120 



IRISH GARDENING 



In 1803 the Unit.d F\ingdoni iiiiportiMl 21)2,68:3 

 loads of tinil>er. By 1820 the imports of this 

 coininodity had risen to 502,156 loads. The 

 outl)reak of war foimd the United Kin^'doni 

 an importer of ap])roximately 10 million loads of 

 unmannfactnred timber of all kinds valued at, 

 louszldy, .£28, 000, 000 jxt annum. Wood uianufae- 

 tures amounted to .£2,700,01)0, and wood ])ulp 

 (859,000 tons) to £4,100,000. It may t)e ])ointed out 

 that the total imports of all kinds for the five years, 

 1909-'191.S, averaged .£699,000,000, of which timber, 

 wood pulp, and wood mainifactures aeeonnted for 

 5 i)er cent. These iuiports were carried in -14 

 million tons of shipping, of which 5j million tons, 

 or l;{ per cent., was used for tiiul)er, wood pulp, and 

 wood mainifactures. 



In August, 1914, there were relatively good stocks 

 of timber in the country, although the shipping 

 season from the North of Europe was then in full 

 blast. It was not appreciated at the time that the 

 war would make any exceptional demands for 

 timber. Timber for hutments for the new armies 

 was required inniiediately, but was met with com- 

 parative ease from stocks in the country, or readily 

 procurable in Northern Europe. The only anxiety 

 which was felt was for the supply of pit-props for 

 the mines, and particularly for the Admiralty 

 mines of South Wales, which relied almost entirely 

 for supplies from South-Western Europe. A rapid 

 census of the resources of the country indicated 

 that at a conservative estimate one and a half 

 years' supply of pit-wood could be obtained in the 

 country, j)rovided that laboiir was available for 

 getting it. The volume of importation during 1915 

 was fairly well maintained, and amounted to about 

 three-quarters of the average pre-war importation, 

 and during 1916 to about two-thirds, while in 1917 

 it was reduced to 2,800,000 tons — one-third. 



With the advent of the submarine campaign, 

 however, the position began to change. In Novem- 

 I)er, 1915, the Home Grown Timber Committee was 

 set up to utilise home resources. As the submarine 

 campaign developed, however, the absorbing aims 

 were, first, to save tonnage, and, secondly, to pro- 

 vide an adequate supply of timber for trench war- 

 fare purposes, and generally to meet the direct and 

 indirect needs of His Majesty's Forces. Economy 

 became the order of the day, and gradually a large 

 organisation was set up to exploit home resources. 

 Canadian lumbermen and saw-milling plants were 

 brought over to this country, and the production of 

 home timber went on apace. 



Most civilised countries have come to recognise 

 the fundamental fact that forests are sources of 

 wealth and timber a necessity for commercial 

 development; and that, consequently, all risk of 

 interruption in supply should, if possible, be 

 obviated. Among raw materials, therefore, timber 

 may be classed, next to food, with coal and iron, 

 as essential to the life of a civilised nation. W^ith 

 the recognition of this fact there has been corre- 

 sponding legislative activity in the realm of 

 forest policy in this country. The Forestry Re- 

 construction Sub-Committee was set up in June, 

 1916, " to consider and report upon the best means 

 of conserving and developing the woodland and 

 forestry resources of the United Kingdom, having 

 regard to the experience gained diu'ing the war." 

 Its report, presented in May, 1917, met with 

 general acceptance, and the scope of its proposals 

 went unquestioned, but a lot of discussion arose 

 as to specud form of machinery to carrv them out. 



The scope of the Committee's proposals, together 

 with a simple form of macliinery, were accepted by 

 the War Cabinet, and in Noveinber, 1918. pendin'-^ 

 legislation, the Interim Forest Authorilv was set 



up to pi'epai-e the way for the permanent authority. 

 It established working relations with the various 

 Dci)artments of Agriculture and by meetings with 

 societies and others interested in the development 

 of forestry, endeavoured to draw together the 

 threads of expert i)ublic opinion. A skeleton or- 

 ganisation was evolved, ti>chnical matters such as 

 surveys, collection of silvicultural date, &c., began 

 to be standardised, an inqinry into insect pests in 

 coniferous woods of the United Kingdom was com- 

 menced, and the training of forest officers and 

 foresters started, and the raising of seedlings 

 pushed on. The possibility of imdertaking actual 

 planting operations was precluded, as the autho- 

 rity had no powers to acquire and hold land. (21) 



The Forestry Act received Royal Assent in 

 August, 1919, and came into force on 1st Septem- 

 ber, 1919. It follows very closely the reconnnen- 

 dations of the Forestry Sub-Committee, and you are 

 doubtless acquainted with the provisions of the 

 Act. 



The expenses of the Commission are being de- 

 frayed from a Forestry Fund, into which is being 

 paid the sum of 3^ million pounds during the first 

 ten years immediately succeeding April 1st, 1919, 

 as well as the sums received by the Commission in 

 respect of transactions carried out in the exercise 

 of their powers and duties under the Act. Pro- 

 vision is also made for placing the Forestry Service 

 on a pensionable basis. 



In the year 1791 the acreage under woods in 

 Ireland was returned as 105,096. By 1800 it had 

 risen to 131,677 acres, and in 1840 the area was 

 345.604 acres. By 1851 it had fallen to 3(M,906 acres, 

 and then again increased during the next thirty 

 years to 339,858 acres in 1880. Another decrease 

 occurred between 1880 and 1890, the acreage in the 

 latter year being 327,461. There ints a net 'increase 

 during the century 1790-1890 of 222,365 acres. 

 Another important change occurred during tJus 

 period — namely, the gradual replanting of the old 

 oah forests irith coniferous trees, chiefti/ Larch. 

 From 1890 up till the outbreak of war in 1914 the 

 Irish woodland area decreased by about 1,200 acres 

 annually, the acreage in 1914 being 296,493, of 

 ichic'h about 40 2)er cent, vas of economic value. 

 During the years 1914-1919 over 10,000 acres of 

 woods were felled to meet the unprecedented de- 

 mands created by the war. The acreage of our 

 Irish woods at present is al)out 286,000 acres. 



Such, then, is a brief history of forests and 

 forestry in Ireland up till the present time. Just 

 now in Ireland the Forestry Commission has in 

 hands over 30,000 acres of forests and mountain 

 land either purchased or leased, or for the acqui- 

 sition of which negotiations are in progress, ex- 

 tending over eleven counties. Surveys have been 

 carried out on about 1,000,000 acres in different 

 parts of Ireland, mainly in the South and South- 

 East. Sample plots have l^een measured in woods 

 all over the country, and the collection of valuable 

 statistics commenced. Inquiries into insect pests 

 are being conducted and experiments of various 

 kinds carried out with a view to placing forestry 

 on a thorough scientific and commercial basis. So 

 far as Irish forestry is concerned the future is full 

 of hope. With a well thought-out programme of 

 forest education for the rising generation, and a 

 sympathetic bond established between the land- 

 owners, timber manufacturers, consumers, and the 

 State, and an intelligent interest taken in the sub- 

 ject by the man in the street, with the powerful and 

 indispensable aid of the Press, our island home will 

 one day be replenished with its long-lost woods, 

 and an impetus will be afforded to a national in- 

 dustry which will help to stem the too rapidly flow- 



