Anja Murray: What is a 'native' tree and why is it so valuable?

Birch trees were among the first to thrive here after the Ice Age and transformed Ireland's tundra into a richly wooded landscape

Brían McGloinn of Ye Vagabonds recording Root & Branch with Anja Murray

At the end of the last great Ice Age that covered Ireland in snow and ice, plants began to colonise the barren landscape. Ice sheets had scraped away the soils, leaving glacial till and rock, but little in the way of fertile soils. On the windswept barren tundra, only the most pioneering plants were hardy enough to survive.

Pioneering trees and shrubs such as birch produce millions of tiny wind-borne seeds, so they find their way to new ground quickly. Within only about 100 years, the first birch woodlands became established across Ireland. Birch trees would have helped soils to form, using the sun’s energy to create carbohydrates and other nutrients, dropping their leaves each autumn and quickly building up the organic content of the sandy soils. Along with other pioneer trees, such as willow and juniper, Ireland was soon transformed into a richly wooded landscape. These trees were the basis for bustling communities of plants and animals, which in turn helped pollinate plants, recycle nutrients, and spread seeds.