The location
Geitasandur is a sandy plain in the south of Iceland, between the rivers Ytri-Rangá and Eystri-Rangá, or more precisely between the farms Kirkjubær to the west and Stóra-Hof and Minna-Hof to the east. The area was fenced off by the Soil Conservation Service of Iceland in 1945 and has since been used for experiments in soil reclamation, re-vegetation and forestry.
Geitasandur is covered by loose Holocene gravel sediments, with patches of soil. At shallow depths is a firm “móhella” – solified pumice and volcanic ash. The gravelly topsoil is mixed with aeolian soil and tephra from Hekla, a nearby volcano.
The Iceland Carbon Fund (ICF) has leased part of Geitasandur for the next 99 years from the Soil Conservation Service for tree planting. The area set aside for ICF Forests is around 190 ha and, for the most part, sparsely vegetated (a third or less vegetation cover), but with some small patches where the vegetation is more robust, thanks to the soil reclamation measures.
The Iceland Carbon Fund Forest at Geitasandur
Research and past experiences in Iceland have shown that with proper site preparation and methods, forests can be established and thrive on land types similar to Geitasandur. The seedlings planted at Geitasandur are forest tree seedlings (container stock), 1–2 years old (or 10–20 cm). Because this type of environment is quite nutrient-poor, successful afforestation requires the use of fertilisers for the first few years. After about five years or so, the soil conditions will have improved sufficiently for the forest to be self-sufficient.
The ICF Forest at Geitasandur will consist of species common to Icelandic forestry, including downy birch, rowan, black cottonwood, alders, sitka spruce and lodgepole pine. Planting several species helps to secure the long-term stability of the forest, as diverse forests are more resistant to stress (e.g. insect infestations, changes in climate) and make better use of resources (sunlight, nutrients, water, etc.). A multi-species forest is also more interesting for recreation than a mono-culture forest, given that the ICF Forest at Geitasandur will be open to the public once established.
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Geitasandur
To encourage the people of Iceland to be the first nation in the world to offset all transportation-related carbondioxide emissions
