News

The Icelandic Forestry Association wishes you a Merry Christmas!

The second issue of Skógræktarritið 2024 – the Journal of the Icelandic Forestry Association – has now been published. The journal covers the various aspects of forestry. Among other things this issue has articles about the Tree of the Year 2024, the type and value of forest edges, what can be read from the snow in the forest, the Icelandic aspen, the annual meeting of the Icelandic Forestry Association and the main forest statistics for 2023.

Skógræktarritið is the only regular journal on forestry in Iceland and the main platform for writing by Icelandic foresters and others interested in the various aspects of forestry. The Forestry The journal is published twice a year and is sold in subscription. Subscription can be made by contacting the Icelandic Forestry Association at 551 8150 or by sending an email to skog@skog.is. Both traditional and electronic subscription are available.

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the first planting of the friend nations of Norway and Iceland at Þingvellir, a ceremony will be held in Vinaskógur (Friendship Forest) on Wednesday, September 18th, in cooperation with the Norwegian Embassy in Iceland.

On this occasion, the President of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir, will plant trees in Vinaskógur with the Norwegian ambassador and the chairman of the Icelandic Forestry Association.

The ceremony will start at 13:00, after which at forest stand at Þingvellir will be visited, where Norwegians started their planting efforts in Iceland in 1949.

Since the establishment of the Friendship Forest at Þingvellir in 1990, on the initiative of Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, the Presidents of Iceland have participated in various events there, including hosting foreign guests and heads of state.

The Icelandic Forestry Associatino and Nettó have renewed a cooperation contract for the Opinn skógur (Open Forest) project for the next two years. The contract covers varied support for forestry and cooperation on infrastructure development of forests. Nettó has supported the Open Forests project for years, as it fits well with the company’s environmental strategy.

Today there are seventeen forests across the country under the banner of the Open Forest project, where outdoor recreation facilities, forest trails, signs and information posts have been set up.

“The forests should be easily recognizable to people travelling around the country, but all of them fly blue Nettó flags,“ says Helga Dís Jakobsdóttir, Nettó’s marketing director. „The Forestry Association is pillar in nature and environmental conservation in this country, and we are therefore extremely happy with this collaboration and to be able to continue developing and improving access to forests so that more people can enjoy the Icelandic forests. Now that spring is in the air, we hope that as many people as possible will visit a Nettó forest, but visiting a forest and being together good for your health”.

Jónatan Garðarsson, chairman of the Icelandic Forestry Association, says, „Our collaboration with Nettó is part of ensuring continued work to open forests for public access along main thoroughfares throughout Iceland. We see a great increase in the use of forests, but in recent years the popularity of sports and health events in the country’s forests has increased greatly, and this applies whether they are competitions or events intended for the general public. This has great value for public health and forest culture, which we are proud to uphold.“

More about the collaboration

The main goal of the collaboration is to improve facilities and increase access to forests in the first place and to share education about life, nature, and history so that the public can use the forests for rest stops, outdoor recreation, and health benefits. The contract guarantees the operation of the project for the next two years, in addition to promoting it.

Helga Dís Jakobsdóttir, Nettó’s marketing director and Jónatan Garðarsson, chairman of the Icelandic Forestry Association, sign the contract.

The Rangæingar Forestry Association will hold its annual general meeting on Tuesday, April 9th at 19:00 at the Hella Congregation Hall, Dynskálar 8.

In addition to regular meeting activities Kjartan Benediktsson will give a presentation on legumes.

Refreshments on offer. Everybody welcome.

The annual general meeting of the Forestry and Land Conservation Association under Jökull will be held on Sunday March 24, at 17:00. The meeting will be held at the cafeteria of KG fiskverkun in Rif. The programme consists of regular meeting activities.

The office of the Icelandic Forestry Association will be closed on March 19-21, as the staff will be attending the annual Icelandic Forestry Conference in Akureyri. We’ll be back on Friday March 22nd, full of new knowledge!

The Hveragerði Forestry Association will hold its annual general meeting on Wednesday April 10 at 20:00 at Garðyrkjuskólinn. In addition to traditional meeting activities there we be a presentation and discussion of the association’s projects and role. See Facebook event.

Everone interested in forestry welcome.

Refreshments on offer.

Kaffiveitingar í boði félagsins.

The Ungviður Forestry Association will hold its annual general meeting on Saturday March 16 at 15:00 at Rannsóknarstöð skógræktar, Land & Forest at Mógilsá. The meeting will be broadcast online (see Facebook event)