The Forests Of Ireland

Stopping by Woods is a fascinating guide to 340 forests and woodlands open to the public throughout Ireland. Donal Magner writes with a rare insight about forests he has worked in and visited over the years as a forester and journalist. The book is the first of its kind ever produced in Ireland and Europe, it is packed with information not only about forests and tree species, but their associated flora and fauna, history and heritage. The book features all the forests featured in the State's open forest policy now enshrined by Coillte, the Forest Service Northern Ireland and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. In his six-year journey the author has explored all our native and naturalized woodlands, and the State forests established since the beginning of the last century. Stopping by Woods is a celebration and record of this remarkable civic amenity. This book will provide readers including students, specialist groups, historians and the general public with a deep understanding of Irish forests and their heritage. It is a book for our times, for people who care about our tree culture and about sustainable development.

This title covers the history of Ireland's woodland, the different types of native trees and forests as well as the folklore, superstitions, place-names and traditional uses made of the native wood in different parts of the country. The final chapter addresses the future of the trees and forests, how they are run and who protects them and the plans for future development.

The accepted view of Irish woodlands is that Ireland was covered in trees until the English came and chopped them down. While admirable in its brevity, this interpretation is inadequate regarding the actual management of Irish forests from the later Gaelic era to the close of the 18th century. This book focuses on the fundamentally pragmatic and commercial view of trees adopted by much of Gaelic civilization, as well as the attempts of the various Anglo-Irish administrations to introduce more conservative woodland practices. By the late 17th century, the re-afforestation of Ireland had become a paramount badge of respectability for Irish landowners and gave rise to a distinctive body of landscape design and painting, exemplified by the works of Thomas Roberts and William Ashford. *** "Everett's latest book...illuminates the culture, economy, and politics of a nation by examining the natural landscape and human interaction with it....exhaustively researched and lucidly written....a must for any academic library...Essential." - Choice, Vol. 52, No. 10, June 2015 *** Selected for the annual CHOICE Outstanding Academic Titles list for 2015 in the field of Botany. [Subject: History, Irish Studies, Forest Management]