Sólveig Sanchez recently defended her PhD thesis in Natural and Environmental Sciences at the Agricultural University of Iceland, focusing on soils in Icelandic birch woodlands, particularly their carbon and water balance. Her results show that soils in old birch forests are carbon-rich, well-developed, and retain water effectively—signaling their very healthy state.

Joint press release from the Directorate of Fisheries, the Food and Veterinary Authority, and the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute on the status of origin analysis of caught salmon.

It was drizzling lightly with a southerly breeze when a lively group of Lions Club members gathered at Kjalarnes on 30 September to take part in the national campaign Collect and Sow Birch Seed, formally launching this year’s effort. Although birch has produced relatively little seed in many parts of the country this year, there are still good spots where a fair amount can be gathered.

A new national standard on sustainable forestry has been published by Standards Iceland (Staðlaráð Íslands). This is the first Icelandic standard to set out harmonised requirements and guidance for sustainable forestry in Iceland. According to an agreement with Standards Iceland, users are not required to purchase the standard – it can be downloaded free of charge from the council’s website.

News

At the end of July, a tender was opened for the content management system (CMS) of Ísland.is. Bidders have until 13:00 on September 11, 2025, to submit their tenders.

The recently released preliminary data on land use emissions in Iceland for 2024 indicates emission levels comparable to the previous year. Furthermore, the latest data suggest a negligible impact of grazing on emissions from undisturbed wetlands at 200 meters above sea level, resulting in a notable decrease in emission figures.

The Financial Management Authority has launched a new Challenge Portal where public entities can publish descriptions of their needs for innovative solutions to public sector challenges.

Two men are dead after the fire in the west of Reykjavík.

Inga Sæland, Minister of Social Affairs and Housing, and Katrín Sigurjónsdóttir, Mayor of Norðurþing, formally signed an agreement on Friday, May 23, marking a major step toward the construction of a new nursing home in the municipality.