Re: Lack Of Trees In Irish And British Countrysides

Hal Ó Mearadhaigh. wrote:
> Someone else wrote:
>> On Fri, 09 May 2008 22:35:45 +0000 (GMT), jl <jl@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>> wrote:
>>> In article <68johfF2thkejU1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
>>>   Hal Ó Mearadhaigh. <homestud@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>>> Someone else wrote:
>>>>> On Thu, 8 May 2008 16:57:04 +1000, "FarmI" <ask@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 be given>
>>>>> wrote:
>>
>> For those who think that Ireland never had significant forest cover
>> please see:
>>
>> www.lhi.org.uk/docs/History_Project_1.pdf
>>
>> "The first wave of colonisation was by birch, aspen and sallow. About
>> 8 500 BC. pine and hazel spread northwards, replacing the birch,
>> which became uncommon. The pine colonisation was followed by a wave
>> of oak and alder. Lime and elm followed this, then holly, ash, beech,
>> hornbeam and maple."
>>
>>>> Ireland's population grew to around 8 million. But that had little
>>>> to do with the state of the forests. Disease and over harvesting of
>>>> trees were the main causes of the deforestation.
>>
>> Who was it that was responsible for that overharvesting?
>
> NOT the British, who always had plenty of forests of their own, but
> also im****ted any woods for ****p building mostly from Scandinavia.
>
>>
>>> As Ireland had no coal, the needs of 8 million people for charcoal
>>> and cooking woulkd certainly damage the forests. Peat was available
>>> of course - but only after the forests had made room for it.
>>
>> No, it was always available...
>
> Peat bogs? of course. But they were also forested.
>
>>
>>> If local attitudes to trees were the same then as now, it is
>>> surprising that any trees survived at all.
>>>
>>> "That tree will knock that wall down - cut it down".
>>>
>>> I've heard that sentence so often, it makes me sick.
>>>
>>>
>>>> Manufacturing, farming, and the
>>>> monies being made out of harvesting the peat bogs were main causes.
>>>> (Alas Bord Na Mona, so much for greed). Blaming the British,
>>>> (English) is merely being paranoid and specious.
>>
>> Not if it actually was the British that cut down the Irish forests to
>> build the fleet that fought the Spanish Armada.

Nonsense! : See 
http://fubini.swarthmore.edu/~ENVS2/S2003/jessiewhit/deforestation.html


>>
>> http://www.russellmcmurtrey.com/
>>
>> "Ireland used to be covered with a lot of oak forest until the peak
>> British armada years where much of it was cut down for making ****ps."
>>
>> and, interestingly,
>>
>> http://www.millersville.edu/~columbus/papers/nucci.html
>>
>> "The Queen gave Ralegh a massive estate in Ireland. He later
>> plundered this Irish land for its forests in order to finance one of
>> his expeditions."

So? If the estates were his, then he had every right to do as he pleased.
In 
any case, how many ****ps? Possibly two at most? Not a lot of Oak involved
in 
that.Why do you isist on being such a begrudger against the English? After

all, without England, Ireland would not have progressed past the Iron age.

Technology, smelting iron, using wood for that? The largest industry in 
Wicklow for many a long year was Forestry. Nothing to do with the English.

>>
>> "He exploited the natural resources of Irish forestry to fund his
>> expedition and targeted religious dissidents for settlement in
>> English outposts."
>>

Your source?

>>>> Britain had more than enough
>>>> forests of her own to build all the ****ps she wished!!
>>
>> Maybe so / maybe not but the ruling class of Britain still cut down
>> the trees of Ireland.

Bull****. Over simplification and merely your own unsup****ted opinion.
See:
http://fubini.swarthmore.edu/~ENVS2/S2003/jessiewhit/deforestation.html

>>
>>> As far as I'm aware Britain got most of it's marine supplies from
>>> the Baltic countries
>>
>> What? There were substantial Oak forests in Latvia?
>>
>> For the ****ps that fought the Spanish Armada?
>>
>> Wouldn't it have been easier and cheaper to have felled the trees in
>> nearby Ireland?
>>
>>> - that trade certainly is mentioned quite frequently in
>>> various history books.
>>
>> Which ones precisely?

Maybe you should use Google Nik, everyone else seems to!

ROTFL


-- 
Hal Ó Mearadhaigh.