Exchange of Practices in Reykjavík: Representatives of SFE “Forests of Ukraine” participated in the international conference “Growing Together: Women, Forests, and a Sustainable Future”

The event was organized by the NGO “FORZA” (Ukraine) in partnership with international organizations as part of the Fem2Forests project, funded by the EU. The conference served as a platform for sharing knowledge, ideas, and practices in forestry, featuring the participation of women from 15 countries.

Special attention at the conference was given to the practical aspects of forest management.

Forestry in Iceland: Little-Known but Fascinating Facts

✔ Over the last 1,000 years, Iceland’s forest cover has decreased nearly 40-fold.

At the time of the first human settlement (more than 1,150 years ago), birch forests and shrubs covered 25–40% of Iceland’s territory.

Birch woodlands provided fuel, building materials, and livestock fodder, while charcoal was a vital resource for iron smelting and toolmaking.

Like in many agrarian societies, settlers cleared forests for fields and pastures. From the 1300s, sheep farming developed rapidly. Grazing prevented the regeneration of birch after felling, and forest areas continued to shrink — becoming the key reason for Iceland’s dramatic deforestation. By the 19th century, forests covered less than 1% of the country.

✔ Over the past century, Iceland’s forest area has doubled.

Uncontrolled logging ended in the early 20th century. In 1907, the Forest and Soil Conservation Act was adopted, and a year later, the Icelandic Forest Service (IFS) was established — it still operates today.

Currently, the forestry sector is structured as follows: the Icelandic Forest Service, under the Ministry for the Environment, manages the National Forests (about 5% of all forests) — protected birch woodlands, cultivated stands, and experimental plots. The rest belong to associations of private landowners and farmers, who plant forests on degraded lands. Importantly, the landowner remains both the owner and caretaker of the forest.

IFS has planted about half of all trees in the country, mainly in National Forests, maintaining up to six nurseries across different regions. After 1990, nurseries were privatized. Today, IFS plants up to 100 hectares of forest annually.

Since 1973, IFS has provided grants to farmers for afforestation on their lands, covering up to 97% of costs.

Most private landowners are members of the Icelandic Forestry Association, founded in 1930, which focuses on reforestation projects funded by international donors.

Currently, the association includes over 60 landowners, collectively planting 3–4 million seedlings per year.

According to scientists, since 1950, Iceland’s forest and woodland area has doubled. Natural birch forests now cover 1,506 km² (1.5% of the country), while cultivated forests add another 400 km², totaling around 1.9–2.0% of Iceland’s territory.

Although progress has been limited by land constraints, a shortage of workers, and insufficient funding, since the 1990s forests have been expanding by 1,500 hectares per year — meaning it would take over 70 years to increase forest cover by 1%.

In 2013, Iceland adopted its Forestry Strategy extending to the end of the 21st century, with the goal of reaching at least 12% forest cover by 2100.

To achieve this, the IFS launched the National Forestry Program in 2017, which includes initiatives such as:

support for private landowners and farmers in planting and maintaining forests,

a state program for restoring degraded lands through afforestation,

and a policy for land reclamation and reforestation through 2031.

✔ Despite limited resources, the forestry industry is developing.

Local markets are now partly supplied with domestic wood. For example, birch firewood is sold for heating or electricity production.

✔ A significant share of forestry and related work in Iceland is performed by women!

After Iceland gained independence in 1944, women’s associations became a foundation of its social policy.

Today, women are involved in all sectors of society, including forestry.

One notable organization is “Skógarkonur” (“Forest Women”), established to increase women’s participation in the forestry sector and promote their interests.