Millennium schemes galore. And, of course, in our new advances on afforestation, tree schemes figure widely. Tony Carey, one of the founders of the Oak Glen scheme in Glencree, published a pamplet in 1977 proposing that, as Coillte, which holds 885 hectares of conifer plantation along from the Oak Glen, fells and markets these trees, the replanting should be in broadleaves. It should be a slow enough process but it would be historically as well as aesthetically pleasing. And as Tony pointed out, with some levity, it may have appeared to those who read this pamphlet on the subject, Britain could pay us back for some of her part in our loss of woodland. For example, he reminded his readers, and made sure a copy went to the British Embassy in Dublin, that Eleanor, wife of Edward I made a huge onslaught on the woods of Glencree in the year 1290 to provide timber for a castle at Haverford in Wales. T. P. Le Fanu in an article of 1893, quoted by Tony, indicates that from then on the woods of Glencree were left prey to a process of destruction up to the second half of the 19th century, when there was some measure of planting.
And did Tony get a response from the British? He got a kindly letter from the Embassy in Dublin which indicated that his bold suggestion might well be included in discussions on possible joint Millennium projects, nearer to the approach of that date. But there will be many projects and each would be taken on its merits. Well, in the age of the Belfast Agreement, with all its hopes and prayers and, in fact, with so much already accomplished, what a fine thing for all parties, all elements of the people of these islands to come together in a non-controversial act of renewal. This would be a slow and quiet project; people other than the planners and foresters will live to see its full rising, but it would be symbolic and physical evidence of goodwill. A German book mentioned here recently was not about forestry but called, nevertheless, The Green Tree of Life (Der Grune Baum des Lebens). The author, Clara von Arnim explained why she gave her autobiography that title. She loved, from childhood, walking in the woods "and trees are for me symbols of the eternal renewal of life." Y.