How this Burren group are bringing a native Irish tree back from the brink – centuries after it was thought to be extinct
The Irish pine once covered much of the country but the species was assumed to be lost – until a scientific study showed that a handful of the trees lived on in a tiny corner of the Burren. And farmers have been key to the successful efforts to nurture and spread the pines
Brendan Banford of Burren Beo Trust in front of some mature Irish pine trees which are growing in the east of the Burren. Photos: Natasha Barton
Two thousand years ago, Ireland was covered with tens of millions of pine trees. Yet by 400AD, just before the arrival of Saint Patrick, this once dominant species of native tree was no longer visible on the landscape. The Irish pine had become extinct.
Or had it? Deep in a secluded corner of the Burren National Park, a small stand of pines has existed for generations. This tiny 2ac site, known locally as the Rock Forest, was assumed to contain Scots pines, a species introduced into Ireland as a plantation crop around 300 years ago.
