Bringing Ireland’s ancient oak trees back to life
Ireland’s oldest oak trees are being revived as part of an international campaign to save the forests and to help propagate the DNA of ancient woodlands.
At his home Kilbarry, Co Cork, Ted Cook holds saplings of oak trees containing the DNA of the last remaining aboriginal native sessile and common oaks around Ireland. The trees were grown in the US where they were grafted on to root stalks before being sent to Holland and imported into Ireland. They have 'come home.'
The effort is part of the Archangel Project, a global initiative to propagate the DNA of ancient forests, from ancient Ireland to ancient Greece.
“The Archangel Project sent tree surgeons up to the tops of about 130 of all the oldest trees in Ireland,” says Cook, co-founder of Ireland’s first community NGO, the Macroom District Environmental Group, in 1984.
“The tops of these tree grafts are from the ancient oaks, and hazels, holly, and yew, which are all considered primary, in that they were never planted. I have them here now since early springtime. You could call them clones; we call it grafting.
“The best oaks I have that aren’t planted yet are the potted oaks from the Brian Boru, ” he told the Irish Times, referring to a huge live oak in Raheen, near Scarriff, Co Clare that was reputed to have been planted by the Irish king a thousand years ago.
Because the oaks are direct descendants of the ancient Irish forests that flourished after the Ice Age, they contain the genetic material best equipped to thrive in the country today.
“We want to help Ireland reforest itself,” says project co-founder David Milarch. “It’s imperative to reforest the planet, and it makes sense to use the oldest, most iconic trees that ever lived.”
Scattered around Ireland are remnants of the post glacial woodland that covered the country for 9,000 years. Due to repeated clear-felling over the centuries, these wooded remnants now cover just 0.02 percent of the country. From what remains, the Woodland League hopes to gather a seed bank.
The Department of Agriculture recently announced its new Forestry Program 2014-2020. The program is designed to encourage more commercial logging, but also talks of conserving native woodlands, and, “where appropriate”, converting from conifer to native species
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