Icelandic Forest Research
Icelandic Forest Research, located at Mógilsá in the vicinity of Reykjavík, is the research division of the Icelandic Forest Service. Applied forest research on silviculture, growth and yield as well as choice of forest reproductive material has been the main emphasis of the division since its establishment in 1967. These areas of research are still important. However forest ecology and management have become increasingly important fields of study with a wide range of topics, including carbon and nutrient cycles, solving establishment problems in afforestation on derelict land, insect pests and pathogens and the effects of afforestation on plant and animal communities. Forest inventory has also increased in importance, not the least due to the need for knowledge about carbon stocks and sequestration. Other recent research topics include climatic mapping, vegetation history and social aspects of forestry.
For the majority of research projects, emphasis is placed on applied research for the purpose of advancing sustainable forest management planning and practice in Iceland.
Visiting address and telephones
Icelandic Forest Research
Mógilsá
162 Reykjavik, Iceland
Switchboard: +354 470 2000
Director: Edda S. Oddsdóttir Ph.D.
Staff at the Icelandic Forest Research
Arnór Snorrason
M.Sc. in Forestry
Employed since 1997
E-mail: arnor@skogur.is
Mobile phone: +354 894 145
Research fields:
- Deputy Director of the Icelandic Forest Research
- Research on growth and growth potential of tree species used in forestry in Iceland
- Icelandic Forest Inventory: National inventories on woodland and forests in Iceland (distribution, carbon-stock, biomass, and wood volume of forests)
Bjarki Þ. Kjartansson
B.Sc. in Geography, M.Sc. student
Employed since: 2002
E-mail: bjarki@skogur.is
Mobile phone: +354 862 9961
Research fields:
- Research on growth and growth potential of tree species used in forestry in Iceland.
Brynjar Skúlason
Ph.D. in Forest Genetics
Employed since: 2012
E-mail: brynjar@skogur.is
Mobile phone: +354 899 8755
Research fields:
- Forest genetics
- Tree breeding
Björn Traustason
M.Sc. in Geography
Employed since: 2007
E-mail: bjorn@skogur.is
Mobile phone: +354 863 5169
Research fields:
- Geographical Information Systems – Data capture, consulting and teaching.
- Cartography – Thematic mapping for other scientists
- Remote sensing – Experiments on RS and Icelandic forests
- Icelandic Forest Inventory
Brynja Hrafnkelsdóttir
Ph.D. in Forestry
Employed since: 2005
E-mail: brynja@skogur.is
Mobile phone: +354 867 9574
Research fields:
- Forest ecology
- Forest entomology
Edda S. Oddsdóttir
Ph.D. in Biology
Director of Icelandic Forest Research
Employed since: 1997. Director since 2016
E-mail: edda@skogur.is
Mobile phone: +354 892 4503
Research fields:
- Director of Icelandic Forest Research, Mógilsá
- Soil biology
- Ecology
- Forest entomology
Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir
B.sc. in Forestry
Employed since: 2014
E-mail: johanna@skogur.is
Mobile phone: +354 892 2240
Research fields:
- Afforestation and forest reproductive material
Ólafur Eggertsson
Ph.D. in Quaternary Geology
Employed since: 2000
E-mail: olie@skogur.is
Mobile phone: +354 690 4724
Research fields:
- Palaeoecology
- Dendrochronology
- Wood anatomy and wood properties
Ólafur St. Arnarsson
BS in physics
Employed since 2019
E-mail: olstar@skogur.is
Mobile phone: +354 822 2599
Field of expertise:
- Database management systems
- Data processing systems
- Forecasting methods and techniques
Rakel Jónsdóttir
M.Sc. in Forestry, Ph.D. Student
Employed since 2008
E-mail: rakel@skogur.is
Mobile phone +354 844 5548
Research fields:
- Plant health
- Forest seedling quality
- Root research
Þorbergur H. Jónsson
B.Sc. in forestry
Employed since: 2006
E-mail: thorbergur@skogur.is
Mobile phone: +354 661 9431
Research fields:
- Salt problem and salt tolerance of tree species in Iceland
- Ecology and growth of the Icelandic native Betula sp. forests
- Silviculture and forest management
- Forest economy and Forest operations