Ársrit Skógræktarfélags Íslands - 15.12.1975, Síða 27

VI. Heiðmörk enlarged in two steps.
In October 1957 an agreement between the
State Hospital Administration and R.S.S. was
signed, whereby part o£ the land belonging to
the Vífilsstaðir sanatorium was joined with
Heiðmörk. At the same time another piece of
land, abt. 220 ha, belonging to a neighbouring
county, was included. A part of this added
area, a hillside called Vífilsstaðahlíð, facing
southwest and shielded from cold northerly
winds, partly grown with low birch wood,
was particularly desirable as an outing area.
This addition to Heiðmörk was fenced in
in the autumn of 1957 and spring of 1958,
and the total fenced in area was now abt.
2300 ha.
In June 1963 R.S.S. received a letter from
the mayor of Reykjavik, informing the society
that the City Counsel had decided to entrust
to R.S.S. the care and administration of the
farm Elliðavatn, where before that time the
city kept a home for mentally retarded persons.
Besides the farm houses, an area of abt. 200
ha, adjacent to Heiðmörk was included, so
that after this the total area of Heiðmörk is
abt. 2500 ha.
VII. Announcing in the nineteenforties a new
turn in Icelandic silviculture.
In the 1930—1932 issue of Iceland Silvi-
cultural Society yearbook (the first one publis-
hed) an article by Hákon Bjarnason, newly
graduated silviculturist, appeared. (Mr. Bjarna-
son was the first Icelander having finished
University schooling in silviculture.)
In this article it is pointed out, that besides
the native tree species, birch and mountain
ash and willow shrubs, other species, brought
in from such places as Kuril Islands north of
Japan, and the southwest coast of Alaska, very
likely could grow in Iceland, enhancing con-
siderably the possibility of growing valuable
forests in this country.
In the next issue of the yearbook, 1933—
1934, another article by the same author, deal-
ing with the same subject on a wider basis,
appeared.
In that article the importance of obtaining
tree seeds from countries and areas with climate
ÁRSRIT SKÓGRÆKTARFÉLAGS ÍSLANDS 1975
similar to Icelandic climate is again stressed.
Tree seeds (and seedlings) has been collected
and brought to Iceland from time to time
since 1945 from Alaska and other areas in the
Western part of the North American continent,
and from a few other locations.
VIII. The record of various species tried in
Heiðmörk during a quarter century.
Between 20 and 30 species of trees have
been planted in Heiðmörk in different quanti-
ties.
It was assumed by foresters, that Icelandic
climate and soil would fairly well suit the
Scotch pine (pinus silvestris), and Scotch pine
was planted in considerable quantities the first
years. The Scotch pine, however, turned out
to be a failure, due to a pest, which attacked
trunk and branches and killed the growing
trees.
The Norway spruce (picea abies) did not do
very well either (too heavy and sustained
winds in Heiðmörk). Of imported species thc
sitka spruce (picea sitkaensis) and lodge pole
pine (pinus contorta) are doing very well.
IX. Reclamation of eroded areas.
Erosion is prevalent in some parts of Heið-
mörk, and efforts are being made to cover the
eroded areas with vegetation by various means.
Commercial fertilizer has with some success
been applied on areas with very scarce vegeta-
tion. Birch and dwarf pine (pinus mugo) has
also been planted in such areas with great
amount of fertilizer (horse manure), and Al-
aska lupine has been planted and seeds of
that plant sowed in steril earth with good
results.
X. Various ways in planting.
As previously mentioned, various groups
were in 1950 allotted plots in Heiðmörk for
tree planting. The following years more groups
were added until they totaled 54.
The first few years most of the planting was
done by those ,,pioneers“ under the super-
vision of trained men from R.S.S. But in 1955
an added work force was brought in, when
youngsters, 14—15 year old girls from Reykja-
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