Lack Of Trees In Irish And British Countrysides

[mothed out]

People love quite simplified myth-like stories, and if they can be connected to a famous historical event all the better, because they provide an easily shared reference point. You can almost hear all the tellings and re-tellings in that one, that someone said to someone, or that they remember from childhood, and so on.

[JXStern]

All else being equal, if they cut down every large tree in Ireland for the task (and I doubt they'd need so many), one presumes the smaller trees would have grown to replace them within fifty years, so something more of an explanation would seem called for.

For example farming and firewood, especially as the population grew into the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

J.

[Si]

[SNIPSI]

You need to get out more Billy, you're not Irish I take it?

Si

"Bog snorkler extraordinaire"

[Si]

It was the unwanted introduction of Pinus sylvestris in the 17th century in NI that was responsible for all the woes up there.

Si

"Bog snorkler extraordinaire"

[Culchie Aspirant]

I see that as an admission of defeat.

[Culchie Aspirant]

No, you're an ignorant ignorant man...fortunately that fact alone does not mean that we're doomed...

"The large-scale building of wooden sailing ships by European (coastal) naval owners since the 15th century for exploration, colonization, slave and other trade on the high seas and (often related) naval warfare (the failed invasion of England by the Spanish Armada in 1559 and the battle of Lepanto 1577 are early cases of huge waste of prime timber; each of Nelson's Royal navy war ships at Trafalgar had required 6000 mature oaks) and piracy meant that whole woody regions were over-harvested, as in Spain, where this contributed to the paradoxical weakening of the domestic economy since Columbus' discovery of America made the colonial activities (plundering, mining, cattle, plantations, trade ...) predominant.

Tell me Falcon, since you're such a clever bastard, where do you think the 162,000* Oaks that Nelson used to make his fleet came from?

• For the mathematically challenged i.e. Falcon, (27 x 6000 = 162,000)

Furthermore, to nail the point home to all my critics in SCI, on this matter:

I note from

"Djouce Mountain, along with most of the island of Ireland, was systematically clear-felled during the 17th and 18th centuries, in order to obtain wood mainly for shipbuilding.[1]"

"Initially, deforestation was practiced by local farmers in order to clear land for crops, but later Ireland was systematically deforested in order to obtain wood for shipbuilding."

[1] set, match.

Nik

[Des Higgins]

That is Cruithinology of the worst kind. Pinus sylvestris was common in Ireland in prehistoric times as judged by the huge amounts that are found underneath bogs all over (most bog oak) and Pine pollen in peat deposits. So the plantations of Ulster can be justified on the grounds of re-establishing rightful inhabitants.

[Hal Ó Mearadhaigh.]

Nobody said the forests weren't depleted for the building of ships. But where does it say that the largest offender was the British? The Irish built ships as well I am sure. England had vast forests of Oak planted specifically for building navy ships. Your articles all state quite clearly that the whole of Europe was involved, your own quote:

""The large-scale building of wooden sailing ships by European

So, who is contradicting themselves now, eh? Warrenson!

[Salahoona]

Aye. All the trees on Easter Island were destroyed by God.

Vanity will kill us all

[Salahoona]

PS. I think I said that I used Spartium Juncium or Spanish Broom together with Tree lupin as a wind brake. I do but to make it clear - where the combo faces storms, the Broom is in front, backed by a very sturdy fence with the Lupin behind the fence. Elsewhere, the fence isn't needed. The combination is so effective that in some parts it is calm even in a gale. Tree Lupin lives for about five years only +/-

Donal

[Falcon]

No idea, Einstein, but wherever it was that would be around 500 - 700 acres of woodland. Sounds vast until the 'scientist' in you cuts in and realises that the New Forest alone covers roughly 76,000 acres of woodland and plantations. So much for "the Spanish Armada" deforesting a country the size of Spain.

[Boliath]

This is worth the 45 minutes I've spent poking around in SCI and another one where Cat put some Irish men in their place (again).

Thanks for the laughs folks, hope you're all well, am keeping busy with the wee boys. I believe I will have some downtime in 2015 so keep an eye out for me then.

Bo xx

[Billy]

Please join me in the Republican toast.