Sir, – Has anybody taken a good look at our trees recently? I have been doing a lot of driving recently for work and was horrified to see so many of our beautiful mature broadleaf trees choked by ivy.
Apparently the weather conditions recently have encouraged the ivy to thrive and it is growing at a much faster rate than the trees can ever hope to.
The result is that our trees are completely covered in heavy evergreen ivy and are losing the battle. Given the state of the trees at the moment, within two to five years the vast majority will be completed cloaked with ivy and unable to produce leaves and new shoots.
Years ago farmers and landowners cut back the ivy, but who does this now? Obviously nobody. Our hedgerows are also suffering a similar fate, and between the hedges and the deciduous trees we are looking at the destruction of a whole ecosystem – berries, nuts, birds, insects, squirrels and so on. I could not believe the amount of ancient oaks in Glen of the Downs, Co Wicklow, that are now under threat.
Next time you are driving or out walking, take a look; without exception, almost every tree you look at will have been attacked by ivy. Once the trees produce their leaves in a week or so they will look full and healthy, but because of the deceiving green ivy leaves they will struggle for nourishment and light.
Perhaps it might be worth considering putting the trimming of ivy on the list of criteria for the Tidy Towns competition? Can the Woodland Trust and Coillte become involved, as well as local authorities? It would be shameful to lose such beautiful trees due to apathy and neglect. – Yours, etc,