It is estimated that ca 30-40% of Iceland was tree covered when it
was settled but the tree cover declined slowly at first until the
almost the entire tree cover had disappeared by the end of the 19th
century. (ca 2% of Iceland is tree covered today)
[...]
A Short History of Climate and Human Impact in Iceland
http://tinyurl.com/b3tqw
850 BP Settlement Period
The settlement period is estimated to have been between 700 and 930 AD
Birch and willow[*] cover up to1/4 of Iceland.
The sagas claim that "landið var viði vaxið milli fjalls og fjöru"
and modern research shows that 25% tree cover is probably reasonable,
and another 25% may have been shrubbery and bushes.
Other areas are wasteland, grasses, or sedges
in bogs.
[*] the willows are shrubs, not trees
1900 to present - Modern Era Iceland now consists
of 1% shrub and woodland, <25% vegetated
750,000 sheep
Iceland is nowadays covered by 1% forest, and another 1% shrubs and
woodland.
Natural History of Iceland
http://tinyurl.com/bzg8g
Betula pubescens. On Iceland it is the only tree
species in the wild that manages to survive. Small
numbers of Rowan however spread along within the
birch stands.
Most of the trees in Iceland nowadays are a variety of coniferous
trees (up to 20 meters in height in the south and east) and birches
and willows among other types.
There are many speculations on the originality of
the present birch stands. Today they form only a
very small part (1%) of the coverage of the land of
Iceland. At the time of the first Norse settlement it
is estimated that at the time 30% of Iceland was
covered by birch stands. However, from historical
data it is not known what the vigor of the birches
were.
To date almost all birches on Iceland are lower
than 2 meters tall, very much in contrast to
continental downy birches which easily grow up to
20 meters. A possibility is that, as a result of tree-
harvesting (wood material) for clearings and fuel-
materials and the low-level natural occurring
hybridisation between B. pubescens and B. nana
(the dwarf birch) the modern Iceland B. pubescens
population has become far less vital than the
stands that existed before the Norse invasions.
This however, is contradicted by the fact that
there are locally very well developed birch forests.
They can be found in the north near Akureyri and
Ásbyrgi, in the east near Egilsstadir and also in the
Thörsmörk region. These forests thrive in
protected valleys.
Yes, there seem to be several types of birches in Iceland, the dwarf
type was prominent in the early parts of the 20th century but higher
and straighter types are mostly being planted nowadays and these
easily reach a height of over 10 meters, the highest birches in
Hallormsstaður are over 12 meters high.
Sigvaldi Eggertsson
Interesting.
Of course the conifers are also planted.
Unfortunately there seems to be no pollen curve
for Iceland on the Web.
--
º°º°º°º < Peter Alaca > º°º°º°º°º°º°º°º°º°º°º°º°º°º°º°º°º°º°
Re: Cod Fish, Walrus, and Chieftains ... settled but the tree cover declined slowly at first until the almost the entire tree cover had disappeared by the end of the 19th century. ... http://tinyurl.com/b3tqw 850 BP Settlement Period...Birch and willowcover up to1/4 of Iceland.... (sci.archaeology)
Re: Cod Fish, Walrus, and Chieftains ... >> It is estimated that ca 30-40% of Iceland was tree covered when it was ... > A Short History of Climate and Human Impact in Iceland... The settlement period is estimated to have been between 700 and 930 AD ... > data it is not known what the vigor of the birches... (sci.archaeology)
Re: Cod Fish, Walrus, and Chieftains ... >> of the Viking Age chiefly economy.... > Iceland has trees although not a great many, ... It is estimated that ca 30-40% of Iceland was tree covered when it was ... (sci.archaeology)
Re: Cod Fish, Walrus, and Chieftains ... >>> intensify a staple goods economy based ... >>> of the Viking Age chiefly economy.... >> Iceland has trees although not a great many, ... > It is estimated that ca 30-40% of Iceland was tree covered when it was ... (sci.archaeology)
Re: wood choice question ... Now to me any wood used inside a house is ... Other Names: Yellow Poplar, Tulip Wood ... Widespread throughout Eastern U.S. Tree heights can reach 150 feet. ...Native Americans stretched birch bark on their canoe frames and ... (rec.woodworking)
