Giant redwoods will live again at Birr Castle

Peter Dowdall reports on an initiative in the grounds of Birr Castle demesne that will see massive redwood trees tower over the midlands like they once did in the stone age

April rainfall in Ireland was close to a record low with well under average amounts recorded, is this climate change or is it just a one off, who knows? One thing is for certain and that is that the climate is changing and that we are influencing it, the proof now is so strong that to deny it is similar to medieval sailors expecting to fall off the edge of the world if they sailed too close to the edge.

At the moment, the world’s largest population of Sequoia — Giant Redwoods and Sequoiadendron — Giant Sequoias. is to be found in California and in particular in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and this is no surprise as this is where they are native to and thus they are referred to as the Californian Redwoods. Giant Sequoias can live for up to 3,000 years, however they face environmental challenges now through increased urbanization and climate change the likes of which they have never faced before in their long history.