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Sequestering carbon by land restoration and reforestation in Iceland
- Thread starter KarenRei
- Start date
A walk through a fairly heavily planted area nearing the fence, showing the amount of winter damage and new spring growth thusfar.
This area is probably somewhat less than average damage, but not dramatically... maybe 40th percentile on the damage scale.
This area is probably somewhat less than average damage, but not dramatically... maybe 40th percentile on the damage scale.
Great to see you here again!
Looks stunning there. I'd love to go to Iceland one day to see the scenery for myself. Might be one to do with Mrs Einstein once the kids have flown the nest. Karen -- is there some sort of tree guard you could put in to protect saplings from sheep? 7 Types of Tree Guards Explained | DoItYourself.com
How did the oak tree get on this winter?
Looks stunning there. I'd love to go to Iceland one day to see the scenery for myself. Might be one to do with Mrs Einstein once the kids have flown the nest. Karen -- is there some sort of tree guard you could put in to protect saplings from sheep? 7 Types of Tree Guards Explained | DoItYourself.com
How did the oak tree get on this winter?
The oak trees "look alive" (at least the sturdier / lower branches - looks like there's some tip loss of higher / weaker branches), but there's been no bud break thusfar. Being a more southern species, they probably have stricter soil temperature requirements than most other plants here (it's been a late start to the growing season, even the grass is only barely starting in most places). So I won't call it a success until I see bud break. But as for now, they retain branches that have a green tinge and flexibility and some non-withered buds, so... knock on wood... I think they're alive, but just still dormant.
I am using a tree guard - of the type known as "every good-weather day going out and working on completing the canyonside fence"
Just one more day and the barbed wire will be done. Then it'll just be about anchoring the loose post(s) on the east / inland side and repairing the flood damage on the west / seaward side. Then the whole land should be... knock on wood... sheepproof. (I could also do to straighten up some of the leaning posts on the old fence, and add gates and bracing to the new fence... but I may put that off for a year
).Just thought I'd stop by to post a few more pics from the past week
Here the wobbly section of the fence (a couple others less wobbly) that I really need to get a Round Tuit and fix
Hadn't taken any pictures of the easternmost / waterfall-adjacent tree yet. Note how green the trunk and lower branches are (though some upper branches probably died). Just no signs of bud break yet.
In the area, I checked out the crumbling slope next to it. Maybe 2/3rds of the trees had slid out from where they were planted. Surprisingly, about a quarter of those were still alive, so got replanted. Definitely need to get this slope secured, badly...
Though the crumbling slope isn't all bad. It constantly exposes new mineral veins.
Some loose pieces that had broken off and slid down.
Most is blue-green chalcedony / chert, but the white one is calcite. They're all brittle, but calcite is also soft and easily eroded (even vinegar will eat it), so I take them with back to the shed so they'll be safe.
I also found two massive pieces - large chunks of entire veins - of chalcedony (very, very dirty). I get tired on the way back however and decide just to set them down in the creekbed, hoping that the next time it rains they'll at least get partially cleaned up. Well, that was my excuse anyway
Here the wobbly section of the fence (a couple others less wobbly) that I really need to get a Round Tuit and fix
Hadn't taken any pictures of the easternmost / waterfall-adjacent tree yet. Note how green the trunk and lower branches are (though some upper branches probably died). Just no signs of bud break yet.
In the area, I checked out the crumbling slope next to it. Maybe 2/3rds of the trees had slid out from where they were planted. Surprisingly, about a quarter of those were still alive, so got replanted. Definitely need to get this slope secured, badly...
Though the crumbling slope isn't all bad. It constantly exposes new mineral veins.
Some loose pieces that had broken off and slid down.
Most is blue-green chalcedony / chert, but the white one is calcite. They're all brittle, but calcite is also soft and easily eroded (even vinegar will eat it), so I take them with back to the shed so they'll be safe.
I also found two massive pieces - large chunks of entire veins - of chalcedony (very, very dirty). I get tired on the way back however and decide just to set them down in the creekbed, hoping that the next time it rains they'll at least get partially cleaned up. Well, that was my excuse anyway
While I finished the barbed wire, and cementing the posts on the east / inland side, and got the big tools and posts and wire down to the damaged section by the river on the rest, I've not felt good enough to do the hard work of hammering in posts and the like (will probably do that in a few days). Instead I decided to cart the overwintered trees to the land, now that it's effectively sheepproof. This was my first time towing with the Tesla. Unfortunately I discovered that the pin-out is different than my trailer takes. I guess I'll need to dig up an adapter?
~350Wh/km - though to be fair I was only driving about 75kph
I store it next to the shed. Some of the plants were doubled up, so just in case some sheep do break in (they'll certainly probe for weaknesses, and there's a lot of fencing), the ones that I took off the trailer were the most sheep resistant, like the white spruce. I plan to make a secondary "inner pen" at some point in the coming weeks as a second line of defense (just four posts with fencing around it), but until then, the more sensitive plants stay on the trailer, which will at least offer *some* discouragement to any interlopers who might find a weakness in the fence.
Two little lambs hanging out just outside the west / inland fence. Too content. I scare them off.
And lastly, one plant photo. This one usually takes people by surprise, because most people don't think of them as being able to live in such a cold climate. This bright green marsh plant is Pinguicula vulgaris, the Common Butterwort. Those flies aren't just landed on it - they're trapped by it, where it will digest them to harvest their nitrogen. Fun fact: most carnivorous plants grow their flowers on a disproportionately long stalk; this is to keep potential pollinators away from the traps.
~350Wh/km - though to be fair I was only driving about 75kph
I store it next to the shed. Some of the plants were doubled up, so just in case some sheep do break in (they'll certainly probe for weaknesses, and there's a lot of fencing), the ones that I took off the trailer were the most sheep resistant, like the white spruce. I plan to make a secondary "inner pen" at some point in the coming weeks as a second line of defense (just four posts with fencing around it), but until then, the more sensitive plants stay on the trailer, which will at least offer *some* discouragement to any interlopers who might find a weakness in the fence.
Two little lambs hanging out just outside the west / inland fence. Too content. I scare them off.
And lastly, one plant photo. This one usually takes people by surprise, because most people don't think of them as being able to live in such a cold climate. This bright green marsh plant is Pinguicula vulgaris, the Common Butterwort. Those flies aren't just landed on it - they're trapped by it, where it will digest them to harvest their nitrogen. Fun fact: most carnivorous plants grow their flowers on a disproportionately long stalk; this is to keep potential pollinators away from the traps.
LN1_Casey
Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus
Love seeing the Tesla pulling your trailer.
Nice excursion! Pretty pix!
Love your updates. And concur with LN1. Standard contacts is a good thing, until they change ...
Not an advice as they say, but when you do get that Round whatever, I think it's better to secure it well!
Hey, you found a unique mineral mitt mine!
Love your updates. And concur with LN1. Standard contacts is a good thing, until they change ...
So I suppose the wind is responsible for the broken and wobbly posts in the first picture? Do you have a plan for doing something different? Maybe all the posts are vulnerable and it was chance that these were affected, so a different plan for these posts is pointless?Just thought I'd stop by to post a few more pics from the past week
Here the wobbly section of the fence (a couple others less wobbly) that I really need to get a Round Tuit and fix
View attachment 549306
Hadn't taken any pictures of the easternmost / waterfall-adjacent tree yet. Note how green the trunk and lower branches are (though some upper branches probably died). Just no signs of bud break yet.
View attachment 549305
View attachment 549304
View attachment 549303
In the area, I checked out the crumbling slope next to it. Maybe 2/3rds of the trees had slid out from where they were planted. Surprisingly, about a quarter of those were still alive, so got replanted. Definitely need to get this slope secured, badly...
View attachment 549302
View attachment 549301
Though the crumbling slope isn't all bad. It constantly exposes new mineral veins.
View attachment 549300
Some loose pieces that had broken off and slid down.
View attachment 549299
Most is blue-green chalcedony / chert, but the white one is calcite. They're all brittle, but calcite is also soft and easily eroded (even vinegar will eat it), so I take them with back to the shed so they'll be safe.
View attachment 549298
I also found two massive pieces - large chunks of entire veins - of chalcedony (very, very dirty). I get tired on the way back however and decide just to set them down in the creekbed, hoping that the next time it rains they'll at least get partially cleaned up. Well, that was my excuse anyway
View attachment 549297
Brando
Active Member
Shepards - know why they are needed? Goats (I think sheep as well, anyone verify?) will destroy most everything. they climb trees, rip roots, strip bark. Turn landscapes into deserts. So Shepards needed to move goats/sheep to avoid complete devistation of vegatation.
As long as you know how destructive they can be, you can learn to manage - but you must manage them.
As long as you know how destructive they can be, you can learn to manage - but you must manage them.
It'll happen to any long fence over time, but it's the forces on a fence that trigger it, and obviously here, we get a lot of forces on our fences. It also happens the easiest in weak, shallow soils, for obvious reasons.
Solutions can be a combination of concreting and lateral bracing, the latter of which can come in several forms, such as diagonal posts or guy wires. It's best to brace fences before they get this bad, so I should be proactive when I start on this sort of repair work.
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Okay, the person who made the Paypal donation today... you know who you are... wow. You just bought a at least half a trailer full of trees I'll either go this Friday or early next week!
A few pictures. Just finished the fence the other day, working through the rain.
Today I built an "inner pen"... not super-well-built (went more for speed), just a way to add an extra layer of barbed wire to store the plants inside, just to make sure that if any sheep do manage to break in through the main fence, they don't have a buffet laid out for them I unloaded the trailer into it and closed it back up.
When I get a chance, I'll try to take a time lapse video of me walking the length of the new fence.
I'll either go this Friday or early next week! A few pictures. Just finished the fence the other day, working through the rain.
Today I built an "inner pen"... not super-well-built (went more for speed), just a way to add an extra layer of barbed wire to store the plants inside, just to make sure that if any sheep do manage to break in through the main fence, they don't have a buffet laid out for them
I unloaded the trailer into it and closed it back up.When I get a chance, I'll try to take a time lapse video of me walking the length of the new fence.
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Video uploading.... although it's long and 4K HDR, so it won't finish before I go to bed.
Need to decide what to do about trees. Kjarr - the place with the moderate-sized trees - hasn't had a chance to check yet, but they said that they don't think they have a ton of appropriate trees this year, unlike last. I haven't contacted Flóra yet - I got a great price last year, but a lot of them had worms and grubs (at least among certain species). Maybe I should look into more suppliers this weekend rather than trying to rush out tomorrow...
Need to decide what to do about trees. Kjarr - the place with the moderate-sized trees - hasn't had a chance to check yet, but they said that they don't think they have a ton of appropriate trees this year, unlike last. I haven't contacted Flóra yet - I got a great price last year, but a lot of them had worms and grubs (at least among certain species). Maybe I should look into more suppliers this weekend rather than trying to rush out tomorrow...
Well, Youtube is annyoing. I uploaded the >6Gb file and waited all day for Youtube to process it.. but because apparently I clicked the wrong thing during the upload, it was presented as a "premier", was only visible live, not possible to view again, and impossible for me to change settings to restore it. So I had to start all over. :Þ
But anyways... here's the fence walk
In other news, I got some more plant pricing today, and started planting from what I had left over from last year. Many more planting days to go!!!
But anyways... here's the fence walk
- The video starts out at the northeast (inland) corner, goes down the short eastern fence, then all along the new fence, back up the short western / seaward fence, and briefly up a marshy hill along the northern fence.
- It starts out with a slow pan and I stop to film the first plant of meaningful size, but I quickly realize that I'll never get done if I keep doing this, so I speed up significantly.
- It starts out windy and cloudy, but turns sunny and calmer over time
- There's a surprise at 14:50-15:03, and again at 21:20-21:28 (it surprised even me! )
- Play it at double speed if you're rushed for time - but it's actually rather relaxing to watch
- Because it's HDR, if your screen isn't the colours may be a bit washed out.
- There's a couple brief breaks in the video - the first because I notice that I need to repair the netting in the corner of the fence, and the others because of max file size limits on my SD card.
In other news, I got some more plant pricing today, and started planting from what I had left over from last year. Many more planting days to go!!!
Just a few pics from the first two planting days.
Loading up on cottonwood, rowan, elm, a few birch and a handful of spruce. Rowans were planted most near the house site, blending into a row of cottonwood in a gentle, always-moist channel that cuts across half the land and heads toward the sheer cliff; I figure they'll grow into quite a windbreak there.
Ran into this little fluffball with dinosaur feet
The skies near the summer solstice are always beautiful (back in town for the evening)
Today I planted virtually all of the tamarack in the landslide-swamp, to try to anchor what hasn't yet slid. It was a slow process because, A) it's a swamp, but B) because they're in fairly sizeable pots, so I couldn't carry too many at once, and it took longer to get them in the ground.
The swamp was full of jaðrakan, a more colourful relative of the spói, with a call that sounds like a dog's squeaky toy (one's flying by in the pic below, though hard to see). I've never seen so many before; spói are an order of magnitude more common in Iceland, but the jaðrakanar near me outnumber the spóar this year.
Tamarack tolerates marshy ground (the Icelandic name, mýrarlerki, literally means "marsh larch"), but only "tolerate" - they still prefer better drained ground. But in this area, if you dig a hole in the ground, you're left with a hole full of water. I started taking to just planting them on the surface and piling up mucky dirt around them.
The cottongrass was at a really pretty stage, still transitioning from flowers to cottony seed heads.
I would have taken more pictures today, but my hands were constantly covered in mud; I could only take pictures on the way back in with each new load of trees. Probably planted about 80 trees yesterday and maybe 35 today.
It was almost creepy digging holes in the marshiest places above the landslide, as every time I struck the ground with my postholer, I could feel the ground around me shake. It was as if the upper layer of grass-entwined muck was half floating, merely netted together by the marsh plants. Indeed, for an extreme case, there are places in Iceland that have entirely free-floating grass "islands", like Kattarauga ("Cat's Eye"):
Thankfully, the least stable area in the landslide-marsh was highest up and relatively flat - not something prone to sliding unless the slopes down below them give. But obviously I really want to anchor both the top and the slopes-that-have-not-yet-slid!
Loading up on cottonwood, rowan, elm, a few birch and a handful of spruce. Rowans were planted most near the house site, blending into a row of cottonwood in a gentle, always-moist channel that cuts across half the land and heads toward the sheer cliff; I figure they'll grow into quite a windbreak there.
Ran into this little fluffball with dinosaur feet
The skies near the summer solstice are always beautiful
(back in town for the evening)Today I planted virtually all of the tamarack in the landslide-swamp, to try to anchor what hasn't yet slid. It was a slow process because, A) it's a swamp, but B) because they're in fairly sizeable pots, so I couldn't carry too many at once, and it took longer to get them in the ground.
The swamp was full of jaðrakan, a more colourful relative of the spói, with a call that sounds like a dog's squeaky toy (one's flying by in the pic below, though hard to see). I've never seen so many before; spói are an order of magnitude more common in Iceland, but the jaðrakanar near me outnumber the spóar this year.
Tamarack tolerates marshy ground (the Icelandic name, mýrarlerki, literally means "marsh larch"), but only "tolerate" - they still prefer better drained ground. But in this area, if you dig a hole in the ground, you're left with a hole full of water. I started taking to just planting them on the surface and piling up mucky dirt around them.
The cottongrass was at a really pretty stage, still transitioning from flowers to cottony seed heads.
I would have taken more pictures today, but my hands were constantly covered in mud; I could only take pictures on the way back in with each new load of trees. Probably planted about 80 trees yesterday and maybe 35 today.
It was almost creepy digging holes in the marshiest places above the landslide, as every time I struck the ground with my postholer, I could feel the ground around me shake. It was as if the upper layer of grass-entwined muck was half floating, merely netted together by the marsh plants. Indeed, for an extreme case, there are places in Iceland that have entirely free-floating grass "islands", like Kattarauga ("Cat's Eye"):
Thankfully, the least stable area in the landslide-marsh was highest up and relatively flat - not something prone to sliding unless the slopes down below them give. But obviously I really want to anchor both the top and the slopes-that-have-not-yet-slid!
Well, that's the best deal - 37 trays (a trailer's full), about 56 cents per tree. Not bad! They're from Flóra, the place with the grubs and worms, but this time I random sampled a lot of them, and didn't find a single grub or worm. Unlike last time, these ones were on plastic mats, which probably kept them safe.
The only thing about this deal with that it was an "Oops, All Willows!" sale All strandavíðir (Tea-Leaved Willow / Salix phylicifolia ´Strandir'). Okay, I got them to throw in a couple trays of other stuff, but overwhelmingly... just this one type!
On the upside... it's super-hardy and grows dense (dense enough that you can even prune it into hedges). Its main weakness is that sheep adore to eat it, but hopefully that threat is behind!
Into the pen it all goes! Glad I made the pen this big - I could store a whole additional trailer's worth.
The only thing about this deal with that it was an "Oops, All Willows!" sale
All strandavíðir (Tea-Leaved Willow / Salix phylicifolia ´Strandir'). Okay, I got them to throw in a couple trays of other stuff, but overwhelmingly... just this one type!On the upside... it's super-hardy and grows dense (dense enough that you can even prune it into hedges). Its main weakness is that sheep adore to eat it, but hopefully that threat is behind!
Into the pen it all goes! Glad I made the pen this big - I could store a whole additional trailer's worth.
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Several days ago: I first drove on this newly paved section of road. Sure looks rather slick, I thought, but I pushed that aside, because surely they know what they're doing.
Two days ago: I thought I was getting a head start heading out early after work. Nope - road closed. Had to take a detour, where traffic was backed up for 10km deep into the countryside - which is utterly unheard of in Iceland.
Turns out that this pavement they'd just laid down had already caused a fatal accident, when a car driver lost control on the slick surface and crashed head-on into a mobile home, killing both its driver and passenger. Now the whole mess is under investigation.
Still, Autopilot took me to my land via the really pretty (albeit long) backroute through the countryside. I put on my rubber boots and decide to focus on planting the landslide zone, to try to anchor it once and for all.
Today I head back out to do the same again. The main road north is back open, but they're now doing construction to try to fix the slick surface as fast as they can. Traffic was way backed up, but Autopilot was a sanity-saver. Still, it took so long that by the time I got to my turnoff I was already feeling hungry and needed to use the restroom, so I stopped by Kaffi Kjós (a "short" 10 minute drive from my land) and got myself some apple cake with cream.
A lot of trees that I had planted in this area the past year were Sitka Spruce, which were particularly hard hit by the winter winds. There's about an even mix of those that died (like this):
... the heavily damaged, but recovering:
And those that only took minor damage:
Two days ago: I thought I was getting a head start heading out early after work. Nope - road closed. Had to take a detour, where traffic was backed up for 10km deep into the countryside - which is utterly unheard of in Iceland.
Turns out that this pavement they'd just laid down had already caused a fatal accident, when a car driver lost control on the slick surface and crashed head-on into a mobile home, killing both its driver and passenger. Now the whole mess is under investigation.
Still, Autopilot took me to my land via the really pretty (albeit long) backroute through the countryside. I put on my rubber boots and decide to focus on planting the landslide zone, to try to anchor it once and for all.
Today I head back out to do the same again. The main road north is back open, but they're now doing construction to try to fix the slick surface as fast as they can. Traffic was way backed up, but Autopilot was a sanity-saver. Still, it took so long that by the time I got to my turnoff I was already feeling hungry and needed to use the restroom, so I stopped by Kaffi Kjós (a "short" 10 minute drive from my land) and got myself some apple cake with cream.
A lot of trees that I had planted in this area the past year were Sitka Spruce, which were particularly hard hit by the winter winds. There's about an even mix of those that died (like this):
... the heavily damaged, but recovering:
And those that only took minor damage:
Particularly around the spruce, I plant low strandavíðir (tea-leaved willow v. "strandir", which makes a dense windbreak but maxes out at around 3m, to give the spruce some shelter as it grows. That said, I'm not always paying great attention; here I planted one willow, only to discover that I'd been sitting on another right next to it
I plant anywhere that's not outright swamp, including the barren scar of the landslide zone. This is another strandavíðir, but I discovered the other day that I actually got two entirely different types of willow - the tall ones weren't simply older strandavíðir, but rather, þorláksvíðir (a natural hybrid between tea-leaved willow and the taller (up to 7m) dark-leaved willow; the hybrid gets up to around 4m)
Arion ater. He was about three times as long before he scrunched up.
One more closeup before I toss the poor land-mollusk down the hill to keep him away from the willows
Both this jaðrakan and this spói would surely love to eat him.
I plant anywhere that's not outright swamp, including the barren scar of the landslide zone. This is another strandavíðir, but I discovered the other day that I actually got two entirely different types of willow - the tall ones weren't simply older strandavíðir, but rather, þorláksvíðir (a natural hybrid between tea-leaved willow and the taller (up to 7m) dark-leaved willow; the hybrid gets up to around 4m)
Arion ater. He was about three times as long before he scrunched up.
One more closeup before I toss the poor land-mollusk down the hill to keep him away from the willows
Both this jaðrakan and this spói would surely love to eat him.
Hi all - I just stopped by to post a couple updates Up until about a week ago, I've been planting up a storm - used up 80% or so of the willows and cottonwoods. The worst place was that I finally planted the high landslide-risk area with the "oubliettes" that just suddenly appear, hidden by grass, and the ground that keeps trying to slide down the hill under your feet. Man I hate being in that area... so dangerous. Glad I got it planted. Don't plan to go back for 5-10 years, until the trees have it well anchored.
As for the sheep... no successful invasions! Only two attempts on the unfenced part - I think for the most part they don't think it's usually worth bothering to cross the river when they can't really get anywhere good.
This western cliff oak was photographed about 2 1/2 weeks ago. At least half leaved out. Pretty good shape. Funny enough, the oak I'd been seeing the most, the one next to the shed which I thought was the most sheltered, has done the worst. The more I run into the other oaks around the land, the happier I am to see how they're doing.
But the oak at the bottom of the Willow Cliff is the one that makes me the happiest.
Look at that - fully leafed out! Looks better than when I planted it, even after having just spent its first harsh winter outdoors!
I guess this shows that I shouldn't be as worried about shade levels at the bottom of the canyon (light during our growing season is so abundant no matter where you are, really), and focus more potential shelter sources (like cliffs and ravines) and being near a constant water supply.
Haven't planted any new trees out there in about a week because I've been working on an experimental research garden in town. HUGE amount of physical work in prepping it, but I'm really hopeful we can show that we can significantly increase plant growth via use of geothermal wastewater and environmentally friendly sources of thermal insulation The project also introduced me to the country's foremost expert on outdoor fruit cultivation here, who's been providing us hardy cultivars of cherries, apples and plums. I really should pick some up for my land too at some point!
Up until about a week ago, I've been planting up a storm - used up 80% or so of the willows and cottonwoods. The worst place was that I finally planted the high landslide-risk area with the "oubliettes" that just suddenly appear, hidden by grass, and the ground that keeps trying to slide down the hill under your feet. Man I hate being in that area... so dangerous. Glad I got it planted. Don't plan to go back for 5-10 years, until the trees have it well anchored. As for the sheep... no successful invasions! Only two attempts on the unfenced part - I think for the most part they don't think it's usually worth bothering to cross the river when they can't really get anywhere good.
This western cliff oak was photographed about 2 1/2 weeks ago. At least half leaved out. Pretty good shape. Funny enough, the oak I'd been seeing the most, the one next to the shed which I thought was the most sheltered, has done the worst. The more I run into the other oaks around the land, the happier I am to see how they're doing.
But the oak at the bottom of the Willow Cliff is the one that makes me the happiest.
Look at that - fully leafed out! Looks better than when I planted it, even after having just spent its first harsh winter outdoors!
I guess this shows that I shouldn't be as worried about shade levels at the bottom of the canyon (light during our growing season is so abundant no matter where you are, really), and focus more potential shelter sources (like cliffs and ravines) and being near a constant water supply.
Haven't planted any new trees out there in about a week because I've been working on an experimental research garden in town. HUGE amount of physical work in prepping it, but I'm really hopeful we can show that we can significantly increase plant growth via use of geothermal wastewater and environmentally friendly sources of thermal insulation
The project also introduced me to the country's foremost expert on outdoor fruit cultivation here, who's been providing us hardy cultivars of cherries, apples and plums. I really should pick some up for my land too at some point!
