NATO military exercises which took place in Þjórsárdalur valley in South Iceland over the weekend caused minimal damage to vegetation and reforestation efforts, the Icelandic Forestry Service found. Peace activists and environmentalists had feared the exercises, which took place in an area where the Forestry Service has been reclaiming topsoil and birch forests, had caused extensive damage.
Military exercises without environmental damage
According to initial reports it was feared the 3-400 troops who were exercising cold climate deployment, including the setting up of a tent camp, had caused extensive damage. Thousands of birch trees have been planted in the area where the exercises took place. The National Broadcasting Service reports that the Forestry Service found only a handful of trees had been destroyed, while branches had been damaged or broken on a few dozen more.
See also: Photos: Peace activists and US troops meet during military exercises in S. Iceland
Prior to the exercise NATO had pledged that it would cause minimal damage to nature and all effort would be made to minimize its impact. The Defense Office of the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs has promised to repair the damage and plant new trees to replace those damaged over the weekend.
Beating back desertification
The Forestry Service has been working to reclaim the birch forests of Þjórsárdalur valley in recent decades. The area, which was one of Iceland's most prosperous farming regions at the time of the Viking settlement, was devastated by numerous eruptions in the nearby volcano Hekla, as well as deforestation by humans which caused topsoil loss. By the early 20th century the forests of Þjórsárdalur had been almost completely lost, allowing the barren deserts of the Central Highlands to extend far down into the valley.
Read more: Archaeological find in Þjórsárdalur: Viking Age farm destroyed by 1104 Hekla eruption
A recently archeological find at a previously unknown site in the area where the exercises took place reminds us that the area was once an important ant thriving farming region.
NATO military exercises which took place in Þjórsárdalur valley in South Iceland over the weekend caused minimal damage to vegetation and reforestation efforts, the Icelandic Forestry Service found. Peace activists and environmentalists had feared the exercises, which took place in an area where the Forestry Service has been reclaiming topsoil and birch forests, had caused extensive damage.
Military exercises without environmental damage
According to initial reports it was feared the 3-400 troops who were exercising cold climate deployment, including the setting up of a tent camp, had caused extensive damage. Thousands of birch trees have been planted in the area where the exercises took place. The National Broadcasting Service reports that the Forestry Service found only a handful of trees had been destroyed, while branches had been damaged or broken on a few dozen more.
See also: Photos: Peace activists and US troops meet during military exercises in S. Iceland
Prior to the exercise NATO had pledged that it would cause minimal damage to nature and all effort would be made to minimize its impact. The Defense Office of the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs has promised to repair the damage and plant new trees to replace those damaged over the weekend.
Beating back desertification
The Forestry Service has been working to reclaim the birch forests of Þjórsárdalur valley in recent decades. The area, which was one of Iceland's most prosperous farming regions at the time of the Viking settlement, was devastated by numerous eruptions in the nearby volcano Hekla, as well as deforestation by humans which caused topsoil loss. By the early 20th century the forests of Þjórsárdalur had been almost completely lost, allowing the barren deserts of the Central Highlands to extend far down into the valley.
Read more: Archaeological find in Þjórsárdalur: Viking Age farm destroyed by 1104 Hekla eruption
A recently archeological find at a previously unknown site in the area where the exercises took place reminds us that the area was once an important ant thriving farming region.
