Attacking the erosion

Mr. Kolbeinn Sveinbjörnsson, a resident of the farm Heiðarás in the Thingvellir region, is among the numerous recipients of a grant from the Land Improvement Fund (Landbótasjóður) earlier this year. In his case, the purpose of this grant is to address erosion ridges or escarpments, in Icelandic termed "rofabarð", and facilitate revegetation efforts in these areas, including gravelly terrains.

To rectify the erosion esacarpments, the initial phase involved employing a compact excavator to fragment the edges, followed by manual application of hay onto the apertures. This methodology has proven effective in thwarting frost-induced elevation, which otherwise impedes the revegetation of exposed soil. The hay was procured from a derelict hayfield, specifically harvested for this undertaking. Notably, the hay contained a substantial amount of moss, which is now distinctly visible within the escarpments.

Distributing hay or other organic matter into erosion escarpments is a long-standing and effective method. Artificial fertiliser and grass seeds were also distributed into the escarpment edges and the area below them. The first photo above depicts Kolbeinn and his brother Jóhannes, a resident of Heiðarbær in Þingvallasveit, standing at an erosion escarpment where hay has been distributed.

It will be very interesting to follow the progress of the moss in these areas in the coming years and it will be interesting to see if the moss will be able to settle and grow in the repaired erosion escarpments.

On August 29th, Mr. Garðar Þorfinnsson, the regional land reclamation specialist for Land and Forest Iceland in the southern region, conducted an inspection of the land reclamation operations being carried out by Kolbeinn and Jóhannes . The brothers and their families have a long history of collaborating on land reclamation initiatives on their properties.