WHY ARE THERE SO FEW TREES IN IRELAND?

An Irish landscape with beautiful trees

What shall we do for timber?
The last of the woods is cut down.

(Kilcash-18th century poem)

Only 6% of Irish land is forested, by far the lowest in the EU where the average is 25%.

Thousands of years ago, Ireland was covered in trees, up to 75% of them Oak. The early farmers concentrated on breeding cattle when they discovered how well grass grew compared to other crops. This meant clearing a great deal of land.

The thorough destruction of Irish woods began in the sixteenth century. Some were cut down by English settlers, and more by the English armies, because the woods were an obstacle to their movement around Ireland, and gave Irish rebels a hiding place.

More information: Tree Council of Ireland

When Ireland got independence in 1921, only 1% of the land was tree-covered. In recent years, the government has planted the faster-growing non-native species of tree -fir, pine…- some of which grow four times faster than in their native Scandinavia. By 1996, Ireland should be self-sufficient in soft woods. The old native hardwood trees are rarely seen but the government now gives generous grants to landowners to plant them.

An organisation called Oak Glen is creating a new oak wood not far from Dublin. You can have an oak tree planted in your own, or anyone else’s.

Source: Why do the Irish? by Fiana Griffin

In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. 

Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful. 

Alice Walker