There are thousands of acres of
forests in Killarney National Park. In
addition to this, the largest area of old-growth Oakwoods left in the
country can be found on some of the lower mountain slopes within the
park. The National Park also boast some rare habitats, notably a large
stand of pure Yew woodl which is thought to be one of only three pure
Yew woods in Europe.
The rarest habitat type within Killarney
National Park is probably the area of pure Yew woodland known as
Reenadinna, which can be found on the Muckross Peninsula between
the lower and middle
lakes.
This is the only significant area of Yew woodland in Ireland and
is one of probably no more than three pure Yew woods in Europe.
On
the lower slopes of Tomies and Shehy Mountains, adjacent to
Lough Leane, can be found the largest area of ancient Oakwoods
remaining in the country. This area, and other smaller patches
of oakwood within the National Park total approximately 3,000
acres (1,200 hectares) in extent, and are comprised mainly of
the Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea), which favours the acidic
soils associated with the old red sandstone of Killarney's
mountains.
At
one time, Ireland was almost entirely wooded, however a
combination of climate change and woodland clearance for
agriculture over the past 5,000 years meant that many woodlands
were in gradual decline. Despite this, at the end of the
sixteenth century Ireland was still relatively wooded, with one
eighth of its surface area covered in forest. The early part of
the seventeenth century saw an 'industrial revolution' in
Ireland however, and alongside this came a rapid increase in the
rate of exploitation of woodlands. Significant amounts of oak
were used for shipbuilding, barrel making and leather tanning,
however the biggest cause of Oakwood destruction in Killarney
was charcoal production to fire the smelters used in the local
iron industry (about 25 tons of Oak were needed to produce 1 ton
of cast iron).
Most
of the trees in the Killarney Oakwoods are about 200 years old,
and there are many traces remaining of the industry that once
thrived there. It is probably true to say, therefore, that the
majority of the individual trees in the present day Oakwoods
were planted, and true 'ancient' Oakwoods are restricted to a
few isolated pockets of woodland in the mountain valleys.
