Скачать или смотреть How do you grow trees in a treeless land?

The stark and austere landscape of Iceland is iconic and one of the most noticeable traits is a lack of trees. The Icelandic ecosystem is classified as one of the most degraded in Europe, having experienced one of the worst cases of deforestation in the world.

When viking settlers first arrived in Iceland, the land was covered in birch forest. But after hundreds of years of sheep-grazing, soil erosion and eruptions, Iceland was left with just 0.5% forest cover and a big problem: how do you grow trees in one of Europe’s largest deserts?

Gabrielle Lawrence heads to the remote corners of south Iceland to meet Samson Harðarson and Hrefna Jensdóttir from Iceland’s Land and Forest Service working on an ambitious project, to grow trees in a treeless land.