829 it infact was a combination of both.
My great-grandparents started planting trees on our property on a mountainside just outside of Reykjavik starting in the 1930s. Very rare to see such a mature forest in Iceland. A beautiful mix of birch, rowan, cottonwood/aspens, spruce, pine, larch, maple, sycamore. With the sheep gone from the area and global warming, it's been amazing watching it start to really take off over the last 20 years. Of course it's nothing like forests in other countries, but these are difficult conditions. The heavy wet snow this winter snapped a number of trees in half and stripped the branches. The most dangerous thing for mature trees in Iceland though is Icelanders. They value direct sunlight over tree shade.
Question -- why do you have to till the moss? Birch and willow seem to grow just fine in the mossy landscape here.
its good that you're prioritizing native species
I’m not environmentalist by any stretch of the imagination and I only just found your channel but I quite like your approach it seems very practical, very obtainable.
When I lived there between 1968 - 70 there were no trees. I am happy to see the reforesting of this beautiful place.
More and more trees are needed in Iceland. Keep going.
I find It inspiring that this project is sponsored by the Icelandic forest service itself: government support Is crucial, and more countries should do that! Do they also collaborate with other organizations in different areas?
Also I find amazing that you are bringing back forests more than 1000 years after they were removed. Very Happy to be a member!!!!
Hey Dora! Thanks for your comment! The Iceland Forest Service have been great to work with. They're the only organization we work with in Iceland, but we have local partners we work with all across the globe. Supporting local organizations is often the most effective way for us to make a difference to all these ecosystems. Very happy to have you as a member! - Cheers, Hannah
The Icelandic forest service has an incentive for farmers and landowners to dedicate land for forests for a set amount of years, where the government supplies saplings for low or no cost, and pays 95% of the contracted work for pruning the forest where the landowner is the first option for the contract.
Österreichischer Alpenverein had tree planting projects outside Wien back in the 90s to prevent erosion, to keep the groundwater levels stable to save the Schwartzkiefer in the area. I was there working several seasons, and it was rewarding, interesting and good for the environment. Alpenverein arrange summer camps for families, kids and teens to join environmental projects. They pay for food and housing, and sightseeing and interesting events are also included. I wish more countries had similar things going on. When I was in school back in the 70s and 80s, schools took part in planting trees in Norway. Activities like that is long gone....
@Dora Luise On one side, I agree with you. On the other side, I really don't get why the Icelandics still let their sheep run free. If they would keep their sheep and goats only in special areas (moving from place to place but always kept behind a fence) nature would support renaturating by itself. Letting sheep go on eating saplings and grass will make things even worse. *This* should be the first step. otherwise an Icelandic Forest Service sounds a bit .. funny to me.
I love that y'all are focusing on native trees to the land and biodiversity! Yay for doing good in the world!
I visited Iceland in September of 1994 and spent a few days there. One thing I remember is the severe lack of trees. Acres and acres of moss covered rocks.
I've never been to Iceland but all the footage I've ever seen, the desolate treeless landscape stood out to me. I did not know it had forests in the past, but if it had forests before, it can do again! This is a worthwhile project.
I have always loved Iceland, such a unique place on earth. I had for a time really studied it's ecology and really wondered what it would be like if all those birch trees were still standing. What a wonder world it must have been. Good to see you people are working on bringing this back!
I also love how you people use native species..!! Man this channel and organization is THE best!!!
Thank you Drapho! Really appreciate your kind words. For us native species and biodiversity are THE priority and not just a side mission :) - Cheers, Duarte
I mean, there are some forests in Iceland. Like Hallormsstaðaskógur, which covers 740 hectars, most of which is native birch forest. The landscape there presumably looks very similar to what Iceland looked like before human habitation.
@@kristinnkristinsson1369 Hopefully there will be a lot more such places in a couple of decades :) - Cheers, Duarte
I just hope they don’t end up with mosquitos like in my country Canada. I guess they don’t have any native species thank goodness
Really interesting reforestation project, I love that we aren't just doing it for carbon capture but that we're thinking about it in the bigger picture of restoring natural ecosystems. Good job Hannah with finding this.
Indeed, good job Hannah!
Sadly, you gonna have to go to brazil next, that equatorial forest is getting killed fast.
It’s amazing how dedicated our community is to going green
Áfram í markið! 🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸
I must say, it has been an absolute pleasure working with the Icelandic Forest Service. It is a forestry service with ambition which is rare.. :) - Cheers, Duarte
LOVE ICELAND, best wishes from Mexico
Hola İsląnđ.
Land conservancies and reforestation work is going to be so vital going forward! I am so thankful to all that do this work!
Marvelous! You might be interested in something my brother-in-law did. A coal company in Alabama was required to restore to forest a large area covered with the tailings from mining. It was proving expensive and destructive as they felt forced to buy topsoil to cover the tailings. Then my brother-in-laws noticed that the problem wasn't the lack of soil. Trees were beginning to move into the edges of that tailing where there was forest shading. The problem was that the blackness made the area too hot for trees to grow. Shade that and trees could grow there and slowly restore the soil.
Please look into the woodlands of Greenland. It’s incredibly small but very unique and isolated.
I saw some stuff about it! It was only one guy in one area that really did it right? - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth I think that started it yes.
Greenland Trees is the major player and is based out of Greenland (durh) and the Netherlands, as it’s a branch of Dasht. Unsure if Mossy Earth has done work or consulted them before.
It’s similar to the Iceland case in many way but also has a different aspect regarding the future and how woodland/ herding is tied to the non-European people that have lived there.
you guys are quickly becoming one of my favorite youtube channel about nature & wild life in general. I really love how meticulous you guys plan and just the love of nature that you have. I'll make sure donate to you guys once I graduated college and got a stable job.
I’m from Russia, Novgorod and I’m really addicted to Scandinavian culture, the sagas and skalds and brave warriors and rough lands, respect and love to my brother and sisters may we drink and live together in peace 🇷🇺❤️
Fascinating project, with very worthy goals. We need more people like Hannah on this planet 👍
Very interesting video, what an amazing place! Thank you ☀️
The fact that most Icelandic reforesting projects are planting non-natives is very sad - glad you can be there to do the right thing and hopefully inspire others!
What I like most about this is the fact that y'all are planting Birch, Tea Leaf Willow, Rowan and Aspen, which are native trees that used to dominate Iceland's forests. As you note in this video, this will benefit other flora and fauna that are native, too, to the island. More reforesting projects in the world should take this approach.
That is exactly why we are doing things this way yes :). I am glad you like the project! - Cheers, Duarte
Your channel deserves so much more attention! We have been to Iceland and it just seems so natural that the island and its ecosystem is without trees. Very surprised to learn that Iceland once had so much area covered in forests. Only goes to show what a massive negative impact we humans have had on nature... keep up the excellent work guys!
Thank you for the nice comment :) big update on the Icealand project coming this month! - Duarte
This is a super exciting project! I can't wait to get it going this summer!
Well done getting this project setup Hannah! - Cheers, Duarte
Yes well done thinking outside the box for this one 👏
I'm thrilled to see so many eco restoration projects re-greening the Earth, reversing sometimes thousands of years of unsustainable land use such as overgrazing, giving local people the most immediate benefits of stopping erosion, reversing desertification and so on, and benefitting us all with carbon capture. I think projects like this may make a huge difference in the long run when it comes to climate driven migration (and the violence, hunger, and disease that can accompany it) and finding ways to feed the world in sustainable ways.
@@notashroom Yes and when the forest is mature it is a perfect grazing area again aswell. Keeping erosion in check and also keeping the balance up with natural pruning so it doesn't get to thick with coppice shoots or brushwood. A win win I'd say in the long run.
@@martinjohnsson1525 it's almost funny how the more we learn about our world, the more we find that some ancient peoples often labeled "primitive" were more advanced than modern society at land and resource management. It would be funny, if the consequences of our deviations weren't so tragic.
Awesome work guys, your projects are truly meaningful!
Icelanders are incredible. Been in Iceland in 2019 and was amazed how green and densely forested it actually is, at least Reykjavík and Suðurland. Nearly every apt building or a country house has a small grove in its backyard, farms and fields are sheltered by trees and reforestation is strongly supported by the government for many decades. It was pleasure to see siberian larch has been acclimatized so well there that it forced Icelanders to start their own timber industry. That nation never ceases to amaze me
Thank you brothers and sisters for caring for nature and restoring the ancient Norse lands
Awesome project & video Mossy Earth!
Thank you Rob!
Very nice project 🔥 proud of you guys. We need such projects in every country.
Thank you my friend!
I would love to visit Iceland.
I've always wondered what the original forests were like. I think people don't take enough time to think about what species were on the island and what species would have been there if humans hadn't arrived. In particular, a really cool plant that's relatively rare that could be grown there is Greenland Mountain Ash, but almost no one talks about it outside of Greenland.
Cool project! I want to mention that I have heard that more recent theories point out that the effects of sheep and goats were previously underappreciated in how much deforestation they caused. Since they had no natural predators, they were left to roam free, grazing on every small tree and their roots. This wouldn't just mean preventing natural regrowth of a deforested area, but also a slow deforestation over centuries with no one noticing. With fewer and fewer new trees, eventually the older trees die and the forest disappears.
To assume Vikings were the primary factor is to assume 40-50k people chopped 25-40.000km2 of forests in a couple of centuries without taking into account newer trees. A 1000km2 of forest is a lot to chop with simple axes basic tools. Not to say that it didn't play a part, its just that if the vikings were this potent at cutting down trees, there wouldn't be many trees left in Norway and Sweden :p
I just like pointing this out whenever I hear of people saying that the vikings chopped everything down, they are still responsible for it anyway :)
I can't wait to see how you and other amazing people will help restore Iceland to the former ecosystem of the past. Hopefully, this will just be the start of helping ecosystems thrive and save species. Even if it takes 1750 years, I will be glad. But if I don't live that long, (which I probably won't) I can hope that a big change will happen and help people recognize that they can help. :)
Couldn’t agree more. Thank you for the kind words my friend :) - Cheers, Duarte
Great video! I wish you guys all the success!
Lets make Iceland even more beautiful! 🙌❤
As a team this makes me have hope for my future so thank you😊
I hope in your next video about this project you'll explain more about the impact of the moss on the Icelandic ecosystem and why it requires tilling, which I've learned elsewhere is usually better avoided in order to avoid disrupting the soil microorganisms and the mycelium network. Obviously there are going to be exceptions to any "usually", and it sounds like this is one, so I will be interested to learn more. Thanks for what you're doing for the benefit of all of us!
We were stationed in Iceland (Keflavik NAS) in the early 1980s, and had a son born there, so I've always kind of followed what is going on there since then. I consider it to have been a privilege to have lived in Iceland, to learn about a place so different from regular American culture. I am so happy to learn about the reforestation project there! Those of us returning to the States with toddlers had to teach them what trees were. I will make a donation to the cause. I'm scared for Iceland right now because of all the chaos caused by the tectonic plates. However, I am glad to see how much they are allowing tourism now and hope that will help ease some of the financial burden from all the upheaval going on. Good wishes for Iceland and the reforestation project!
I absolutely love mossy earth and what you guys are doing. Ever since I was a little kid I hoped to be apart of an organization like this. I’d love to be out there with you guys reforesting the land. I wish I was. You guys are doing an amazing job, keep up the good work!!
Thank you my friend! Your words mean a lot to us. Do you have any projects local to your area that you could get involved in? - Cheers, Duarte
I like the fact that you are taking real, concrete steps to address climate change that involve working with local people and offering something of value to them and to their culture.
I recommend adding native mycelium/mushroom spores to each tree and actually using raw sheep wool as fertilizer and moisture reserve.
Excellent. Iceland is a great location for planting trees.
One that needs it a lot! - Cheers, Duarte
Good luck! This could be the start of a new chapter for Iceland! 🙏🌱
Well, Iceland has been on this journey for a few years now. We are just trying to make it go a bit faster :) - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth that's great! The exposure on CZcams doesn't hurt either (both for Iceland and for your project 😊)
I'm Currently retired and have dreamed of visiting Iceland with an option to live there if I could find employment. To participate in a project would be the ultimate dream job! I'm accustomed to working outdoors and live in an area of expanding suburbs. I suffer from the constant scene of seeing trees cut down. If there are any available avenues to finding actual work on this project please let me know!
A major part of the beauty of Iceland is the ability to see the bare landscape and not just another forest.
Man, this is so inspiring to me to see you guys working on so many projects that have HUGE impacts on not only the local environments but also the world. It's a shame you guys don't have more subscribers and peopling seeing this but I think you will get there one day. Really makes me wonder if I could do similar things (on a much smaller scale of course, maybe just helping plant native trees and get rid of invasive ones) in the future. Keep on doing what you guys are because it's so important and inspires so many people already.
Where I live we suffer from the invasive Bradford Pear Tree and it can grow in many soil conditions (the worst and the best) while reaching 15 feet in just 8-10 years. Because of its rapid growth, it beats out most of the native trees while spreading its seeds all over through birds eating its pears. I would recommend looking them up if you don't know what they are because they are a major ecological problem here in the US.
Thank you Lukas! We were at 1000 subs 1 month ago so there has been some big growth recently :) - Cheers, Duarte
Its sad how iceland lost its forest for so much time Most people don't even know iceland was suposed to have forest
It is indeed :) but also fascinating. Somehow, the fact that it got destroyed years ago makes me less sad and more excited about bringing something back. - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth Truly, I just don't understand how they are going so slow on reforestation, I heard a lot, readed a lot of articles and watched multiple videos saying how iceland was investing in reforestation and their rate is still small
Maybe its because they exagerated, or because Iceland has almost no people
@@joaquimbarbosa896 I think it is because they are 330 thousand only. That is a very low tax payer density for such a large island. I think per capita they do quite a bit more than other countries!
@@MossyEarth Thats sad, even when they want to recover their enviroment its extrenely Hard
This project sure makes a difference!
a drop in the ocean, but we want to help! :)
I don't understand how this channel doesn't have more subs. Amazing production quality and one of the most educative nature content I've seen in CZcams.
You would be surprised to know they had 1.5k like 2 weeks ago
And than they started rising all of a suden for some reason
Yes, 1 month ago we were at 1000 subs and it took us 1 year to get to that. So this has been an explosion :) The algorithm picked up two of our videos and then people started watching all the others and subbing and it has been amazing :) - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth Your video on China sure made miracles
when i visited recently, i found the locals big topic was if the sheep should remain free roaming the island, or if they should be controlled where they can go, so that reforestation can happen. I heard both sides. one boils down to tradition, the other side says its time to move on for the ecosystem. I found it very interesting, but the belief is that the sheep eat the sprouts before trees can develop.
cool video
No animal husbandry is a huge thing in Iceland just like it always has been. But in most places the sheep roam free where forests can't really grow because it is too cold during the winter. Also the thing is that if we can't keep sheep, horses, cows etc then a large part of the population would be out of a job and our food safety would be hugely impacted. Personally as an Icelander I dislike forests as they scare the shit out of me and the open landscape is the Iceland I know but I do recognize the need for some forests and I welcome that a large part of the island will be forested especially the south east as it is almost entirely just sand.
The original trees were not able to survive grazing and browzing. The answer is to plant trees they do not consume.
There is plenty degraded land on Aegean islands. Perhaps it would be a good place to do some work there too. Great work folks.
Im excited to see and learn how you guys work. I will be planting up to a tousand trees on my farm up in the north this summer
Also you're finally mentioning your discord and APP in video
Both really needed
wonderful project !
Very cool project! Really cool to understand what the forest cover was only a thousand years ago, and understand how the current rate of afforestation will take to get near to that... 1750 years 😱
A bit too long for most people's ability to set long term goals 😅 - Cheers, Duarte
Молодцы молодежь! как приятно, глаза ясные,улыбки натуральные, и вы сами!некомпьюные! и светлая цель! удачи, здоровья, исполнения желаний! спасибо за доставленное удовольствие!у нас в поселке искусственный бор,50лет назад его посадили старшеклассники!в все обитатели бора,от рыжего муравья до неясыти!думали ли они? мечтали ли об этом?! даже если нет,я очень благодарна!здорово!❤😊
You have my dream job, I love rewilding and creating films! If you're ever looking for someone in the UK who is passionate and truly wants to help push forward this mission, let me know :)
Hello my friend, shoot us an email on our website mossy.earth We might be looking for some help from filmmakers. In your email be sure to mention the name of this channel you are commenting with so I can put two and two together and please mention its for Duarte. - Cheers, Duarte :)
Looks like I said east... I meant west 🤦♂️ as you can see on the map.. - Cheers, Duarte
Scotland used to be heavily forested - an actual temperate rainforest. But there aren't many left, because they don't grow back after being cut.
This video couldn't have shown up at a better time I've been thinking about the possibility of rewilding Iceland in the last week and to learn that people have already started feels so good. Though I'm surprised that the native flora doesn't have a greater amount of evergreens, I had imagined it to be more like Norway/Sweden/Finland.
It is really interesting though. The cause for that were several glaciations which wiped out most species of trees. I will quote the Icelandic forest service here "Fossil evidence indicates that Iceland was generally forested during the mid to late Tertiary (5-15 million years ago), with tree genera including Sequoia, Magnolia, Sassafras, Pterocarya and many others, indicating that the climate was warm-temperate. Beech (Fagus sp.) forests were very common for a time. By the late Pliocene, shortly before the onset of Pleistocene glaciations, boreal-type forests of pine, spruce, birch and alder predominated, indicative of a cooler climate. The fossil evidence for these forests is found in West and East Iceland but the forests, in their time, grew in the central volcanic belt, where they were preserved and fossilised between layers of lava. Tectonic movement has since brought them to where they are now, the oldest being farthest east and west.
With succeeding glaciations, the Icelandic flora became ever more species-poor. Pines survived the first few glacial periods up to about 1.1 million years ago and fossil evidence of alder is found during interglacials to about 500,000 years ago. The only forest forming tree species to return to the present interglacial is downy birch (Betula pubescens). Other native tree species found in Icelandic forests are rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), which is uncommon, and the extremely rare aspen (Populus tremula) found naturally in only 6 locations, along with abundant tea-leaved willow (Salix phylicifolia), which is usually a shrub but occasionally reaches tree size. In fact, all of these species more often grow as shrubs rather than trees in Iceland and none of them ever get very big, roughly 15 meters in height being the maximum for the birch, rowan and aspen." - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth It's actually very similar here in western Norway too, while most of Western Norway has evergreen trees today, such as Sitka spruce from Canada, these are now considered a problem, their needles make the soil sour, and they kill any other trees trying to grow. Western Norway was more like Iceland, leafy, but just like in Iceland we cut a lot of it down 1000 and 500 years ago.
@@MossyEarth I wonder if Corylus Avellana would be able to grow on southern iceland, it's perfect food for both birds, grazing animals and rodents.
@@Glenni91N [make the soil sour] And there you have it. "Acid rain."
I love the native focus, and not focus on CO2. Great job guys
I'm really looking forward to visiting this project in a few years from now. Great video Duarte and Hannah.
I think it is one of those where we will be able to see the result really clearly!
Keep up the good work!!
Thank you J J! - Cheers, Duarte
What a great project! I read about the evolution of ecosystems in Iceland, Scandinavia and Greenland in Jared Diamond's book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.
A great book! - Cheers, Duarte
Looking forward to the new plantings and glad to see member contributions put to good use.
thank you William, we will most certainly do so. I am glad you like this project :) - Cheers, Duarte
Love this new project! Great to see Mossy Earth grow!! 🙌
Thank you Nuno ;) - Cheers, Duarte
Such a great project, look forward to future updates.
Thank you DH! You can expect one in late July :) - Cheers, Duarte
Good luck for this project ! Can't wait to see it come to life
Thank you Jules! - Cheers, Duarte
Really cool! I've heard there also used to be a birch forest in Greenland, but it is only left in the Qinngua Valley
My girlfriend wants to go there to work as doctor for a year so maybe I will end up finding a way to create a project in greenland too :) - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth That would be awesome!
I'm really looking forward to seeing how this project progresses, Iceland is a beautiful country but it could definitely use some of those forests back!
Agreed! I think that this is one of those times where it really makes sense to reforest an area. I also love birch forests so I think that will be a nice bonus as well :) - Cheers, Duarte
Nah man I see it for what it is, a desolate wasteland. Like any other place without trees.
This channel is so under rated it needs more subscribers.
I went to Iceland once as a teen. We had a very nice guide showing us around and she told us a lot about the reforestation efforts. They had many problems in the beginning, mistakenly getting Siberian dwarf pine, and saplings from Scandinavia bringing pests that ate what had been planted. She proudly showed us "Iceland's only forest" that to me who comes from forest central in Sweden seemed very tiny.
The native forests in my part of Iceland are growing so fast that we can't control them.
That is a great thing! Has there been a significant reduction in the number of grazers in your area? Would love to know more. Also if you have some interesting places I should document for the next video please let me know :) - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth youtube wont let me respond with a link!!! :(
@@MossyEarth I live in Hjaltastaainghá in east Iceland, where sheep grazing has decreased significantly over the last century, and even though they are still mostly shrubs, they have grown out to the point where they are kind of a problem when we round up the sheep in the autumn
@@MossyEarth 65.49, -14.16 some coordinates if you want to look at it on a map
I've been living in this country for the last 3-4 years and love it so much i'm applying for the Agricultural School of Iceland (situated a few minutes away from the valley you'll be working in) in order to learn more about its natural history. Can't wait to hear more about this project! Even volunteer if you'll have me?
What an amazing place to live! Our next update should be towards the end of July once planting is done. So keep an eye out for that :) - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth Would you want some extra pair of hand? I could find some time over the summer to come help!
Would have to check with Hannah and the IFS on how they are running things as we normally plant only with local professional planters. Really appreciate the offer though :) I will try to add a reply here. Are you based nearby? - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth I'm based in the Westfjords, but it's a small country and it's just 3-4 hours to the valley. I'm afraid i cannot help with hosting at that time, but it may be a good idea to check with the school i'm talking about for accomodation (lbhi.is). It's basically down the valley!
I'd love to get the experience planting as i'm personally interested in icelandic nature and have been growing trees from clippings in my free time, but i understand entirely if it can't happen 👌 i'll go check on the place when i'm enrolled at the school 😜
@@MossyEarth Alright got the adress! Sending a message...
Wonderful project!
I love trees and I am so pleased to see this happening. You definitely have a new subscriber. Best wishes for all of your reforestation efforts around the world, as well as any non-tree projects you are working on.
Such a high quality production and team, I'm too poor to contribute as a student just now though I will be back when I've got a real job!
Thank you my friend! Appreciate the kind words :) - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth You are welcome, keep up the great work! I study environmental science so I really appreciate what you are doing.
I’ve waited for this! Totally amazing
Glad you like the project! - Cheers, Duarte
Hey Mossy Earth, I really enjoy your videos! They’re informing and entertaining. You’re truly doing us all a favor.
Thank you William! I really appreciate that my friend :) - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth I hope one day your mission will bring you to my country Denmark!
love watching videos on my favorite place
WoW !! what a amazing place. I'm definitely going there for my summer vacation
I just like how you guys respond to many comments and give answers, your videos are great and I hope the channel can grow and u can make money for the projects
Thank you my friend! We are doing our best and it is nice to see you all appreciate that :) - Cheers, Duarte
The fish was superb in Iceland when I ate on holiday.
Marvelous project guys !! True inspiration for current generation .
Great project 👌🌸
I only have been in Iceland once, and was told there used to be forests in some of the areas we visited, so good to learn that my thoughts back then are actually put in place.
Another great video guys! Keep up the great work
Thank you Drover!
Well done!
Thank you my friend :) - Cheers, Duarte
I like that you reintroduce native species, in my area of northern Norway we have a large problem with planted (now blacklisted and deeply hated) sitka pine, it leaves the ground a desert as nearly no native species thrive thereunder little light penetrates to the ground.
We would love to do a Norwegian project eventually :) - Cheers, Duarte
It’s spruce not pine. And sounds like it was planted to get bigger woods. Largest spruce on earth.
Sitka spruce is useful for forestry and is planted in Iceland. Should not be hated. It has it's place. Native birch is crooked and does little for forestry use.
@@MrKorton Sitka spruce is useful for humans for timber, but if you want to have forest full of life then you HAVE to plant native trees. It has been shown time and time again that forests full of non-native trees simply do not have the biodiversity and abundance of native forests. I'm not saying that Iceland shouldn't plant forests for timber and commercial production but lets not sugar coat the negative ecological effects that non-native plantations have on wildlife. Just look at similar landscapes to Iceland in areas of upland Scotland and Norway where sitka spruce plantations (among other trees) are effectively devoid of life when compared to surrounding woodland/moorland.
@@bradleywoods3742 Well we plant both native and foreign trees and that's the best way. Native birch is pathetic for timber production but has aesthetic and ecological and historical value.
Btw the life is in the canopy for the conifers, not the understory. No need for demonizing this tree and it's usefulness. Like I said, it has it's place. Just don't go under them if you don't like the scene ;)
P.s. crossbills and goldcrest and more birds would never survive if it wasn't for the introduced conifers. Redwings and ravens nest in them. They also provide shelter for non-migratory birds against winter storms. Etc
Iceland seems the perfect spot for a next trip 🤭😁 so beautiful!
What an amazing project as a person of Nordic decent this is a spectacular program to restore the land that over a millenia has been long forgotten. Interestingly the UK has a very similar condition but they are ahead by decades. The unfortunate truth is that in many places deforestation is a problem with some tree species extinct or close to extinction our forests are a cornucopia of life that all of us need to spend a bit more effort in reversing this trend where ever you live on this beautiful world.
Thank you for focusing on native species. Great work here.
Cool project should do one for Northern Irelands Oak forests
My gut reaction when I first started watching the video was suspicion, but it was replaced with relief and then an interest in the project when you guys mentioned that you'd been working with local authorities on this and that all proper permissions had been gotten. I'd like to thank you for the professionalism and I'll definitely be checking out more of your videos.
Thank you Ellert :) glad you think the project looks in good order. - Cheers, Duarte
I've been wondering why tree replanting are done so close together. If done in patches further apart wouldn't the seeds dropped work on making the forests gradually more dense?
Hi! It helps trees survive at a young age. The final tree density will be lower than this :) - Cheers, Duarte
Some of the older tree patches you see in Iceland are from the 70s and 80s before they had a better understanding of planting density. They just figured, put as many trees in this area as possible. These people were seen as hippies and didn't have readily available information on how best to afforest the environment. Some of the older folks still see trees as a nucinse.
When trees seed into an area naturally they throw out what is called mast, which is basically a cloud of seed like rain upon the land. Seed will then germinate in a spot that contains a favorable microclimate for the tree's growth and survival. When humans plant trees, esp in an extreme climate marginal for tree growth, which is often the case in an afforestation effort, the likelihood that the planter has selected the best microsite is limited. The strategy employed in reforestation efforts therefore includes planting more trees than desired to increase the likelihood that enough will survive to form a viable forest and then to cull out the extras once the saplings are established. While many species of trees are self fertile, some are not, and virtually all species benefit from pollination by other individuals when forming viable seed, so one lone tree will not have much luck reforesting a plot of land. A so-called seed wall of established forest is much more effective at this than spread out seed trees generally speaking. There are many more facets and reasons for this such as the way trees naturally colonize an area to the exclusion of competitors, with the use of mycorrhizae and certain chemicals the trees produce and release into the soil. But basically trees grow best in an extensive forest cover situation. Depending on the likelihood for survival of each individual, which here would seem rather low, I would generally expect 640 trees per acre at least with a plan to thin once they reach 10' tall or so. They are planting hardwoods furthermore, which in my experience are somewhat more fussy than conifers when it comes to microsite. For best success these guys should probably be using spruce, larch and fir from similar latitudes in North America or Europe. Maybe mix in some of their native species and thinning to these favorable species later.
Superb project! It’s very important to plant native species for so many reasons and not be drawn towards easy. Tree planting should better protect the island from global warming: more trees for more evaporation and fewer droughts and for more protection against erosion from heavy rains. Good job and good luck with the project. That’ll be nice to keep us updated as well (we expect to be so for the next 1750 years :D)
What a wonderful project..........keeping on keeping on people..........people power works..........they are regreening the Sahara a bit at a time.........perseverance is the key.........blessings to you all. ❤️❤️😁😁