Rev David White from the EcoCFO Committee sent ECI this report:
Eco CFO, the Environment Committee of the Church of Ireland Diocese of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory, held a Conference ‘Tree Care and Renewal’ on Saturday 23 March in Kilkenny College.
Donal Magner, Forestry Editor, The Irish Farmers’ Journal, encouraged us to think about what creating a wood culture might be like and highlighted the spiritual, aesthetic, ecological, economic benefits of trees. Beginning with the Ice Age we were brought on a journey through the Brehon Laws, the impact of Vikings and the Tudors to the more recent history of forestry in Ireland.
With the start of modern forestry in 1904, Ireland began to grapple with the thorny issue of appropriate species selection which continues to the present day. This is reflected, in part, in that Ireland is a net exporter of conifers (softwoods) but a net importer of broadleaves (hardwoods). Planting policies are changing however with the aim to plant more diverse species – conifers and broadleaves. Broadleaf planting increased from 5% of total planting last century to 30% from 2000 to 2012 until Ash dieback disease. Overall though twenty million annual visits demonstrate that the lure of the forest is still strong especially for a people who feel the need more than ever to communicate with Nature.
Eileen Woodbyrne from Teagasc at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin pointed out that a well-chosen, correctly planted and well-maintained tree has the potential to make an enormous environmental and aesthetic contribution for our generation and those who will follow us. Benefits of trees, risk from trees, legal situation for landowners, recognising signs of hazard in trees, knowing when to take action and appropriate species selection were just some of the areas covered in her comprehensive presentation.
When it comes to appropriate species selection it is important to consider native species which are trees that arrived in Ireland without human assistance. These have co-evolved with other native flora and fauna so have far more biodiversity value. Typically, they look more ‘natural’ in the landscape, particularly in rural areas. As well as choosing native species, it’s often recommended that we look for trees with local provenance – e.g. grown from locally collected seed. However, she also pointed out that planting non-native species also has merit. We have a limited range of natives, so non-natives provide more variety and planting lots of different species gives better resilience when pests/diseases threaten. Sometimes our natives are not the best choices in urban areas for various reasons. And as climate changes, we might be better to plant species that are used to the climate we’re likely to see in the future. Reminding us that the best time to plant a tree is 25 years ago but that the next best time is National Tree Week which runs from March 31st to 7th April. She also encouraged us to look at the Tree Council website for more practical information.
The Anglican Consultative Council’s fifth Mark of Mission is: To Strive to Safeguard the Integrity of Creation, and Sustain and Renew the Life of the Earth. Climate change, irresponsible use of natural resources, pollution, loss of biodiversity are just some of the challenges facing the natural world. But if we really believe that Creation is a gift and a responsibility, offered to humanity as a means to deepen our relationship within the mystery of God, then this must be seen in how we treat trees, which after all, we have received as part of our inherited heritage. Echoing this intrinsic connectedness with trees Donal Magner drew on Colum Cille’s ‘An Exile’s Dream’:
The sounds of the winds in the elms
making music for us.
And the startled cry of the pleasant grey blackbird
when she has clapped her wings.