This is really fascinating. I'm enjoying reading all the information that you all have - just fascinating. On Sep 10, 2007, at 10:06 AM, Norman Tulloch wrote: Royce Perry wrote: > Any one know if Orkney had forests in an earlier time,,like Neolithic > or > bronze/iron age? Or has it always been a bit sparse on trees? > R Here's something stolen from the website called "The Trees of Orkney": ________________________________________________________________________ *The History of Native Trees in Orkney* It is often assumed that the windswept Orkney landscape has always been largely open and treeless. However, it seems that Orkney, like many other parts of the British Isles, originally had an extensive tree cover. This consisted mainly of dense birch/ hazel scrub with a tangled understorey of roses and honeysuckle. Approximately 5000 years ago, the Orkney climate may have deteriorated, perhaps with an increase in on-shore winds. This may have started the decline of the woods, at least in exposed coastal sites, or perhaps the activities of Neolithic farmers (eg grazing, fire etc) brought about the rapid loss of most of the tree cover. Towards the end of the Neolithic period, there seems to have been a period of less extensive farming which permitted a minor regeneration of the woodlands. The blanket peat which covers large areas of Orkney today did not start to form until about 1800 BC ie. well after the woodlands had declined. Perhaps the loss of the trees produced more water-logged soils and this stimulated the peat formation. By Norse times, there were probably only patches of woodland remaining in sheltered areas. There are still unanswered questions about the original tree cover of Orkney - did it cover all of Orkney (including the outer isles), was it complete or in scattered groups, exactly which species were present and, was it climate or man (or both) that caused its almost complete, and very sudden, loss? ________________________________________________________________________ http://www.firth.orkney.sch.uk/trees/natrees.htm Norman Tulloch ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message Evelyn, Emma, Robbie & Spencer Sweet Pea Digory waiting at the Bridge (12/8/89 - 11/8/96) Help support Corgi Aid -- http://www.corgiaid.org/ Ohio Corgi Picnic - June 22, 2008 in Marion, Ohio http://homepage.mac.com/evelynhlabse/Home/home.html If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.