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.

  Location on map

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
M.Sc. in Forestry, Ph.D. student

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

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

Elís Björgvin Hreiðarsson
Building maintainance and outdoor environment

E-mail: elis@skogur.is
Mobile phone: +354 612 1866

 

 

Halldór Sverrisson
Ph.D. in Biology

Employed since: 2003
E-mail: halldors@skogur.is
Mobile phone: +354 694 3722

Research fields:

• Forest and tree diseases and beneficial microorganisms
• Provenance and species trials

Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir
B.sc. in Forestry

Employed since: 2014
E-mail: johanna@skogur.is
Mobile phone: +354 892 2240

Function: Research assistant

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

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