Land and Forest Iceland
Iceland’s oldest tree at Vísindavöku 2024
26th September 2024
Land and Forest Iceland will be participating in Rannís's Researcher's Night, "Vísindavaka," which will take place in Laugardalshöll in Reykjavík on Saturday, September 28th. Attendees can explore bugs, tree leaves, and seeds through a microscope, touch different soils, watch drone images of vegetation improvement in the Hekla Forests area, and participate in a prize-winning quiz. Additionally, they can attempt to count the year rings on a slice from the oldest living tree ever found in Iceland, which is approximately 280 years old.
Vísindavaka is a scientific event where prominent scientists engage in interactive discussions and demonstrations of their research and innovations. Organised by Rannís in Iceland, in collaboration with local universities and institutions, Vísindavaka is held concurrently with Researchers' Night in major European cities during the last weekend of September.
This marks the inaugural Vísindavaka for the newly established Land and Forest Iceland institute. The institute's pavilion will be managed by the research and development department, showcasing a comprehensive exploration of various forestry and land reclamation subjects. Visitors will have the opportunity to examine seeds of key grass species utilised in Icelandic land reclamation projects, ranging from fescue to lyme grass.
Additionally, the pavilion will provide an opportunity to observe leaves of tree species and the insects that inhabit trees and land reclamation plants. Notably, some of these insects will even be presented in their living state. A diverse array of soil samples, encompassing sand to forest soil, will be available for tactile examination by visitors. Furthermore, the pavilion will feature a display of a tree planter, ready to go out planting new forest.
A drone that has been used to monitor land reclamation and reforestation areas, for example the Hekla Forest area, will be hung in the stand and on a screen will be shown pictures from such photo-shooting trips, which show how the Hekla Forest area is slowly changing from a desert to a birch forest. It will also be possible to study the Icelandic Forest Carbon Calculator that can be used to predict growth and carbon sequestration in forested areas.
Last but not least, visitors to the booth of Land and Forest Iceland at the Vísindavaka event will be able to explore the annual tree rings of several tree species and there stands out the oldest tree in Iceland, which actually is not very tall and does not stand out in that sense. No that particular tree only stands out in terms of its age, being about 280 years old!
Welcome to the booth of Land and Forest at Vísindavaka 2024! Experts Anne Bau, Bjarki Þór Kjartansson, Helena Marta Stefánsdóttir and Magnús Jóhannsson will greet you with a warm welcome.
Happy Scientific Night!