The Tree of the Year 2005 is a Russian larch in Kópavogsdalur, to the east of the Digraneskirkja church. It sits on land leased in 1939 by Kristjana Fenger, which was an almost two-hectare size plot from the farm Digranes, with the contract stipulating cultivation of the plot (“garden or grass field cultivation”). The Fenger family had already built a summer house on the site in 1934, but the signing of the contract had taken longer than expected. The cultivation clause was taken seriously, with trees planted and a vegetable patch. According to the Fenger family the larch tree was planted prior to 1939, when John Fenger, Kristjana’s husband, passed away. The tree was almost submerged in soil in 1992 due to a nearby road construction but was saved. The tree has a large crown, with many branches, that indicate the tree suffered some stress in its early years. Most likely is frost damage, but conditions in the southwest of Iceland generally don’t suit Russian larch particularly well. The tree was measured in 2005 and had a height of 8,6 m, with a circumference of 105 cm at chest height.
Location on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/DmrFKs25X6D9aL5z8
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