Land and Forest Iceland

Life in the forest – The Annual Icelandic Forest Science Conference 2026

26th January 2026

Registration is now open for the 2026 Icelandic Annual Forest Science Conference, Fagráðstefna skógræktar, which will be held at Stracta Hotel in Hella 18 and 19 March. The first day will focus on the wide scope of life in the forest. A program draft for the first day has now been announced, and a call is out for proposed talks and posters for the second day.

Registrations are made via the designated form – click here.

About the Conference

The Annual Icelandic Forest Science Conference, a collaborative effort between Land and Forest Iceland, the Agricultural University of Iceland, the Icelandic Forestry Association, the Icelandic Association of Foresters, and the Icelandic Farmers Association, is a long-standing forum for knowledge exchange and professional discussion within the Icelandic forest sector. Established at the turn of the millenium, the conference rotates annually between regions. In 2025 it was held at Hotel Hallormsstaður and in 2024 at the Hof Cultural House in Akureyri.

The conference's first day will feature presentations and discussions focused on the designated theme.

The second day offers a diverse range of presentations of any forest-related subject, including policy, research, education, innovation and technology. A call is open for proposed talks and posters – see here.

Program of the Icelandic Forestry Conference 2025

9:45 Conference Opening
10:00 Resource Status Update – Helena Marta Stefánsdóttir and Björn Traustason ABSTRACT in Icelandic -
10:30 Municipal Planning and Forestry: Land Selection Quality Criteria – Birkir Snær Fannarsson ABSTRACT in Icelandic -
11:00 Sustainable Forestry Standard – Gunnlaugur Guðjónsson ABSTRACT in Icelandic -
11:20 Land Preparation and Effects on Soil Carbon – Bjarni Diðrik Sigurðsson ABSTRACT in Icelandic -
11:45 Forest Seedling Production’s Current Status – Rakel J. Jónsdóttir ABSTRACT in Icelandic

12:00 Lunch

13:00 Continuous-Cover Forestry and Selective Felling – Aksel Granhus ABSTRACT -
13:35 Overview of Icelandic Timber Processing – Ólafur Eggertsson ABSTRACT in Icelandic -
13:55 Forestry Machinery, Processing, and Wood Biomass Heating – Magnús Þorsteinsson ABSTRACT in Icelandic -
14:10 Panel Discussion: Key Learnings

15:30 Excursion to Skógarafurðir Wood Processing Facility in Fljótsdalur (return around 18 o'clock).

9.15 Updates on Icelandic FSC Certification since the last conference – Aaron Zachary Shearer ABSTRACT -
9.30 CE-certified wood processing – Eiríkur Þorsteinsson ABSTRACT in Icelandic -
9.45 Wood Chips, Carbon and Silicon Industries. Quo vadis? – Þorbergur Hjalti Jónsson ABSTRACT in Icelandic -
10.00 Analysis of recorded information from afforestation projects – Ásdís Björk Friðgeirsdóttir ABSTRACT in Icelandic -

10.15 Break

10.45 Timber grading and the development of wood production in Heiðmörk – Teitur Björgvinsson ABSTRACT in Icelandic -
11.00 Timber classification course – Ólafur Ástgeirsson ABSTRACT in Icelandic -
11.15 Poster presentation – Supervisor: Edda Sigurdís Oddsdóttir

12.00 Lunch

13.00 Bark beetle presence in Iceland: An emerging threat? – Brynja Hrafnkelsdóttir ABSTRACT in Icelandic -
13.15 The Forest Pharmacy – Hraundís Guðmundsdóttir ABSTRACT in Icelandic -
13.30 20 years of the LT Project: Effects of initial density on larch – Lárus Heiðarsson and Bjarni Diðrik Sigurðsson
13.45 Conference summary, discussions and closing remarks ABSTRACT in Icelandic -

15:00 Departure of bus from Hotel Hallormsstaður towards Egilsstaðir Airport.

Registration

The comprehensive conference fee is 28,000 ISK, which will be processed via bank transfer. For attendees opting out of the first-day conference dinner, the fee is 20,000 ISK.

Student registration is 18,000 ISK, with a reduced rate of 10,000 ISK if dinner is excluded.

Registrations are made via the designated form – click here.

Stay

Stracta Hotel, the conference venue. Please book via:

Email: info@stractahotels.is.
Refer to code 70932468
Information on who will be paying (company/association/institution or direct payment)