Icelandic Forest Research

Icelandic Forest Research, located at Mógilsá in the vicinity of Reykjavík, is the research division of the Icelandic Forest Service. Applied forest research on silviculture, growth and yield as well as choice of forest reproductive material has been the main emphasis of the division since its establishment in 1967. These areas of research are still important. However forest ecology and management have become increasingly important fields of study with a wide range of topics, including carbon and nutrient cycles, solving establishment problems in afforestation on derelict land, insect pests and pathogens and the effects of afforestation on plant and animal communities. Forest inventory has also increased in importance, not the least due to the need for knowledge about carbon stocks and sequestration. Other recent research topics include climatic mapping, vegetation history and social aspects of forestry.