For the July Dublin Branch Green Drinks talk, Daniel Buckley, a former IWT Chairperson and currentNPWS conservation ranger, spoke on the topic of Black Poplar conservation in Ireland. Daniel is enthusiastic about native tree conservation and has been doing his own research on black poplar which is Ireland's rarest tree.
It had been thought that the black poplar was introduced to Ireland, but populations have been found around lakes in the west which are varied enough to suggest that it is a native tree that has been reproducing here naturally. The Black Poplar is an unusual tree in that it has separate male and female forms, and that it needs particular conditions beside lakes and rivers to reproduce. Ireland has populations of both sexes of tree, which suggests a natural population, as the female tree with its messy fluffy seeds is not generally planted deliberately. Further research, including DNA testing, will be needed to confirm its native status. In the meantime, Daniel is working to raise awareness of this unusual part of our flora.
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| Black Poplar - Populus nigra |
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