Arctic Afforestation in East Iceland

This project is an afforestation project, implemented in the eastern part of Iceland on private land in the municipality Mulathing. The aim of the project is to sequester carbon from the atmosphere and create certified carbon units for companies and individuals that aim for carbon neutrality. At the same time, it supports three United Nations global goals; Climate action (13), Life on land (15) and Decent work and economic growth (8). The planting area involved is a 70,5-ha plot on a private 1200 hectares property. This first property is in the municipality Mulathing and is on the lower slopes of Hallormsstaðaháls in Skriðdalur at 170 – 300 meters above sea level and faces towards the southeast. The land is on a sloping hillside with a few parts that are quite steep. The area is former grazing land and slight grazing remains in the area, but the lower part of it has been fenced and protected from grazing. The land is characterized by heather and dwarf birch with less vegetated areas in between, grassland, and sloping peatland. The Icelandic Forest Service (IFS) has done an afforestation plan for the planting area with baseline vegetation mapping, description of suitable afforestation methods, site preparation, trail map, and future management plan. Fencing, land preparation and planting will be implemented in August 2022. The estimated number of plants is 175.000 and the species are spruce, pine, and cottonwood.