Ireland is now the most treeless land in Europe

Ask people who have visited Ireland what they remember about the country and you will invariably hear how green it is. Which is surprising, considering that Ireland is now the most treeless land in Europe. Ireland’s native forests were effectively wiped out during a four-century orgy, wiping off the face of the earth the trees that had first emerged after the last great ice age 10,000 years ago. When the last glaciers retreated from Ireland, the first trees to grow back were cold tolerant ones: birch, willow and juniper. Less cold tolerant species followed. Broadleaf forests of oak, elm, alder, and ash covered the lowlands. Native pines (such as Scots pine) grew in the highlands and on the poorer soils of the west. There was so much growth that when the first farmers began cultivating the land between five and six thousand years ago, Ireland was covered in broad leaves and evergreens. Ireland’s economy under the Celts was that of forests. This great resource was the provider of raw materials, medicines, weapons, tools, charcoal, food (in the form of berries, nuts, mushrooms, fruits, wild animals, insects and larvae), as well as the basis of spirituality and wisdom. . No other country has so many place names connected to the forest.

As many as 40,000 still exist, which, without the woods and forests, mean little to anyone who doesn’t know the local history. There are many surnames associated with native broadleaf trees (McIvor is Son of Yew, McCarthy is Son of Rowan, McColl is Son of Hazel, among many others). The original Gaelic alphabet for the Old Irish language comes from the native trees of Ireland: alim (elm), beith (birch), coll (hazelnut), dair (oak). When the Romans conquered most of Great Britain, Ireland was said to have two-thirds of mixed hardwood forests. Despite the rise of agriculture and the practices of invading tribes, Gerald of Wales, a Norman who came to Ireland as part of Henry II’s warmongering entourage in the late 12th century, described Ireland in 1185 as a country of “ many forests and marshes. ” and “here and there some beautiful plains, but compared to the forests they are really small.” Sweeney (from the 12th century history Buile Suibhne) refers to oak, hazelnut, alder, blackthorn, blackthorn, watercress, saxifrage, apple tree, rowan, bramble, ivy, holly, ash, birch, and aspen. It wasn’t until the 17th century that beech and chestnut trees were introduced to the Irish wooded landscape.

A few generations later, the rich forests of Ireland disappeared. Ireland’s original farmers had begun destruction, clearing forests for cultivation, and this practice was continued by subsistence farmers. The depletion continued as people used wood as a source of fuel and building material. Then the English colonizers began to cut down the forests to deny Irish hiding places in the first battles for land. In the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries the forests were cut down to provide wood for British ships that would plunder and exploit other lands and other people. Since then, the nature of Irish agriculture and politics caused further damage. Ireland, however, is still a forest country. Conditions are perfect for tree growth. Sadly, this has led to the planting of fir, which grows three times faster in Ireland than in the rest of Europe. Wood products are the EU’s largest import after oil. Ireland is only nine percent forested, while the European average is 31 percent.

But there is hope. An Irish company called Rooted in Ireland has started reforesting parts of Ireland, starting in Armagh. Each tree they plant can be bought as a gift for someone else, and a portion of the purchase price goes to REACT, a charity dedicated to peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. A project like this has a huge social, environmental and economic impact on the Irish landscape and will hopefully allow future generations to enjoy Ireland as it should be.

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