Thankyou for the information. What a healthy dose of fresh air evidence of your project offers. I am sure you will enjoy the experience more than you envision. Birds arrive and other critters, as the trees grow and prosper. It is truly an unselfish and admirable pursuit. I will look forward to taking a peek at Jenny's project. Best of luck to you.........Sephen On Friday, November 21, 2003, at 05:30 AM, Simon wrote: > > > The species I am planting are a mixture of those generally agreed to > have > been present in the original woods which are Downy Birch, Hazel, Rowan, > Aspen, Willows, Roses, Honeysuckle and Juniper. Evidence for the early > presence of these trees has been found in pollen analysis studies and > in > pieces of timber or hazel nuts found preserved in the peat. The genetic > stock we are using comes from Berriedale on Hoy, recognised as the most > northerly native woodland in the UK. > > Jenny Taylor is the project officer of the Orkney Woodland development > project (Native Tree Restoration) she lives in Stomness and can be > emailed > at > > jtlarch@btinternet.com. > > The following URL gives more information about native species, the > paragraph > below is an extract. As an addendum, from the Science festival it > became > clear that as the trees were cleared in late meso and Neolithic times > their > is an additional effect, namely you break the line of defence and > cause a > natural erosion of the environment damaging more than the original > clearing > and creating a negative feedback loop which accelerates far beyond any > man > made activity. Something to do with balance and nature, that mysterious > stuff. This may in part explain the very rapid disappearance of the > Woodlands. > > regards, > > Simon. > > http://www.firth.orkney.sch.uk/trees/natrees.htm > > The History of Native Trees in Orkney (Extract) > > 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? > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Steve Davie" <stephen.davie@sympatico.ca> > To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 6:24 PM > Subject: Re: [<orcadia>] Re:Fiona Northern Lights at last > > >> Simon: >> Interesting. What species of trees are you planting? Is there any >> sponsored attempt to do this sort of thing on an ongoing monitored >> basis? >> On Thursday, November 20, 2003, at 12:43 PM, Simon wrote: >> >>> 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 >>>> >>> >>> >>> ==== 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 >>> >> >> >> ==== 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 >> >> > > > ==== 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 >