On 19/11/03 at 11:00 Simon wrote: >Otherwise we have no problem growing significant woodlands - Binscarth, >Balfour, Woodwick, etc. I think I'd draw the line at calling Binscarth and Woodwick 'significant woodlands'. >but Orkney could be nearly entirely forested (and was 5000 years ago) if so >wished. Nonsense. If that were the case why do we not have acres of natural woodland? The climate 5,000 years ago was considerably more suited to woodland that it is now. By the Bronze Age temperatures dropped and rainfall increased. With it came an increase in winds. This climatic deterioration saw what woodland areas remaining gradually die out. -- Sigurd Towrie Blackhall - Kirbister - Stromness - Orkney Heritage of Orkney: www.orkneyjar.com

... and if ther were any 'significant woodlands' in some sheltered areas like Binscarth and Woodwick - they were cut down by the neolithic people ... ... even the mixture of Berriedale (although probably natural) points to a later date of development ...

In current Orcadian terms they are significant. We don't have acres of natural woodland for the same reason most of the highlands are denuded of trees, and many other parts of Europe. SHEEP. 5000 years of grazing will knock back the trees a bit. We do have 25 hectares of native trees planted in the last few years by private citizens. I am planting 1500 in the spring on a further 3 hectares. If you plant one tree in your garden it will most likely die. If you plant 100 80 will live, and 20 will grow very well. If you plant 1000 the survival rates increase and so will the size of the most favoured. (The Balfour effect). If all the farmers planted trees rather than grass Orkney would become substantially fully forested in less than 50 years. Species wise, the reason many trees which thrive in far worse coastal region - Canada, Alaska, etcetera, is because of our lack of cold weather. Firs/Evergreens need prolonged frost/sub zero temperatures and effectively dry conditions to hibernate through the winter. Our winters are wet and mild and therefore these species never turn off, and fail to thrive as a result. I am surprised Sigurd that you don't know this. Jenny Taylor can supply you with the facts, as per the URL I supplied. There was also a full day given over to trees in Orkney at the Science festival in September, which was very enlightening. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sigurd Towrie" <sigurd@orkneyjar.com> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2003 11:20 AM Subject: Re: [<orcadia>] Re:Fiona Northern Lights at last > On 19/11/03 at 11:00 Simon wrote: > > >Otherwise we have no problem growing significant woodlands - Binscarth, > >Balfour, Woodwick, etc. > > I think I'd draw the line at calling Binscarth and Woodwick 'significant woodlands'. > > >but Orkney could be nearly entirely forested (and was 5000 years ago) if so > >wished. > > Nonsense. If that were the case why do we not have acres of natural woodland? > > The climate 5,000 years ago was considerably more suited to woodland that it is now. By the Bronze Age temperatures dropped and rainfall increased. With it came an increase in winds. This climatic deterioration saw what woodland areas remaining gradually die out. > > > > > > -- > Sigurd Towrie > Blackhall - Kirbister - Stromness - Orkney > Heritage of Orkney: www.orkneyjar.com > > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the word > 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com >

My concern about adding trees in any significant numbers to somewhere like Orkney is the impact on the fragile, unique and treeless ecologies evolved over thousands of years. Don't get me wrong - I earn my living pampering trees and shrubs - trees are wonderful, but their place isn't everywhere. Grasslands are equally valuable, especially if you happen to be a bird which relies on insects which rely on the seedheads of a particular species of grass to nourish their grubs. An ecology isn't a matter of bung in a few plants or trees, bingo! instant ecology. You start with the soil bacteria, the bugs and wee beasties in the soil, work up to vertebrates and plants and try and get the correct balance of everything. This takes a site more than fifty years to accomplish. You can plant a plantation, but you cannot create a genuine natural woodland. You can sow a wild flower meadow, but it never looks like a real one. These thing take time and a considerable amount of work over many years. And in many cases the correct breed of cow or sheep grazing at the correct stocking rate at the correct time of year. Aileen ----- Original Message ----- From: "Simon" <tiny.treasure@btinternet.com> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 5:43 PM Subject: Re: [<orcadia>] Re:Fiona Northern Lights at last > In current Orcadian terms they are significant. > > We don't have acres of natural woodland for the same reason most of the > highlands are denuded of trees, and many other parts of Europe. SHEEP. 5000 > years of grazing will knock back the trees a bit. > > We do have 25 hectares of native trees planted in the last few years by > private citizens. I am planting 1500 in the spring on a further 3 hectares. > If you plant one tree in your garden it will most likely die. If you plant > 100 80 will live, and 20 will grow very well. If you plant 1000 the survival > rates increase and so will the size of the most favoured. (The Balfour > effect). If all the farmers planted trees rather than grass Orkney would > become substantially fully forested in less than 50 years. > > Species wise, the reason many trees which thrive in far worse coastal > region - Canada, Alaska, etcetera, is because of our lack of cold weather. > Firs/Evergreens need prolonged frost/sub zero temperatures and effectively > dry conditions to hibernate through the winter. Our winters are wet and mild > and therefore these species never turn off, and fail to thrive as a result. > > I am surprised Sigurd that you don't know this. Jenny Taylor can supply you > with the facts, as per the URL I supplied. There was also a full day given > over to trees in Orkney at the Science festival in September, which was very > enlightening. >