Trees and Hydropower

Góðan daginn!
Another week has passed! I can’t believe how fast time is traveling! This week was a very eventful week!  Monday was spent in class all day, and on Tuesday we had Icelandic class and workshops in the afternoon.  This week I worked in the community garden picking potatoes for four hours.  It was a long time to sit in the cold and pick potatoes, but we made the most of it and had a good time, and I know we helped out the community a lot in doing so.  On Wednesday morning we left for Hekla Forest for a packed week of learning.  On Wednesday we made our way to the Búrfell Hydropower Station on the Thjórsá River. 

 The station was built in 1967 and has a capacity of 270 MW.  It is one in a series of dams along the river.  I was surprised to learn that this one station produces enough energy for all of Iceland, however most of the energy doesn’t go to the grid.  Only 10% of the energy goes to the grid, and 90% goes to manufacturers elsewhere.  What is even more amazing is that they have enough energy already, however they are planning on building even more plants so that they can ship their energy to Europe through a underwater cable.  Understandably people in Iceland don’t want the plants here because it goes to the manufacturers, but the plant workers argue that if they didn’t use their energy, the manufacturers would go elsewhere and use coal or oil produced energy instead of this green energy.  It is definitely a tricky situation.  Icelanders are hoping to transition to more geothermal and wind power instead of building more hydropower stations. 

Later that day we had the opportunity to visit a Viking longhouse!  The original longhouse was buried in the 1104 eruption of Hekla, but through excavating the original site they have been able to determine what the house looked like and built a replica.  It was beautiful and a very different way from living than what we have today.  They would build fires inside their houses for light and cooking, however the houses had no windows or chimneys so the houses would often become quite smoky.  It was neat to get to see the simplicity of the rooms and way of living.  We then finished our drive to some cabins where we stayed for a few nights.  Our hosts were soooo good to us!  I don’t think we stopped eating while we were there.  They were great!

On Thursday it rained and snowed and there were super strong winds all day, but we worked outside all day!  We learned more about Hekla forest and the work they are doing in the area.  Most of the area is very bare and covered in ash from Hekla.  It is extremely prone to wind erosion, therefore there are no plants in the area although the area used to be forested land.  The Hekla Forest Project is working to reforest these areas with birch and willows, both known pioneer species of Iceland.  From planting trees they can gain permanent protection from the wind, restoration of birch forest, carbon accumulation in forests, improved groundwater status and water protection, and more wildlife and vegetation.  To this day they have planted about 1.8 million trees, and this is a long term project which will last 40-60 years.  In the morning we helped by collecting seeds from birch trees in the area, and in the afternoon our guide took us out and showed us the progression of the land in the area from barren to grass covered to forested.  We then were sent out in the wind and rain to plant our seeds.  I am not sure how effective it was, but our guide insures us that the trees will eventually grow.  The trees aren’t big, but definitely make a difference on the land.

Friday we went to a soil museum to learn more about the soil conservation projects happening in Iceland.  It was a great museum, and we learned more about the Hekla Forest Project and the different types of grasses being used to stabilize the soils, lyme-grass being the primary one.  Iceland’s land in this area is really being transformed and it’s great to see.  We talked to some of our guides about their fears of future eruptions on the area, and they said they aren’t afraid.  They are reestablishing and reforesting such a large area around Mount Hekla, that when it erupts it will only cause damage to a small part of the land which, if the project works as it should, will be resistant to the ash and continue to grow regardless.  It would be great to see the land in years to come as more and more of it continues to be forested. 

We have definitely started talking about some very big and important subjects this week, and I am excited to learn more!  This week we are going to Reykjavik!! While there we are going to have the chance to visit an electric company and talk to a geologist about Iceland!  We also get to go shopping which is always fun! 

Bless bless!!