An important feature of Iceland is the very limited occurrence of trees. During the colonization, parts of the country near the coast were forested, but these forests were largely cut down. Moreover, the settlers allowed cattle to graze in the grasslands. This led to a process of erosion and desertification that is very difficult to reverse. Because of the strong winds and the presence of volcanic ash, sand storms have been occurring since the forests were cut down. Because of the climate, the trees grow slowly. It is not so much the low temperature, there are places with forests where it freezes much harder (the Taiga, for example), but the limited periods of growth where there is no frost. Even late in spring frosts occur due to the changing weather. The Norwegian settlers, accustomed to the robust soils of their homeland, worked the fertile Icelandic soil in exactly the same way as they were accustomed to in Norway. Once the volcanic ash was exposed, it was blown away by the wind, restoring the vegetation too slowly to prevent this from happening. As a result, large parts of Iceland have turned into eroded lunar landscapes where nothing grows anymore.
Tilly Meijer , versatility and craftsmanship in photography. Like so many, Tilly Meijer started with photography as a hobby. Nature and especially animals are his favourite subjects, but her work is more versatile and testifies to a broad interest: from industrial photography to wedding photography, from.. Read more…