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  3. "How do you get out of an Icelandic forest? You stand up." During five days spent in Iceland this fall, I heard locals tell this

"How do you get out of an Icelandic forest? You stand up." During five days spent in Iceland this fall, I heard locals tell this

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问题     "How do you get out of an Icelandic forest? You stand up." During five days spent in Iceland this fall, I heard locals tell this joke several times. The remark once made sense; Iceland was until recently a tree-deprived land, hosting instead an abundance of beautiful wide-open expanses, covered in volcanic rocks, glaciers and some grasses and shrubs. And while it still remains largely that way, trees and woodlands have been steadily returning the past several decades, and an Icelandic forestry industry is beginning to take root. That’s due in large part to a warming climate, which is helping many new types of trees grow here. Over the past 20 years, average temperatures have increased by almost 2 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, trees are growing faster and new varieties are now found here that couldn’t survive before.
    Adalsteinn Sigurgeirsson, head of research for the Icelandic forest service, has heard the joke thousands of times. The forest research center where he works is on the slopes of Mount Esja, a short drive outside of Reykjavik. On the way, we pass stands of black cottonwood on roadsides, coppices (矮林) of birch and conifers (针叶树) dotting hillsides. "When I was a kid we had much fewer trees—it was common knowledge that trees couldn’t grow in Reykjavik, and couldn’t grow in Iceland, " he says. "And now look!"
    Once at the center, we venture into the nearby woods, where trees tower several stories above us.
    Sigurgeirsson explains that woodlands have many benefits in Iceland: they provide for more biodiversity, create opportunities for recreational activities and reduce soil erosion. Newly planted forests have attracted colonies of goldcrests (Europe’s smallest bird), woodcocks and long-eared owls to the area. These are all ecologically important species that add to the island’s animal diversity, without being invasive and displacing native animals. Woodlands also provide places for Icelanders and tourists to enjoy nature; one recently planted woods called Heidmork near the city now hosts 600000 visitors per year.
    Trees also help prevent soil erosion, which has ravaged Iceland for decades. One study suggested that if Iceland’s rivers were forested, it would limit erosion and improve water quality enough that local populations of salmon would increase five-fold.
    Long ago, before Vikings settled this North Atlantic isle in the ninth century, birch forests covered as much as 40 percent of the land. Unfortunately, the Vikings logged or burned most of the trees down within a few centuries. Then, as is common with volcanic soils with little vegetation, much of the land became eroded and barren, says SveinnRunolfsson, director of the country’s Soil Conservation Service. That helps explain why nearly a third of the country is now considered a "moist desert"—there is enough rain to support plants and trees, but the sandy black soil cannot provide adequate support for roots, and some needed nutrients were leached away long ago.
    By the early 20th century, there were virtually no woodlands left in Iceland. But now, trees are coming back. Woodlands now cover 1. 5 percent of the country, and 3. 2 million trees were planted last year. Most of these trees were planted by farmers or landowners on private land. They’ve been largely funded by the government, which is spending to create forestry jobs, and to reap the rewards of benefits like erosion reduction, Sigurgeirsson says. This rash of planting began in 1990, and since then, more than 107 million tree seedlings have been put in the ground.
What was the main reason for the disappearance of forests in Iceland?
选项 A、The Vikings’ destroying.
B、The eruption of volcanoes.
C、Not enough rainfall.
D、The increase of farmland.
答案A
解析
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