PRESENT
: OUR FORESTS TODAY
Ireland's
woodlands have been severely affected by centuries of clearance
and exploitation and at present woodlands represent only 9% of
the Irish landscape. Forests are very important in Ireland in
Ireland today for a number of reasons, including the wealth of
wildlife they support. Carefully planted and managed forests increase
the biodiversity of our countryside, creating a huge range of
habitats for wild fauna and flora. The move towards species diversification
and broadleaves in Irish forestry should promote wildlife even
further.
WOODLAND
BIRDS AND ANIMALS
Many
woodland creatures are shy or nocturnal, coming out only at night.
The woods may seem empty when you visit them but if you are silent
and listen carefully, you may hear the calls of the birds or see
the tracks of animals.
Woodland
birds include the owl, sparrow hawk, treecreeper, wood warbler,
woodcock, crossbill and jay. The jay, - a member of the crow family -
is a large, noisy, grey bird with pink and blue colouration,
and has recently been found in parts of the west of Ireland where
it was absent heretofore.
The
most common woodland owl is the long-eared owl. This has bright
orange eyes, an orangy face and long tufts on its head. The treecreeper
hops up tree trunks using its long, thin bill to catch insects.
The woodcock is coloured different shades of brown that make very
good camouflage. The wood warbler, a rare bird, is bright green
and yellow and sings tseep-tseep followed by a trill.
The
beak of the crossbill is crossed to allow it to eat the seeds of
conifers. The sparrow hawk is a bird of prey that swoops down
to catch wood pigeons and other small creatures.
Red
squirrels, badgers, hedgehogs, pine martens, shrews and bats are
all woodland animals.
Is
the bat an animal or a bird? Although it flies, it is really a
mammal, that is, it suckles its young. Dracula films have given
bats a bad name but they are small, delicate creatures that sleep
upside down in sheltered areas and rarely interact with people
directly.
The
red squirrel and the pine marten are expert tree climbers. The
red squirrel lives almost entirely in the trees. The pine marten
is the only hunter that can catch a squirrel in the treetops.
Badgers
live underground in setts that they dig out with their big paws.
Everyone knows the hedgehog rolls into a ball and sticks out its
spines when scared. Be careful how you touch it! Shrews look like
tiny mice with long noses but they belong to a separate species
of insect eaters and are Irelands' smallest mammals.
THE
IMPORTANCE OF FORESTS IN IRELAND TODAY
Forests
provide the basis for a wide range of enterprises, recreation
and woodland related products. These include game management and
hunting, camping, chalets and other forms of holiday accommodation,
traditional woodcrafts such as coppicing and hand-turning, foliage
collection for the horticultural market, and Christmas tree farming.
Fast growing species such as willow are even being planted as
biomass to produce gas for heating. Meanwhile, foliage from the
Irish yew is particularly rich in a chemical, which is used to
fight cancer.
Ireland's
forests provide us with a place to recreate and to enjoy nature
in a wooded setting. They create the basis for a huge range of
recreational activities, from simple picnics and afternoon strolls
for the family to more specialised uses such as orienteering,
horse-riding and paint-ball 'combat' games. In fact, forests are
probably Ireland's most widely used recreational resource. In
1996, almost 8 million forest visits were clocked up by Irish
residents alone! On the tourist front, roughly one third of our
foreign visitors call into a forest park during their stay in
Ireland.
On
a 'deeper' level, trees and woodlands form an important part of
Ireland's rich natural, historical and cultural heritage, which
stretches back to Celtic times and far beyond. We need look no
further than Irish people and place names, many of which are derived
from the Irish word for different types of trees, to realise just
how much they are part of our everyday life. Planting new forests,
particularly forests which emulate Ireland's natural woodland
cover, helps us rediscover our 'tree culture', which almost disappeared
with the exploitation and clearance of Ireland's woodlands down
through the centuries. The Peoples Millennium Forest's project
addresses this very issue. This project will show that this generation
cared about our natural heritage. Future generations will look
back to the year 2000 as the year when a positive statement was
acted upon, signifying the development and rehabilitation of our
native woodlands for the benefit of us all.
During
photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide and convert much of
it into cellulose, the building block of wood. By doing this,
forests soak up huge volumes of atmospheric pollution and lock
it up for many years, until the wood decays or is burnt. This
process is called carbon sinking. Approximately 30% of all carbon
dioxide produced by cars and factories in Europe is absorbed by
European forests, with Ireland's forests doing their own fair
share.
Properly
designed and managed forests enhance the visual appeal of our
countryside. With careful consideration, forests can be 'blended
in' to appear as a natural element of the landscape, reminding
us of a time when most of Ireland's land area was covered by trees.
Farm forestry in particular can have a major impact, creating
an attractive mosaic of fields, hedgerows and woodlands which
does much to beautify the countryside for everyone. Of course,
landscape considerations not only apply to the planting of a new
forest, but also during operations such as thinning and harvesting
which can dramatically alter the appearance of the forest and
its impact on the surrounding landscape. The emphasis on proper
landscape design has increased in recent years, and the whole
area is now subject to a series of guidelines set out by the Forest
Service.
The
planting and management of all forests must adhere to strict Forest
Service guidelines on, for example, the treatment of nearby streams
and rivers, to ensure that damage to existing habitats is avoided.
Planting new broadleaf forests from locally collected seed also
preserves the genetic diversity of Ireland's remaining areas of
native woodland, providing us with a direct line to a time when
most of the country was covered with trees. Many of the woodlands
in the Peoples Millennium Forest's project are of considerable
conservation value and the management plans for these incorporate
best ecological practise. What we learn from managing these woodlands
will be used in future conservation management areas thereby restoring
them and enhancing biodiversity in our native woodlands to the
best of our ability. There is much to learn as we implement these
management plans as there is relatively little 'hard' information
on Ireland's native woodlands.
Recent
years have seen a growing emphasis on the multi-benefit aspects
of forestry which extend beyond timber to include biodiversity,
recreation and aesthetics. Partly because of this, species diversification
and broadleaf planting are being promoted more and more. Planting
more forests, particularly broadleaf forests, creates our own
supply of hardwood timber. This reduces Ireland's dependency on
the importation of hardwoods from tropical rainforests and other
natural forests around the world, many of which are exploited
without any regard for their long-term survival. The Peoples Millennium
Forest's project is a vehicle to promote native hardwood species
such as oak, ash, birch and alder, which may focus attention on
our native timber resources for the benefit of future generations.
Forests
aren't limited to the countryside. Every town and city has its
very own urban forest, made up of all the trees and woodlands
throughout the urban area. Expanding the urban forest through
additional planting increases the huge range of environmental
and social benefits 'produced' by trees in the urban area, from
the improvement of air quality to providing urban dwellers daily
contact with the natural world and the changing seasons. These
benefits enhance the very quality of urban life and help to make
our towns and cities healthy, sustainable and enjoyable places
to live, work and play.
