Our nations self destruction

Johnboner

So we have no forests left as 95% of them were cut down to make barrels for guiness as a result we have destroyed animals habitat and have no beautiful forests anymore, grand job... No excuses as even highly populated countries in terms of density such as Germany have a huge amount of forests. Good job for destroying our nature, you just see fields of nothing now everywhere with barely any fauna left.

Junkyard Tom

I've got wood.

worded

I thought the game said

just see fields of nothing now everywhere with BARLEY any fauna left.

NIMAN

They are planting forests again where I live.

Forests are over-rated anyway.

Only thing I know, is that I could kill a pint of Guinness now.

JupiterKid

It's true that Ireland is one of the least forested countries in Europe. But it's gone from 1% forest cover in 1910 to over 14% today. Problem is that most of these forests are evergreen with very little diversity in terms of habitat.

We need more deciduous broadleaf forest in Ireland. But we're getting there.

Graces7

JupiterKid wrote: »

It's true that Ireland is one of the least forested countries in Europe. But it's gone from 1% forest cover in 1910 to over 14% today. Problem is that most of these forests are evergreen with very little diversity in terms of habitat.

We need more deciduous broadleaf forest in Ireland. But we're getting there.

So each let us go plant a few trees...Will do here.. better light a candle that rail at the darkness..

mansize

I don't like flora

its like eating bad margarine

Planted forests are horrific. Just a mesh of branches that are impossible to walk through, support little wildlife so are almost silent, and a carpet of needles that take ages to break down, silting up streams. They are like a dead zone. On the other hand, one deciduous tree can be a thing of beauty, you don't even need a forest, a sycamore in a field.

Graces7

Deleted User wrote: »

Planted forests are horrific. Just a mesh of branches that are impossible to walk through, support little wildlife so are almost silent, and a carpet of needles that take ages to break down, silting up streams. They are like a dead zone. On the other hand, one deciduous tree can be a thing of beauty, you don't even need a forest, a sycamore in a field.

When I had pet lambs I would take them to the nearby forestry plantation and they would go wild in there. racing about and loving it. And the cones burn well..any tree is better than no tree

Noddyholder

I cant see my forest because of the trees.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

No point planting trees if all we plant is conifers. They have blighted this country.

However, the biodiversity of a country isn't measured by trees. We have a rich mix of grassland, bogs etc in this country.


And of course the OP know we did not destroy our woodland for Guinness barrels. Such rubbish!

fepper

Conifers really have the only commercial value for some kind of return for landowner when clearfelling so in most cases hardwood/deciduous trees are literally for the birds only,landowners / farmers cant be expected to grow trees for no return at the moment!!

Mr. CooL ICE

I'm always told that I'm a few trees short of a forest. I never knew what it meant.

Melodeon

Exactly!
Softwoods/conifers are the only option for landowners that will give a commercial financial return within a reasonable timeframe.
Vast native deciduous forests would indeed be lovely, but no one (either the state or private landowners) is going to invest the time or finances into acquiring the required land and waiting several centuries for it to develop and mature.

volchitsa

Johnboner wrote: »

So we have no forests left as 95% of them were cut down to make barrels for guiness as a result we have destroyed animals habitat and have no beautiful forests anymore, grand job... No excuses as even highly populated countries in terms of density such as Germany have a huge amount of forests. Good job for destroying our nature, you just see fields of nothing now everywhere with barely any fauna left.

True that Ireland has a problem with a lack of forested areas (and rows of commercial conifers all planted in deadly straight lines don't really count, they don't provide an environment for animals or for other plants)

But where does the idea that they were all cut down for Guinness barrels come from? That's a myth, surely?

JustAThought

Melodeon wrote: »

Exactly!
Softwoods/conifers are the only option for landowners that will give a commercial financial return within a reasonable timeframe.
Vast native deciduous forests would indeed be lovely, but no one (either the state or private landowners) is going to invest the time or finances into acquiring the required land and waiting several centuries for it to develop and mature.

Was only reading the other day about an 'incentive' to Irish landowners to plant natuve Irish trees in their land - the annual payment per acre (!) seemed extraordinarily low but there were big incentives in tax liabilities & inheritance tax. Someone is thinking ahead in revenue - thank God.

There is a great organisation that plants native woodlands - I think it might be the native woodlands trust - after they secure permission to plant or get a 'site' from the Government they grow & plant indigenous Irish native tree species to grow into forests/woods & act as a habitat for wildlife - amazing people.

OP you could volunteer & help - they are always looking for people & I hear the digs are great.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

volchitsa wrote: »

But where does the idea that they were all cut down for Guinness barrels come from? That's a myth, surely?

It's not even a myth. The OP just made it up.

SEPT 23 1989

Nice try hippy

Come back to us when you have some real data

Barrels ffs

biko

Low forest rate does not equal nation's destruction.
But please, hysteria on...

Melodeon

Interestingly, the first oak barrels made from Irish oak in over a century have recently been produced for Irish Whiskey:
http://irishwhiskey.com/dair-ghaelach-irish-whiskey-aged-in-irish-oak/

130 year old trees, and the timber had to be exported to Spain to be made into casks as the craft of coopering has long since died out here in ireland.

seamus

volchitsa wrote: »

But where does the idea that they were all cut down for Guinness barrels come from? That's a myth, surely?

It's an anti-Irish slur spread by the governments of the 1800s to hide the fact that deforestation was the result of decades of UK governments sucking the Island dry of natural resources like they did in Africa and India.

No, it was those drunken Irish and their insatiable appeitite for stout.

Oops69

volchitsa wrote: »

True that Ireland has a problem with a lack of forested areas (and rows of commercial conifers all planted in deadly straight lines don't really count, they don't provide an environment for animals or for other plants)

But where does the idea that they were all cut down for Guinness barrels come from? That's a myth, surely?

its either that myth or the one about all the oak being cut down for the fleet of the British admiralty , in truth it was all deforested to grow crops, Mostly , then for grazing and later on to grow potatoes , Iceland should be covered in conifers as well and its a wasteland , and the interior of Australia is the same for the same reasons and not just because 'its really hot '

tabby aspreme

William Grant distillery in Tullamore are advertising for apprentice coopers at the moment.
The govt fund the planting of 10;000 acres if forestry annually , the rates of funding favour deciduous trees, plus you would have the replanting of clear felled forestry on top of that, the majority of which would be coniferous planting, the biggest threat to deciduous trees at the moment is ash dieback disease.

Oops69

one would think there'd be a scramble to plant trees at the moment , what with the market up north From the DUP wood- buring Stoves for the next twenty years and London paying for it.

alchemist33

fepper wrote: »

Conifers really have the only commercial value for some kind of return for landowner when clearfelling so in most cases hardwood/deciduous trees are literally for the birds only,landowners / farmers cant be expected to grow trees for no return at the moment!!

Hurleys, that's what we need. A hundred hurleys for every household in Ireland so Ash-growing will be financially viable. We could fund this with the money we're not spending on a monorail in Nenagh.

ToddyDoody

Johnboner wrote: »

So we have no forests left as 95% of them were cut down to make barrels for guiness as a result we have destroyed animals habitat and have no beautiful forests anymore, grand job... No excuses as even highly populated countries in terms of density such as Germany have a huge amount of forests. Good job for destroying our nature, you just see fields of nothing now everywhere with barely any fauna left.

What brought this on?

How's your Millennium tree doing?

archer22

Johnboner wrote: »

So we have no forests left as 95% of them were cut down to make barrels for guiness as a result we have destroyed animals habitat and have no beautiful forests anymore, grand job... No excuses as even highly populated countries in terms of density such as Germany have a huge amount of forests. Good job for destroying our nature, you just see fields of nothing now everywhere with barely any fauna left.

It would be a great help if the few remaining hedgerows were left develop naturally.
But sadly most of them are so cut and flail beaten that if a sparrow sought shelter in them on a winter's night he would be frozen to death by morning.

Your Face

The OP wants to reintroduce previously native fauna like wolves and bears.

What could possibly go wrong?

Dr Crayfish

Have we no natural forests at all left? Would the likes of the Dublin mountains etc have been covered in trees or just the same as they are now? When you fly over Ireland you can see it's just a patchwork of farms. I am one to go on about saving natural habitats around the world but when we look at our own back yard I've not much of a leg to stand on. I would imagine most of our wilderness was destroyed to create farm land.
Incidentally I did see a badger on Tuesday night for the first time ever, just beside St Anne's park. Really amazing looking thing, has a really cool walk and looks stocky and tough. I'd say he'd take on two foxes at once no problem.

Dr Crayfish

Your Face wrote: »

The OP wants to reintroduce previously native fauna like wolves and bears.

What could possibly go wrong?

Unfortunately Ireland is too small to accommodate wolves but "rewilding" can work wonders for an environment.

http://blog.ted.com/video-how-wolves-can-alter-the-course-of-rivers/

Above, everyone's favourite Green crusader George Monbiot discusses how putting wolves in an environment ultimately changed the course of rivers and led to cco-equilibrium.

archer22

Dr Crayfish wrote: »

Have we no natural forests at all left? Would the likes of the Dublin mountains etc have been covered in trees or just the same as they are now? When you fly over Ireland you can see it's just a patchwork of farms. I am one to go on about saving natural habitats around the world but when we look at our own back yard I've not much of a leg to stand on. I would imagine most of our wilderness was destroyed to create farm land.
Incidentally I did see a badger on Tuesday night for the first time ever, just beside St Anne's park. Really amazing looking thing, has a really cool walk and looks stocky and tough. I'd say he'd take on two foxes at once no problem.

Ironically some of the native woodlands were destroyed to to make way for commercial forest.That happened in the huge glen that's behind my home here.

Totally agree with you about Badgers, an absolutely beautiful and fascinating animal.
Also the European Badger is a very docile and peaceful creature..(when left alone).Nothing at all like his African cousin the Honey Badger