Zoe Devlin reminds us that apart from their practical benefits, trees are creations of supreme elegance, of strength and endurance, throughout all the seasons
Can you imagine a world without trees – a part of our environment we often take for granted, barely noticing them, as they line the routes we take through our lives, almost becoming street furniture. But trees are our friends, performing many services to us, possibly the most important being the laundering of the air around us, drawing it in and absorbing carbon dioxide from it and in turn emitting oxygen – fresh air without which we couldn’t exist.
Early man could never have survived without trees either; his first building material for shelter came from trees; construction of farm implements, fences, boats, tools – all this was done using wood; it was burnt for cooking and for warmth and gradually more and more woodland was felled. Now, in these scary times of climate change, trees are seen as key players in the battle against its harmful effects, such as extreme heat, droughts, and floods. They mitigate the harmful effects of global warming by helping to regulate city temperatures; they slow the movement of rainwater thereby reducing flooding; they can lessen the risk of erosion and landslides while protecting and nourishing the soil.
Apart from the practical benefits, trees are surely creations of supreme elegance, of strength and endurance, throughout all the seasons. In autumn, they are perhaps at their most stunning, magnificent works of art, flaunting perfect masterpieces in gold, russet and orange; then, their foliage rustling, they wait for the gales to pluck the dried-out leaves from their branches. In winter, traceries of arm-like boughs stretch to the heavens while down beneath the earth’s frozen crust, roots are spreading, wider than the tree’s crown above, a gossamer of fungus communicating messages as the earth begins to warm, slowly, allowing the first stirrings of life elsewhere in the forest.
And then spring – gaudy, bright green spring, the fresh new leaves unfolding, measuring the days as the earth continues to tilt, day by day, towards the sun, its solar power soon clothing the world in a filigree of light and warmth. Sticky buds on chestnut branches begin to glisten and shine; within those buds are the glorious spikes of flowers we called ‘candles’ in our childhood, stately white spikes that morphed somehow into small mahogany-coloured globes for young boys to thread on string for the schoolyard game of conkers. Soon after spring come the first hints of summer, the trees beginning to play host to a myriad of nesting birds, insects and small mammals such as squirrels and pine martens.
Scots Pine
Our trees have an interesting history. From examination of pollen grains preserved in peat, scientists can tell that after the last Ice Age, Ireland was dominated for several thousand years by tundra-like vegetation, similar to that found in the Arctic, and then, as our planet began to warm up about 10,000 years ago, larger vegetation began its spread, initially with juniper, Scots pine, birch and hazel. Some 8,000 years ago, oak forests started to form along with ash, elm and yew. However, the gradual decline of those forests began to take place during the Neolithic period, about 3,000 years later with clearance by the first farmers for agriculture and by the Middle Ages, very little woodland remained. At the beginning of the 20th century, only about 1% of the country was covered in woodland and the State began a re-afforestation programme that continues today.¹
Now, Ireland’s forest cover stands at 11%, just one-third of the European average as, apart from Iceland, ours is the least wooded country in Europe. And when it comes to native trees, that figure drops to a little below 2% with our best known larger trees – oak, ash, alder, Scots pine and yew.
Once, forest covered 80% of Ireland but now, only a very small amount of those ancient woods remain. ‘Ancient woodland’ is a term that refers to a woodland that has grown continuously over several centuries – possibly as far back as the mid-1600s – and is thought to be of a natural origin. Certain plant species that are linked to this habitat are called ‘indicators’ and the more of these indicators that are found in one location, the more likely it is that the area has been in existence as a woodland, unchanged for over four-hundred years. Indicators of its ‘ancient’ status include ramsons – also known as wild garlic – a familiar plant whose pungent aroma signals its presence to those who walk in forests. And the tiny white flowers of barren strawberry growing beneath spring’s early canopy of foliage are further suggestions that they are growing in a forest that has been undisturbed for over four centuries.
Not all the trees in Ireland are natives – for instance one of the most widespread, the sycamore, came to our shores several hundred years ago but is now ‘more Irish than the Irish themselves’ and even a bit of a nuisance as it seeds itself quite freely and successfully. Beech trees first arrived on our island in the 1500s, shortly followed by a Mediterranean species, sweet chestnut, also known as Spanish chestnut. However, native trees not only capture more carbon from the atmosphere but they also give more to wildlife.
In pre-Christian times, the Brehon laws categorised trees by their importance. There were the ‘nobles of the wood’ (Airig Fedó) such as oak, ash and yew. Practical value was what united alder, rowan and birch in the ‘commoners of the wood’ (Aithig Fedó) category with elder and blackthorn coming into the third class – the ‘lower division of the woods’ (Fodhla Fedó). Bringing up the rear were the ‘bushes of the wood’ (Losa Fedó) – gorse, heather and wild rose. For damaging any of these trees, fines would be imposed, such as forfeiting of livestock.
Our ancestors often believed that their cherished trees were inhabited by spirits, for example the hawthorn or May tree. Our folklore tells us that this tree is sacred to fairies and bad luck will befall anyone who cuts down such a ‘fairy tree’ but it is also a tree that provides food and shelter, a home to nesting birds, nectar and pollen for pollinators from its gorgeous white flowers, and, after those flowers have faded, a larder full of red berries or ‘haws’ that feed not only birds but small mammals such as the wood mouse.
Hawthorn Tree
The elder tree has always been a source to humans for making wine and elderflower cordial and to feed birds in autumn, the deep purple-almost-black berries ready to be plucked and eaten, the droppings staining the ground beneath. However, in the National Folklore Collection², a wonderful compilation of received wisdom, our own human elders have passed down to us this piece of insight .. ‘The elder tree stinks to the present day because Judas hanged himself out of an elder tree.’
Holly has been traditionally regarded as a protection from lightning strikes and so was frequently planted near houses. Modern science has now confirmed that the spines can act as miniature lightning conductors, protecting the tree and other nearby objects. Holly trees have a clever way of protecting themselves from being damaged by sheep or deer. They bear very prickly leaves lower down where animals might be expected to try to eat them, whereas, further up, the leaves are without spines.
Woodland is a favourite habitat for many walkers who just want to feel Mother Nature’s arms around them – some call it ‘forest bathing’. There is nothing quite like a walk in deciduous woods in early May when bluebells are at their best – wonderful little stems like shepherds’ crooks with drooping, narrow, blue flowers carpeting the forest floor. And the scent is quite memorable too. My own favourite walking route is in the Vale of Clara, an area that has been at least partially under woodland since the Ice Age. If you’re lucky you might spot a woodpecker there; even hearing a drumming sound is enough to raise the heart-rate.
With the highest count of recreational forests, County Wicklow has a lot to offer. The Devil’s Glen, near Ashford, has a couple of waymarked walks where Scots pine and beech are much in evidence and a walk from Laragh to Glendalough along the old ‘green road’ is always a most pleasant ramble but if you want to see the most extensive remaining area of native forest in Ireland, go and see the magnificent oak woodlands in Killarney National Park.
While most of the trees on our island are less than 200 years old, there are just a few woods with trees over 400 years old, such as the amazing King Oak on the Charleville Estate in Tullamore, County Offaly. This particular tree is estimated to be between 400 and 800 years old with an enormous trunk and branches that stretch to almost 30 metres. Just imagine how much of our history this tree has lived through, and yet it is still hanging on for dear life, demonstrating the power of nature, in its own way.
The King Oak
Nature reserves are places that provide visitors with the opportunity to see and learn about woodland while enjoying the open air environment and getting a bit of exercise. The Knocksink Nature Reserve, close to Enniskerry in County Wicklow is an important one because of its many native species such as oak, holly, hazel and ash and the tracks all bear information panels. There are many such reserves throughout Ireland, all listed on to the website of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) ³. I can only recommend them as places where busy minds can slow down, taking time to draw in the richness of the natural environment, to appreciate what we have, growing around us, and cherishing it.
Identifying trees is not the easiest of pastimes but autumn is often a good time to start with fallen leaves easily picked off the ground for examination. Seeds are helpful too, such as the winged fruits from sycamore trees that we called ‘helicopters’ in our youth. Spring is probably best for identifying trees that have flowers and winter is surely the most difficult time except that sometimes the outline of a bare tree can help. The National Biodiversity Data Centre has an excellent and reasonably-priced swatch of ‘Trees and Shrubs’(4) It is small enough to fit in an anorak pocket and it shows shapes of leaves and buds as well as the outlines of 35 native trees/tree-like shrubs in Ireland. There are also summer and winter identification guides to help you identify the shapes of leaves and buds.
¹ Ireland’s Woodland heritage, A guide to Ireland’s Native Woodlands. NPWS.
² From the National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin. NFC 462:301. From Co Tipperary.
