Can you remember what a native tree is? These are trees that have been growing in Ireland since the end of the last Ice Age.
Sycamore
The Sycamore is a non-native, deciduous tree
Sycamore
Sycamore
The Sycamore is a non-native, deciduous tree
A non-native tree is one that was brought to Ireland after the last Ice Age.
Some non-native trees have been growing in Ireland for over 1,000 years e.g. the beech tree.
How did non-native trees start growing in Ireland?
This is a difficult question and there is no full answer.
Trees like the beech or horse chestnut have been growing in Ireland for a very long time. There is no way to know for sure how they first came to Ireland. The seeds of these trees were probably brought here by animals or birds.
Other trees were brought here by people. For example, the Douglas-fir was first brought to Europe in 1827 by David Douglas.