Killarney National Park - 2

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.

The Lusitania flora was also chanced upon, notably the Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) and Saint Patrick's Cabbage (Saxifraga spathularis).

Fruits of the Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo)

St Patrick's cabbages (Saxifraga spathularis) epiphytes on a veteran oak pollard.

The lichen communities are well represented.

Green satin lichen (Lobaria virens)

Tree Lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) and Green satin lichen (Lobaria virens)

There are also some fine viewpoints in the woodlands offering more expansive views.

Killarney makes a great base for exploring the National Park and I can thoroughly recommend it.

Killarney National Park -1

Nic fancied an autumn break in Ireland, specifically in the South West, so a look at the map and Killarney was a good base, plenty of traditional pubs for the craic and a National Park on the doorstep. I then did some research and discovered that whilst the National Park had open access the rest of the countryside is privately owned, with very restricted access at the whim of the landowner, sigh. According to one Irish hill walking site, Eire has some of the most regressive public access laws in Europe. Further research revealed that some of the Government owned woodlands with SAC status were also closed to public access. At this point I realised the holiday itinerary would be scaled back in ambition and scope. Nonetheless, there were still plenty of hills to walk and woodland to visit.

I'll skip the hill walking bit as the weather was mostly atlantic weather fronts i.e low cloud, poor visibility and/or high winds which mitigated against visiting the loftier viewpoints, confining walking to more modest elevations and photography to views of cloud shrouded higher hills and hazy vistas.

A jewel in the crown of the Killarney NP is Reenadinna Wood, a Yew (Taxus baccata) woodland that has been extant for 3,000 to 5,000 years from palynological analysis of sediments and radiocarbon dating.

Pure Yew woodlands are a rarity and Reenadinna Wood is one of the largest, with the yews mostly growing on outcrops of Carboniferous limestone that are covered by moss. A preliminary scouting visit was made to whet the appetite and then the weather came good with a morning of rain and no wind.

The yew trees host bryophyte communities creating a pleasing juxtaposition of green and red.

A few yew trees were the habitats for lichens.

Fallen yew arils littered the woodland floor and paths exposed the yew roots tracing grikes in the limestone.

Reenadinna Wood is well worth a visit and the next post will cover the Oak woods visited in Killarney National Park.