We’re Bringing Back Iceland’s Forgotten Forests 

🙌 If you want to support projects by becoming a member you can learn all about it here: mossy.earth/ We really appreciate your support, it is what makes all our work possible :) - Cheers, Duarte

Hey! I'm a PhD student in the Agricultural University of Iceland researching the soil in birch woodlands and I wanted to thank you for this video and your work! Prioritizing native species like Betula pubescens is key for biodiversity here in Iceland. Let me know if you want a collaboration!

as a native Icelander I think that lupin is crucial when turning old rocky barren soil into it's former glory. I see it as a stepping stone for getting Iceland back it's forests.

My mom grew up in Iceland and I spent part of my childhood there, and we used to have a funny saying "If you ever get lost in an Icelandic forest, stand up." I honestly assumed the harsh climate was inhabitable for most trees but its awesome to be proven wrong and see the country return to its natural state. Great work and thank you!

i was born in colombia, i have no idea the amount of diversity that colombia has, until i recently start to photograph birds, i cry when i see your videos... because in colombia there is a lot of forest that dissapear daily... your videos inspire me... my life goal its to have a forest planted by my hands.... thank you

The fact that you prioritize native species of trees, instead of more carbon sucking trees, is something really beautiful. Keep up the good work!

Lupine does super well in barren, rocky volcanic soils. It’s super prevalent throughout the Western US. However, it’s very shade intolerant. So, Lupine will naturally die out as a closed-canopy forest forms.

I own just 1 hectare of land in Tuscany, which used to be pretty barren and overgrazed. Since the grazing animals have gone, in a few years the land is covered in young oak trees. I have an army of planters who cost me nothing: the jays! They bury the acorns as a store for the winter. Those they overlook come up as oak seedlings.

Wow. Seeing all those tree seedlings in that polytunnel was incredible. I adore trees. Living in the UK where nature is really struggling I enjoy knowing about other nations doing better.

My father was in the Fifth Infantry Division in WWII and a few months after Pearl Harbor they were sent to replace a British garrison defending Iceland. Before they left my father was told there was a girl behind every tree there. He was pretty disappointed when he got off the troopship and looked around.

The Lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus) is invasive in Sweden too, and there are talks about possibly banning it, because it outcompetes native plants. The Swedish EPA is recommending that people don't plant it in their gardens, but that is about it. You see it alot along the roads here.

To create a forest on barren soil you'll need to plant more than just trees. Creating small pockets or islands of vegetation between the trees is essential to bind the soil and help create a forest floor. Start out by creating compost beds of seaweed. Harvest some greenery from the lupins, add straw and other compostable materials. Sow wildflower seed. I'd also suggest you plant trees in the fields of lupins.

Use a planting tube not a spade; it is much less consuming to your back. In Finland all the plants are planted with tubes.

I am Icelandic, born and raised. I am a geology major at the university and personally like the lupine but it has its place. A lot of native low growth plants are hurting as a result, especially those that like sandy soil like the lupine.

Lupin is a good soil amender and a good nursing plant for any trees (with perhaps a bit of help to ensure trees are getting enough light). When a forest grows the lupin will diminish. They will probably always be around and that’s not too bad.

There has been lots of concern about the loss of Iceland's forests over many years. Hope your efforts to restore some of those forests are successful.

Thank you for doing this for my country. I love trees and I think more forests in Iceland is very important.

I remember hearing that the Lupine was spread via a small airplane where they flew over desert/sandy areas and threw the seeds along the land. It is very widespread in Iceland and yes spreads very quickly. I don't advocate getting rid of Lupine since it does improve soil quality which in the long run will benefit Iceland even if it's a type of weed in a way. I'm apart of the reforesting program of the Northwest region of Iceland where we plant birch mainly and take care of the forests we have planted. It makes me very happy to see Mossy earth helping Iceland with the progress of reforesting. If anyone want's to drop question's below i'll answer to the best of my ability!

I visited Iceland last fall, and was struck by how treeless it was, on my day drive north to Ólafsvík. Yes, Iceland would be just as beautiful with a lot more trees. Maybe even more beautiful in some places. There's only so much lichen one can look at ;).

regarding lupin: In New Zealand a noxious plant gorse actually helps the regrowth of native forest( in areas where it has been removed yet with seeds remaining in the ground) Lupin is also seen as such an incubator plant.

It’s so good to see something encouraging about nature. Thank you.

When I was at the Lions Clubs International convention, the incoming international president put up a goal of planting 1 Million trees. We all took this on board and over the year planted over 20 million trees! Great work mate and best wishes for your project.

Planting the native birch, rowan, aspen and willow amongst the lupine would be a good tactic. One would have to provide just enough space around the saplings to prevent the lupine from over-shading them and even perhaps add some fertilizer to give them a good head-start. Once the saplings grow tall enough, they would be out of the shade of any lupines, and they would still receive the benefit of the surrounding lupines' enriching the soil and fixing nitrogen into it.

I was stationed in Iceland back in the 70's, and flew as a crew member on helicopters. I also did alot of field training, and hiking out in the mountains. Iceland is an awesome country, but yes, the only thing missing are the trees. There needs to be a reforesting which would turn Iceland into even more of a beautiful wonderland. I just saw a video of how there was a ground plant introduced to Iceland called the Lupine flower, that is spreading and rejuvenating the soil for other plants and trees. Very exciting to hear about what is happening there.

I appreciate all the work you guys do

The bird is a common snipe, I've heard them aswell when I was in Iceland. The sound is produced by the shape of the tail feathers in combination with the shallow dive and the birds spreading them. Great work. Keep it going. As for the Lupines, I guess they can help with building soil. I'm not sure if they would grow in a forest, so maybe planting some taller trees there would be a good option.

Because you focus on native species and you asked about the Lupine I think you should know about Leymus arenarius (or Melgresi in Icelandic). Here I quote from the book Icelandic Flora (Flóra Íslands): "Leymus arenarius is by far the best icelandic soil reclamation plant and the only one who works against unrestrained sand deflation and exactly because of this the governmental revegetation program has from the beginning been based in big part on this hardy and powerful plant". You can see it growing on the sandy beach at 1:06 in the video (if that's not it's non native lookalike Leymus Mollis). It's true that it's not as pretty as Lupine but it was harvested here in Iceland as a wild and healthy grain from the 12th to the 19th century and for this it has been called The Icelandic Corn. Just wanted you to at least know about it if you didn't already. And of course thank you very much for what you're doing! And btw, is there an easy way to volunteer to help you plant all these trees next summer?

I planted trees in BC, Canada for 10 years in late 70s early 80s. Wish we had ground like that. We called it cream.

In my area in Finland, there has been a callout to get rid of Lupine at sight, because it is invasive. You cant sell or plant Lupine anymore, in the entirety of the country. But, alot of people think they are so beautiful so not a lot of people really get rid of them.

Since the Lupin is so abundant I think that keeping the Lupin there would be a good idea, it improves the soil, keeps it from degrading as fast and adds organic matter to the top soil. Although it may be good to remove it if starts to drown out native plants. It could easily be removed once the trees and undergrowth start to become more abundant

Good luck to all of you in reforesting. It is horrible what others have done around the world to deforest. The Amazon is one of the largest examples. There are great examples in Israel and other desert areas as to how they have accomplished the same.

Fascinating. I visited Iceland 45 years ago - a month-long backpacking trip all around the country. We vividly remember that we only saw a few trees in the area of Hvolsvollur in the south and in Reykjavik. I just traveled to Hvolsvollur on Google Earth and it doesn't look like there are more trees than there were back then! At the time I simply thought the climate and soil weren't conducive to tree growth but of course we have since learned that early settlers were very efficient foresters, to the point of forest eradication, even in Iceland. I won't donate but I wish you Good luck!

I really love the fact that you're planting different types of trees in the area plus they are native. I suggest that after the trees become sapling or adult, you should start sprinkle some native flowers here and there and remove the Lupin. (My country doesn't have those invasive Lupins so I cannot answer the question....😊)

I'm an environmental consultant located in Wisconsin of the United states. My company is focusing on ecological restoration and we run into the lupine problem as well. The plant has become somewhat of a local cultural identity. It is a nitrogen fixer, however, it offers very little other ecological value as it is not the host for any pollinators and the flowers are marginal for pollen. We try and get rid of it where landowners are open and get native flower species back on the landscape. I would try capitalizing on the soil stabilization and amendments they are giving now and eventually try shading them out. Kill off pockets of the lupin and plant within those areas banking on the trees to use the site and eventually win out. Just a thought.

im from iceland and i just wanna say thank you so much for the work you are doing! this will be amazing to go visit in 20ish years

Lupin in Iceland story is so interesting to read about, and I am personally interested how they interact with the local ecosystem as land restoration continues.

I love everything you guys do ! At first i was skeptical and probably still am a little because of all the scams, false projects and simply bad projects floating around lately ... Hope to see the progression !

Such beautiful work! I'm going to visit Iceland in August and I can't wait!

You are doing a great job! we truly need more people like you in this world 🌎

You should keep the lupin there until the forest grows a decent amount. That way you get all the benifits but you still don't keep an invasive species outcompeting local ones.

you could use that inavasive plant to restore the degrated soil and then remove . maybe that way you could plant trees easier with a higher quality soil

Ive been to iceland and was very confused as to why there was absolutely zero trees anywhere outside of Reykjavik. It was honestly strange when you showed what old iceland forests looked like because when compared to what I saw it looks almost fake. keep up your good work I hope there are beautiful forests in iceland again and future visitors are able to see the natural wildlife of iceland

You are doing an incredibly important work thank you so much! I have a personal connection to Spain because I have been there many times and I love the country and its great variaty of landscapes. I always thought, that all Spain needed was to plant millions of trees to stop the desertification there. Do you have plans do to something in Spain? Or could you imagine to start a planting project there?

I wish you would shed some light on the long-term plans for this forest. It is one thing to plant thousands of trees, but another one to keep them growing (with respect to water, the competition with other plants, deer and other animals eating small trees etc.). The same applies to your other projects. They all seem really cool, but I'd love to see some details on the long-term management of it. And I think it would also be interesting for all the viewers :) (additionally, this is one of the main reasons I'm not yet convinced to support you financially)

I volunteered with the Icelandic environmental agency for a couple of months last summer and spend a few days removing lupin. in my opinion they should definitely get rid of it. yes it does stabilise the soil, but it spreads incredibly rapidly and threatens rare habitats. it also distracts people from what the real problem is: overgrazing.

Lupine is native here on the Kenai Peninsula in Southcentral Alaska. It is hardy and beautiful. Also, our snipes make a similar whirring with their wings. Our snipes fly in huge circles way up high often too far to see but you can hear their circular paths clearly. Hearing them in the evenings is a sure sign of spring here.

I love that you are working on this project! I remember hearing about this. Keep up the great work from BC Canada!

We have Lupen in Oregon here too and I'd say keep it around since it improves the soil quality. If you want to work on it down the road, you can but for now it helps with the deserted land areas.. just a thought.

the amount of information given while being as enertaining as possible is great, I love the work you guys are doing. don't stop!!.

You are doing a noble work and may success attend every effort of yours.Any person who assists Mother Earth assists in the preservation of righteousness.

I love this channel. Every time I get a notification for a new video I inevitably look for older videos that I haven't seen yet. Your content makes me feel good and gives me the hope to keep moving forward. Thank you so much!

Thank you for an inspiring video. I am excited to see how it turns out. I was a forester for 32yrs. Just a suggestion for soils that are really compromised: If you can get a little forest debris such as rotting wood/leaves, soil, and put a small amount in with the seedling it might help the tree survive and then thrive. As you know, the tree does not take things from the soil, fungus/bacteria/algae around the roots process the resources for the tree to extract them. The tree provides an environment for them, a perfect symbiotic relationship. Keep up the good work!

Lupins are possibly the most deceptive invasive plant I know of. In my home province Newfoundland, Canada, lupins have out-competed many native plants, reducing their number and range greatly. But most people just see a pretty flower 😆 Looking forward to the Lupin Video!

What a great guy. Thanks for all your hard work!

Great job guys 👍 It's great to see NGO that does some actual work to help nature, not spreading climate alarmism and propaganda without any solution. Planting native trees is a great way forward 👍. I personally believe that deforestation, desertification and poor water management play the major role in climate change and decline of species. I visited Iceland 🇮🇸 in the past and loved it, but I can see the island would benefit from some natural habitat restoration. I like how you describe the burren parts as dessert, which it really is. As regards lupine, I remember the plant from my work & travel holidays in Yellowstone National Park, where it was omnipresent. Even an employee dormitory was called Lupine. I think lupine, as most leguminous plants, is capable of fixating air nitrogen and thus improving and fertilizing the soil. I wouldn’t worry much about it not being native. Lupine is surely better than dessert.

You are probably already aware of this, but aspin trees have the advantage of spreading through root sprouts so that one tree can become a grove.

This is fascinating, I did a whole architectural project on this during my time at uni and its great to see someone with a similar mind put those plans into action!

Thank you 🙏🏻 Duarte, especially for your positive attitude and kindness for the environment and the life that is supported by it!! You have the most amazing 🤩 smile and you glow differently from most people. It must feel so rewarding to do so much good 👍🏻 in the world 🌎!! Cheer’s! Sarah

I think it really important that reforst projects care first about recreating the old environment first, great job;

It’s crazy how we can witness what happened hundreds, possibly thousands of years ago in Sahara but in another hemisphere. Desertification is dangerous yet very fascinating.

The Lupine topic is indeed a very interesting one, on one hand it's an invasive species but on the other it improves the soil of a now slowly degrading area. So the Lupine could aid in creating new forests since the majoity of forests (espacially older forests) want/need a developed soil. As long as the Lupine does not drown out existing/upcoming (important) native plants, it should not be necassary to remove them. However if a forests is already coming along nicely and the undergrowth still exists of a majority of Lupine it would be valueable to decrease the number of indivuals of that species to open up living and breathing space for more native species. Another attribute of the Lupine which is not really talked about is that it is now holding water in the soil where otherwise the soil would dry out and desertification would probably take place. Wether we want it or not the Lupine (at this moment) is definetly granting us with positive side effects. It all comes down to sustainability, if the local ecosystem can thrive with the Lupine present than that would be a welcome outcome, yet if Lupine is holding back the natural ecosystem and succesion rates then it would become a matter to decrease the Lupine population. Which also provides a new question of the severity of this particular operation.

I visited a forest on the outskirts of Reykjavík when I visited. It was so beautiful to have some think greenery, and I only hope that when I next visit Iceland, a big impact has been made!

Super Glad you are working so Hard to bring back the Forests on Iceland! I visited there in 2003 to Film for my Surfing Documentary European Surf Journal streaming on Amazon Prime Video. But I was So Amazed and Humbled by the Fantastic landscapes and people. Thanks so much for all the Hard work rewilding Iceland 🇮🇸..

Excellent work for mother earth... May God bless you... Save nature, Save environment

You might consider improving the bare inorganic soil with an annual grass like rye. Rye does well in a cool humid climate, tolerates poor soils, and doesn't propagate itself well since its a domesticated plant. Also, people have grown it for centuries in Iceland as a crop. Trees planted into a dead sod of rye would likely have a much better survival rate, since the rye would provide some soil structure and some organic matter to hold moisture. A better pioneer might be a mix of rye or oats with field peas, which would add nitrogen as well as more biomass. Oats and field peas are also domesticated plants grown in Iceland for centuries without becoming invasive. If you are concerned, you can always mow or scythe these plants before they set seed. I recommend you do some experimental plots to figure out the most successful method of reforesting this bare land. You can put a lot of time, money and effort into planting trees only to have minimal survival. A year or more spent improving the soil (actually, establishing some soil) could really pay off in survival of the tree seedlings. Icelandic foresters and farmers would have a lot of practical knowledge that could help you. Consider studying bare land that is being naturally colonized by native plants. You might want to sow these plants on your bare plots and plant trees only after these pioneers are established and have created some soil. There's a natural progression of succession in any ecosystem from bare soil to grasses and forbs that tolerate dry and nutrient deficient soils through grasslands and then trees. This is a slower process, but a more effective one than going out every year to replant tree seedlings most of which die. I hope this advice helps. In my younger days I planted tens of thousands of tree seedlings in eastern Ontario mostly on thin sandy soils over shallow to exposed bed rock. Often the difference between 90% survival and 99% mortality was how much rain there was during the week after planting. Establishing a successful stand of trees is more complicated than it seems.

Wouldn't a shelter belt of hedges make a more resilient pioneer? As for the lupin, if it's not crowding out anything native, doesn't seem like a problem. This looks like volunteer ground cover to me

It's really sad every time i hear how areas got to the shape they're in because of mankind. I really applaud your actions and initiatives. Can't believe how these world wide projects ran by such good people do not get more attention on tv, radio, social media. I wouldn't mind if land regeneration became the latest global fad. Edit: To the question of the purple, invasive plant... maybe let nature do its thing after you guys planted the trees ? Good luck !

I am a volunteer planting trees for a charity Heart of England Forest in the UK. I look around and think where's everyone else? We need to do this all around the world. Great work. I also protest with XR to try and save the forest I'm planting from destruction from climate change. I also have a job and family. Busy saving the world

I love how informative these videos are and the complete transparency from member to org. Great work! We can easily tell that your intentions are true and good!

I think that letting the Lupin spread onto the greatly depleted areas, and letting it enrich the soil, could help prepare the land for native species. It should be carefully managed, so that it doesn't choke out the native species, but letting it be there in a managed capacity could be a really good way to help the environment recover.

Hi! I might be a bit late commenting on this, but I wanted to let you know that I totally support letting lupin to spread. Lupin is a fantastic plant for nitrogen fixation of the soil, and it is protein-rich edible legume that will play a crucial role in the sustainable protein transition.

I am a member😊😊👍🏼👍🏼 Hope to see Iceland reforested! Denmark needs it too. Worse deforestation than in Iceland, actually.

Really glad to hear that you focus on native trees rather than just picking some random quick growing tree that is not native to the land.

Really excited by this! The few bits of forest that we saw there were such a cool insight into what large areas of the land could be, they felt so much more alive

Thank you for the highly important work you do and for sharing it here on RU-vid as it will help inspire many others to do similarly!

God bless you. 🌳 🌴 🌲 🎄 🎋 🌳 🌴 🌲 🎄

I can't explain how much I love you're making all this effort and it makes me feel more hope for the future than anything!

The earth needs more trees. Keep it up 👍🌲🌳🌴

8:12 in Finnish those birds are called "Taivaanvuohi" or "Sky goat". I've always heard that the noise is actually caused by the tail feathers, and the reason they do it is to attract a mate. :) Also keep up the good work! Planting trees is not only important to prevent desertification and other environmental damage, but it is also very relaxing. I've personally planted a few hundred in my lifetime, mostly in economic forests where trees were cut down for lumber and needed replanting, but also a few in a protected forest to be left there to grow.

Hey great work! Concerning the lupins. Here in New Zealand gorse was introduced by European immigrants. It flourished better than in the British Isles and came to be regarded as a pest. Over the years much money was spent trying tocontrol it. Eventully it was found to be a great shelter plant for regenerating native plants. Thenative trees and plants eventually overcome the gorse. Perhaps the same could happen with the lupins being shelter plants for regenerating Icelandic native plants Tom Campbell

The bird that made the rapidly undulating sound every time it was descending is a snipe. Well done on your planting project. We have similar citizen-funded projects here in Ireland.

I became a member a few days ago after seeing your 2 videos about flooding forest. I've since binged your video's and I'm amazed at how much you achieve with limited means, and can only imagine what you could do with a lot more members. I'm at 3 times minimum right now, and I'm aiming to increase this as my income grows. Keep up the amazing work! Let's rewild this planet!

I would suggest to keep the lupin for now, because of it qualities to improve the soil. When there is a forest and no need for soil improvement anymore, you could get rid of the lupin. Suggest in your advantage.

As a biologist I would say: keep the invasive specious. It helps increase the biodiversity which is essential for building soil. If you want to heal a land from eroding soil, you need plants which builds soil and keep it there. These plants may not hold as much soil as trees do, but they bind alot of carbon which will fertilize the land and build soil over time. Iceland is also a harsh climate. Let the plant stay and see if it survives and thrives over time.

this is what i think humans are here for. to give back and be the protectors of natural environments. we all can make a difference in our daily lives. this project is awesome. thanks

I'm looking forward to seeing the progress in 5 and 10 years from now.

It’s great to see the old growth forest as the vision for our project. I look forward to the day I can wander through it!

There is no reason to not subscribe your channel. Once again you did a great job for the Mother Nature❤ there is no enough possibilitys to donate something or to be their with you😌. But I promise I will try my best at my place ❤

Wow! I am sharing this with a lot of people. Thank you for your dream and your energy to make it come true. Best of luck in your journey

I love to hear that you will plant more trees in Iceland !!! Keep up the good work !!!

I love what you guys are doing!! Keep it up!!!

u guys are amazing- no like really! i always get teary eyed watching ur videos, keep up with the great work

Build a trench along the line of where the flowers are to slow down the spreading, and heavily plant plants and saplings that will feed and keep your beautiful, native birds there.

You are all doing great work, excited to subscribe

Allow the lupines to grow. "Invasives" are nature's way of rebalancing a damaged ecosystem. It's no accident that they are improving the soil, which will eventually support native trees again. As the trees grow, they will shade out the lupines and allow native understory plants to thrive. Sending you positive vibes in your rewilding efforts! 👍

Wow, these landscapes in Iceland are amazing! Let's cover them up with trees!

I just joined your cause donating a little each month. I hope it helps this important work. 🌎 ❤ we’ve got to love our mother. You’re all amazing. Good luck to you from USA. 🍀 🌳🕊️

This sounds like a great project. Keep going!

The passion you approach your projects with can really be seen and felt through your videos. Keep up the good work

I have planted around 50 000 trees. It used to be my summer job at times.