Last week we celebrated the one-year anniversary of the launch of the
Right now, travel looks very different to the way it did 12 months ago, but the need to reduce the environmental impact of air travel is still an essential goal for
Carbon offset program
In
The carbon offset program was devised in co-operation with Klappir Green Solutions (for the data-driven systems) and Kolviour (known in English as Kolvidur -
Crunching the numbers
2019: Contributions from passengers in the 3 months from the carbon calculator's launch until the end of 2019 amounted to approximately 5,500 trees.
2020: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had a dramatic effect on travel, and there has been a significant reduction in the number of people flying. From January to
Einar, supervisor of the volunteers at Ulfljotsvatn, with the seedlings for planting.
Forest planting at Ulfljotsvatn
The planting of trees is done by Kolviour from May throughout October. On a breezy day in late August, some staff from
The land here is co-owned by the
Planting in the heathland by Ulfljotsvatn.
The efficacy of the program is striking - software monitors the whole process and keeps track of the number and the location of the plants. A team of specialists carefully chooses the plant species and the type of fertilizers best suited to the location. Not all plants survive the process and additional seedlings are planted to replace those that do not survive. The basic criterion is to have 2500 living plants per one hectare of land, which then have up to 60 years to sequester the estimated amount of CO2.
Each member of the planting team uses an app to record their efforts, but the high-tech solutions can't do the most important task. Everyone's favorite tool is the clever Finnish-designed pottiputki machine, which saves backs and uses foot-power to perform the actual planting.
Planting made easier by the foot-powered pottiputki.
Spot the small seedling, planted in a semi-sheltered spot.
Equipped and ready for planting (wearing an insect net is a good idea).
A brief history of forests in
Trees and
The joke perpetuates the myth that there are no trees in
When
Deforestation continued over several centuries, and it's estimated that in 1950, the country had less than 1% cover of birch woodland. Soil erosion exacerbated any efforts to replant. In the mid-20th century, the focus switched to afforestation, the best means to reclaim and rehabilitate the eroded and degraded land.
Read an excellent summary of local forests (in English) on the website of Skograektin, the
(C) 2020 Electronic News Publishing, source