Over 85 foreign tree species have been introduced to Iceland, the most common and triumphant to flourish include the sitka spruce ( Picea sitchensis), black cottonwood ( Populus trichocarpa) and lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta). That is not to say that there are no trees in Iceland! In recent years, considerable efforts have been made to recultivate woodlands with a significant degree of success. This process only took approximately 300-years and since then, Iceland has suffered desertification as well as issues with soil erosion, leaving the barren treeless geography that characterises most of Iceland today. Mass deforestation occurred as the early Icelanders needed materials to build their ships, homes and fires to keep them warm. It is estimated that before the arrival of the Viking colonists over 1000-years ago, 40% of Iceland was wooded. See also: Wildlife & Animals in Iceland.This wasn't always the case we know from the written sources of the early settlers that the country was 'forested from mountain to shore'. This joke rests on the fact that there are very few trees in Iceland and the ones that make it, are quite small. The old joke goes like this: 'What do you do if you find yourself lost in an Icelandic forest?. It is not within the scope of this article to discuss all of the plants in Iceland, instead what follows will be a summary of some of the most iconic flora in the Icelandic psyche and scenery. There might not be many trees in Iceland, but including fungi and lichen, there are between 5000-6000 known plant species fighting for survival in this challenging environment.

Wild thyme flower