Education and knowledge sharing are an important part of forestry work. Equally important is the opportunity to meet others, exchange views, and learn about the projects and activities taking place in different forests. One of the responsibilities of forest farmers participating in afforestation schemes is to attend the introductory forestry course regularly offered by Land and Forest Iceland for landowners beginning forestry operations. Increasingly, established forests are also being taken over by a new generation of owners, for whom the course provides valuable continuing professional development.

Participants receive both theoretical and practical instruction. In recent years, greater emphasis has been placed on the practical component, as nothing can fully replace hands-on training and the exchange of experience in the field. At the same time, high-quality educational resources are now readily available online and can be accessed whenever needed.

During the course, foresters cover the principal aspects of establishing new forests, including planning and project design, site preparation, the main tree species used in Icelandic forestry, the handling and quality assessment of forest seedlings, planting techniques, fertilisation, record-keeping, and the evaluation of results.

Following the classroom sessions last week, participants took part in outdoor training. The day concluded with a field excursion through Reykhús Forest in Eyjafjörður, where participants explored various opportunities for making use of forest resources, including firewood production and wood chipping, as well as the recreational value of forests. Finally, the group had the opportunity to admire a stand of young oak trees thriving in the forest.

The accompanying photographs were taken by foresters Guðríður Baldvinsdóttir, Sigríður Hrefna Pálsdóttir and Rosita Keskinen, all of whom were instructors on the course together with Johan Holst.