8th Colour Landscape Photography: Killarney National Park

Due to a “series of disasters” Ireland has one of the lowest land coverage % of woodland in Europe and even then a depressing area of that is under commercial forestry of alien trees. The oak woods in Killarney National Park represent a significant percentage of the remaining native oak woodland and are designated as a Special Area of Conservation.

The Killarney oak woods have been afflicted by the Victorian era enthusiasm for alien flora and fauna that saw many exotic trees planted including rhododendron and Sitka deer introduced for sport shooting. Unusually for conservationists they are in unanimous agreement that Rhododendrons and Sitka deer are not desirable for native woodland regeneration. The eradication of rhododendron from the native woodland is an ongoing affair undertaken by commendably enthusiastic volunteers and likely to take many years. Google satellite isn't much use either as rhododendrons form an understorey and what may appear to be broadleaved woodland from above is an impenetrable wall of rhododendrons as an understorey. Additionally in an effort to regenerate the woodland, exclosure fences have been erected to keep out the Sitka and native Red deer, the exclosures do not appear to have entrance gates for visitors. Nonetheless the woodland sans exclosures and rhododendrons is worth seeking out.

There appear to be several generations of oak trees with veteran pollards and coppice stools interspersed amongst maiden trees, pointing to changes in historic woodland management. In some areas a case could be made for natural regeneration, whilst in other areas the regular spacing of oaks in linear arrangement indicates plantations. Much of the older oak woodland in the Forest of Dean originated from Napoleonic plantations for naval ship timber and oak morphologies in the Killarney woods bear a striking resemblance to the Dean oaks.