Second Edition of Quality Criteria for Selecting Land for Afforestation

The first edition of Land and Forest Iceland’s quality criteria for selecting land for afforestation was published in September last year. It was intended for trial use within the institution so that any shortcomings could be identified and the criteria refined into the practical tool they are intended to be. In light of experience gained and comments received regarding the first edition, the project steering group has undertaken a revision of the criteria.

The criteria are expected to be used this summer in forestry planning and the preparation of forestry management plans. A meeting with forestry advisers from Land and Forest Iceland is then planned for the autumn to evaluate experience gained from applying the quality criteria.

A steering group was established within Land and Forest Iceland in August 2024 with the role of coordinating projects within the institution relating to standards and quality criteria, organising working procedures, and ensuring the necessary consultation with institutions, specialists and stakeholders. This is in line with Land and Life, the government policy on soil conservation and forestry, which sets out Action 2.3 to develop and implement new quality criteria for selecting land for afforestation.

The steering group consists of Birkir Snær Fannarsson, legal adviser and chair of the group; Bryndís Marteinsdóttir, Director of Research and Monitoring; and Brynjar Skúlason, forest geneticist and team leader for methodology and impact assessment. Páll Sigurðsson, planning officer, serves as staff member to the steering group, which is expected to complete its work this coming autumn.

As with the first edition, this second edition of the quality criteria is the result of consultation with parties both within and outside the institution. By their nature, quality criteria of this kind are subject to regular review, although it has not yet been decided how their further development will be organised.