COST Action E 52 - vTI - Bund.de

164
beech (Fagus sylvatica) IN IrIsh ForesTry
DAVID THOMPSON 1 – JOHN FENNESSY 2
1 Coillte Teoranta – The Irish Forestry Board, Kilmacurra Park, Kilbride, Co. Wicklow
2 Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
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Beech (Fagus sylvatica) is not a native species to Ireland, but has been widely planted since the 1 th
century and it accounts for 1.4% of the forest tree species and 5. % of the broadleaved forest in the
Republic of Ireland. It is well adapted to the maritime climate and with a 100 to 120-year rotation it
typically produces 4 to 8 m 3 /ha/yr on average. Beech has been, and will continue to be, an important
component of broadleaved forestry in Ireland. The main concern in Ireland is to identify and source
the best reproductive material for seed importation to supplement home collected sources.
Key words: beech, Fagus sylvatica, fea (in Irish), reproductive material, ecology, silviculture,
management, insects and diseases
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Ireland, located between 51° and 56° North latitude, experiences a much milder climate than would
be expected at these latitudes as a result of the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and its distance from
the main European continent. Average winter temperatures are about 6.5 °C with average summer
temperatures of 12.5 °C. The climate is maritime with cool, wet winters and cool wet summers.
Rainfall varies from a high of over 3,000 mm in parts of the northwest to 50 mm in the southeast
and is distributed equally during the year (rainfall ranges from 190 days/year in the east to 250 days/
year in the west).
During the last Ice Age most of the island was covered by glaciers which eliminated almost all earlier
vegetation. All the “native” tree species migrated to the island, possibly across land bridges from the
United Kingdom and the Continent before these were flooded by rising sea levels as the ice melted.
Unfortunately, beech was only able to cross the English Channel and establish itself in southern
England and was not among the species to naturally reach Ireland. In the sub-montane region of
central Europe which has a similar climate to Ireland, beech dominates large areas suggesting that
this would be the natural forest type had the species migrated here after the last Ice Age.
The date of introduction of beech (Fagus sylvatica or Fea in Irish) into Ireland is not known but
according to Nelson et Walsh (1993), like sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa), beech may have been
an early import, coming with the Normans to whom this was a familiar tree. More definitive evidence
suggests that beech was introduced to Ireland from England sometime during the 1 th century
because reports of groves of beech being defoliated in 169 have been found in letters of the time
(Fitzpatrick 1966). Nevertheless, it has become a widely planted species, especially in old estates
and has become naturalized in Ireland.