The Story of Forestry in Northern Ireland

Forests are important for a variety of reasons. They provide recreation and learning opportunities for people. They give shelter and absorb noise. They help to prevent erosion and conserve water supplies. They provide a range of habitat for our wildlife. They absorb carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen, counteracting some of the adverse environmental impacts associated with industrial activities. They produce timber for industry, providing a range of employment opportunities. Most importantly, they are a renewable resource.

Remember - every tree we grow ourselves results in less pressure on the remaining natural forest around the world.

After the last Ice Age, there was very little forest of any kind in Ireland other than dwarf birch and willow. It is thought that as the weather warmed, Scots Pine and Birch forests developed. Over the next thousands of years, the climate while warm became very much wetter. The Scots Pine forests gradually died out and broadleaved trees able to cope with the wetter soils became dominant. Pollen analysis has shown differing proportions of the various species at different periods, but Oak, Ash, Elm, Alder and Willow were all found. The Willow and Alder normally associated with wetter valley bottoms and swamp areas and the other species were located on the drier soils of slopes and hill tops. The climate changed once more, becoming colder again causing much of the forest area to die. This resulted in peat bogs developing, creating much of the landscape of open moorland present today.

Man also cleared large areas of forest as the 'hunter-gatherer' began to farm. Timber was used to build shelter and as fuel. From the Stone Age to Bronze Age to Iron Age, the amount of clearance dramatically increased. From about the 16th century, recorded history begins to tell the story of exports of timber from Ireland. Barrel staves for example were exported to England, Scotland, Holland, Spain, France and even the Canary Islands. It is recorded that in 1615, Ireland was sending 30 cargoes of staves annually to the Mediterranean. Iron ore was also being imported from England and Spain and large quantities of wood were used to fuel smelting works. Other uses of timber recorded were house-building, tanneries and ship-building.

As industry grew, so did the exploitation of much of our native woodland. The tree cover dwindled to as little as 2% by 1800. Towards the end of the 17th Century, some imported conifers were being used in house-building, as native resources became scarce. Some reforestation started to take place by private landowners, assisted by Government grants between 1800 and 1840. Norway Spruce, Beech and Sycamore were introduced from the continent and Scots Pine began to be re-introduced. This continued into the 19th century when, with the implementation of the 1880 Land Acts, the break up of the large estates resulted in further deforestation.

By 1900, woodlands only accounted for 1% of the land area in Ireland. The Government of the day realised that urgent action was necessary to reverse this trend.