Once trees were symbols of
physical and spiritual nourishment, transformation, liberation, spiritual
growth, union and fertility. Today their rich green canopies cover our country
side; a part of our surroundings barely noticed and often take for granted.
That is until they begin to decay or get sick.
And that is happening now, a great many of our trees are
sick or are showing symptoms of becoming sick.
Even science has caught up and
proven that the tree has a network of connections in its environment,
communicating above and below ground. Trees are like a spiritual framework, a
map of conception and consciousness that brings together the sequential worlds
of time, space and consciousness.
Trees have been used as sacred
shrines, places of spiritual pilgrimage, ritual, ceremony and celebration.
Sacred trees are found in the Shamanic, Hindu, Egyptian, Sumerian, Toltec,
Mayan, Norse, Celtic and Christian traditions.
On 12th October 2012, the Irish Department of
Agriculture, Food and Marine confirmed Ireland ’s
first case of Chalara
fraxinea ‘Ash Tree Dieback’ infection
in a young forestry plantation in County
Leitrim Europe , with the
majority of European countries where ash is present now reporting the disease.
To date we have 120 cases recorded in Ireland
There are cases of Ash dieback recorded in Londonerry , in nature there are no borders.
Living in a densely wooded
area, you become very aware of the changes in the trees and I first noticed
changes last year during a daily journey to Londonderry and the first tree to catch my
attention was a giant Ash that stood by the house of my old school teacher
along the Killea road.
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| Ash Tree on the Kilea to Derry road |
Its canopy began looking sparse; leaves wilted, died and
left many naked branches. This spring those naked branches didn’t come back and
most of the tree has died off except for a scattering of leaves at the bottom
of it. Then I noticed this happening to other trees in the area predominantly
the ash. So for months now I have watched, noted and photographed the affected
trees.
Concerned at the number of
trees affected, I got in touch with Steven Meyen, Forestry advisor for Teagasc.
We discussed Ash tree dieback, the symptom and concerns of it spreading. We
arranged a site visit for some days later.
Steven said “According to Teagasc
records as of 7 April 2014, there have been a total of 120 confirmed findings
of the disease located throughout the country. This includes one positive site
within and near a former infected ash plantation in Co Leitrim, and one ash
hedgerow near an infected farm landscaping shelterbelt in Co Tipperary”.
.
Steven arrived and I drove
him around the areas of concern and a couple of hours were spent checking
trees, it didn’t look like the disease had infected them. Samples were taken,
bagged and recorded to be sent off and tested and results would take a couple
of weeks.
Steven said “There are a wide range of symptoms
associated with ash dieback which includes:
·
Foliage wilt – black/brown leaves may be
retained;
·
Shoot dieback with brownish to orange discoloration,
often multiple shoots; and,
·
Elongated angular stem lesions,
often diamond shaped”.
Since our walk I have noticed
that more varieties of trees are dying not just Ash but Birch know as “The Lady
of the Woods” Oak “Tree of Knowledge” Hawthorn “The Faery tree” around my home the Laurel, Sweet Chestnut and
the Alder “ Tree of the God Bran” have been seriously affected .
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| Syacamore Tree |
Symptoms are the loss of foliage on the crowns
first, one or two naked branches then it moves down through the tree leaving dark
skeletal branches. It seems to take a matter of months before the tree is bare,
with maybe a scattering of leaves left.
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| Alder ..took 1 year for this to happen |
Steven said “ There are many
reasons for the trees dying i.e. environmental like drought, flooding or
insects but also man made reasons like pollution, salting our roads, chemical
sprays, property development, heavy farm machinery causing root damage to the
trees .i.e. de-stoners, deep ploughing.
People forget that the crown of a tree indicates the roots spread and we need
to be aware of that to look after out trees.
“We have become so used to
seeing our trees that we don’t notice when they are under stress which the
trees are in this area something is affecting them.
“We need to let the teenage
trees in the hedgerows grow and reach their potential, Ash trees need to be
over 14 years old before they begin to produce seed”.
The call came and the Lab
results have come back negative for Ash tree dieback, thankfully, for now.
“But, we must continue to be
vigilant. We don’t have answers as to why the trees are dying but we should be
concerned at the rate and the number of trees affected” said Steven.
Photos taken for this are in
a five mile radius in Killea, Kildrum and Lifford in roads but dying trees are
visible along the N13 and N14 roads and surrounding countryside in Co Donegal.
Inca way of watching over the land
When visiting Peru a shaman took us to the ancient Mayan site of Tipon.A 500 acre site built around a spring near Cusco. Tipon's beautiful stone structure akin to those at Machu Piccu is also said to have had another purpose.The Inca who where brilliant engineers built it in many layered plateaus all planted out and it is said that each plateau represented an area/district and if the plants were not doing well in that plateau then that district was not doing well and a visit to the area was made.
This makes me think about what our trees are trying to tell us - and what is going on across the world at the moment. Are they reflecting the fall out from Fukushima - the global effect of the continued war in the Middle East and in Russia and Ukraine?.
Are the consequences more than the immediate lost of human life in battle and how long reach will these effects have on humankind
Raise you awareness please and watch for our trees are silently telling us.
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| Soaking up Peru |
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