Icelandic foresters take heart from Glen Nant oakwoods

Forestry and Land Scotland last week welcomed a group of Icelandic foresters to Glen Nant National Nature Reserve to find out how good forest management is helping the Glen’s oak woods to thrive. 

The foresters from Land og skógur (Land and Forest Iceland) are responsible for land reclamation and forestry at the national level in Iceland and own or manage more than fifty forest and forestry areas throughout the country.

The visitors were keen to visit Glen Nant to inform their own forest conservation and restoration programme.

Oak, although not native to Iceland, is uncommon across the island as it was not climatically suited.  However, a warming climate has made it easier for oak to grow where once it couldn’t.

Pétur Halldórsson, Promotion Manager with Land og skógur, said;

“Iceland used to be much more heavily forested with downy birch forests and shrubs but much of it was felled in the early days of Viking settlement. Due to livestock grazing, the forest had no chance of regenerating but now we are trying to both reclaim our lost native woodlands and create diverse forests for timber yields, carbon sequestration, shelter and recreation.

“For several decades now, we have been carrying out large-scale tree planting initiatives of native and non-native species to try and restore some of the lost forest cover.

“One of the species we are trialling on a very small scale is oak, and we planted our first grove of 50 English oak trees at the Mógilsá arboretum back in 2017 to mark 50 years of forestry research. 

“Seeing a magnificent oak forest like that in Glen Nant was really inspirational and it was great that we were allowed to take some acorns away with us to add to our efforts back home.

“It is obviously a long-term process but our intention is that one day mixed forests will be a far more common sight across Iceland with occasional oak groves or hopefully even oakwoods like we saw in Glen Nant.”

As well as learning about the ancient Oak wood’s historic links to charcoal production and the production of cannon balls at Inverawe Furnace in the 1760’s, the visitors also saw veteran coppiced oaks and hazels - and coppice stools and charcoal platforms.

Although Icelanders never produced cannon balls, archaeological evidence of charcoal processing and iron smelting has been found, activities that made use of downy birch (rather than oak and hazel) and contributed to forest decline across the island.

Discussion focussed on Glen Nant’s designations, and the deer and forest management that is allowing natural oakwood regeneration to flourish as the conifers panted in the 1970’s are removed.

FLS’ West Region Assistant Operations Manager, Stuart Findlay, gave the visitors a guided tour around Glen Nant. He said;

“It was great to meet Foresters from another country with different challenges and climate but with who have the same passion for native woodland restoration and woodland history.

“They were so enthused by the visit, seeing the age, impressive heights and diversity of the native woodland, which they found inspirational.  

“I’ve no doubt that in the decades to come the work that our Icelandic colleagues are doing now will be very visible in the landscape…and that in amongst their forests there will be a few oak trees grown from those Glen Nant acorns.”

Notes to Editors

1. Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) manages forests and land owned by Scottish Ministers in a way that supports and enables economically sustainable forestry; conserves and enhances the environment; delivers benefits for people and nature; and supports Scottish Ministers in their stewardship of Scotland's national forests and land.
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