Scots pine - The forgotten species of Irish Forestry?

Abstract

The author briefly describes the gradual extinction of the Scots pine in Ireland and its re-introduction during the period of estate and demesne development in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. The expansion of Scots pine continued under the planting programme of the State Forestry Service from 1903, but stopped abruptly after 1950. The cause of this decline is attributed the unsatisfactory returns from existing plantations, the slowness of the species' growth compared to Sitka spruce and the limited provenance available. Recent stands established with modern techniques of ploughing, fertilising and from select seed sources have shown promise with yield class levels consistently between 12 and 14. The versatility of Scots pine as opposed to other species, and its value as a construction timber are given as reasons for its increasing popularity.