Fens on the Faroe Islands – Trap The Faroe Islands

Like white cotton balls, the woolly seed pods of the common cotton sedge (*Eriophorum angustifolium*) rise above a damp depression at Fuglafjørður on Eysturoy. The distinctive and easily recognisable sedge is a common plant in Faroese fens, where it grows together with, e.g., bog moss and various species of sedge as well as deer’s grass, purple moor grass and bog asphodel.
MARINE GASTINEAU/RITZAU SCANPIX, 2015

In addition to lakes and streams, the Faroese wetlands also include a number of fens. Together, they cover 18 km², which corresponds to 1.3 % of the Faroe Islands’ total area. The origin of the fens varies. Where old lakes have gradually been overgrown by bog moss, basin fens arise, while sloping fens, ‘tilrenningarmýrur’, are formed on mountain sides where the water cannot escape. In the valleys and lowlands, you can also find bogs.

Peat is often formed since plant residues and other organic material break down only slowly in the fens, although the layers are relatively thin. Throughout time, the peat has been cut and dried so that it could be used as fuel, and for centuries peat served as a valuable source of energy in Faroese households.

Today, there is renewed interest in the fens. Not because of peat extraction, but for their ability to bind carbon. This makes them a potential key element in the future climate policy.

Further reading