Date/Time
Date(s) - 11 December 2019
8:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Location
Tubber Village Hall
Categories
Scots pine in the Burren – has it always been there?
with Fraser Mitchell & Bernard Carey
Scots pine was one of the first trees to arrive in the Burren after the last glaciation. It dominated for a while and although it subsequently declined it appears to have hung on in most locations until about 2,000 years ago. This history of Scots pine in the Burren is consistent with other parts of Ireland where this tree species is considered to have gone extinct. Scots pine has been widely planted over the last 300 years and once again makes an important contribution to our landscape. How could such a dominant tree species have gone extinct while others have not? Could some Scots pine trees have survived the last 2,000 years in isolated locations? How could such survivors be detected in the landscape today?
These questions will be addressed by reviewing the history and prehistory of Scots pine in Ireland with a particular focus on the Burren. Special attention will be paid to records from Rockforest where Scots pine appears to have maintained its continuity over the last 2,000 years. This leads to the conclusion that the Rockforest pines are a native stand.
Fraser Mitchell is Professor in Quaternary Ecology in the Botany Department at Trinity College Dublin. His current research focuses on the causes and consequences of long-term environmental change which he has undertaken throughout Ireland but also in UK, Spain, Poland, USA, Australia and Thailand. More at: https://www.tcd.ie/Botany/people/fmitchll/
Practicalities of cultivating native Scots Pine
With Bernard Carey
Bernard Carey, with special permission from NPWS, has been collecting and cultivating seeds of the small population of the original native Scots Pine trees that have survived in the Burren from before ice age to this day. He will talk briefly about the ins and outs of this fascinating project.
There will be chance to buy these trees that have been potted and come in range of sizes. Prices will range from €2 to €5 and part of the proceeds will be donated to the Burrenbeo Trust. No doubt these will make wonderful climate-friendly Christmas presents!
Bernard Carey comes from a mixed farm (Dry stock, Dairy, Cereals, potatoes and a few hens!) in the midlands. Bernard has qualifications in Horticulture, Microbiology and Forestry. He has been involved in Forestry for over two decades as a practicing Forester here in Clare and runs a plant nursery in Mountshannon, Co. Clare where he grows both native trees, wetland plants, and hedging. More recently he along with his colleague Brian Tobin completed the first Irish Ecosystems Services of trees in Mountshannon Village using i-Tree an American Forest Service software for evaluating ecosystem tree services. The report can be found at www.mountshannonarboretum.com
The talk will start at the usual time of 8.30pm at Tubber hall but do join us from 8pm onwards for a little Christmas celebration with mulled wine and mince pies. You are also welcome to bring your own baked goodies to share!
Christmas shop – we will also have a Christmas stall on the evening where you can buy Burrenbeo gifts at special prices – Burren Field Guides (€10), limited edition Burren Insight Magazines (€30 for 5), Burren Christmas cards(€8 for 10), and Áitbheo Toolkits(€10). Native Burren Scots Pine trees (from €2 to €5)will also be available to buy through our guest Bernard Carey.
Tubber Hall can be found on google maps here.
Talks are open to all, free to Burrenbeo Trust members and a suggested donation of €5 for non-members. More information on how to become a Burrenbeo Trust member can be found here: https://burrenbeo.com/support-us/become-a-member/
For more information please email [email protected] or phone 091638096