When Andree Dubbeldam stands under a row of identical tall Sitka trees, of course he sees many conifers, which decades ago were brought from the Pacific Northwest. This is about 4,000 miles away from the Isle of Man, a crown dependency of the United Kingdom located between England and Ireland. Of the island wet and mild weather making it suitable for temperate rainforests (also known as Celtic rainforests).
Andree Dubbeldam at the timber plantation which will be transformed as part of the Glion Darragh nature reserve … [+]
There are the trees Dumbledore sees now and the ones he sees in his mind’s eye. For Dubbeldam he also has in mind what the 174-acre Glion Darragh Nature Reserve it may look like after a few decades. This would no longer be a failed timber plantation in an island nation too small for wood processing at scale, but a temperate rainforest of varying heights, textures, sounds and smells, from fragrant honeysuckle to the stinkhorn fungus. He imagines all the insects and birds the forest would attract. A few cows can also be envisioned once the new vegetation is more established.
Some of it may seem like a dream. Replanting in this gentle valley has not yet begun in earnest. Dubbeldam, forest wildlife officer for the Manx Wildlife Trust, hopes that in about 15 years the land will be stocked with cows that produce less methane when they burp, although it is not yet clear if such breeding can produce healthy cows. He believes that the renewal of this site can coexist not only with some grazing, but also with a thinned forest of conifers and more native trees, and perhaps some thoughtful nature tourism. For purist environmentalists, this may seem like a kitchen sink approach.
However, it aligns with the pragmatic approach of the Manx Wildlife Trust, the NGO that manages the Glion Darragh nature reserve, as well as others across the island. A nature advocate donated this land to the trust in 2024, after her father’s death. It was marginal land that had already been up for sale for years, according to Graham Makepeace-Warne, head of engagement at the Manx Wildlife Trust. So protecting that land hasn’t taken it out of productive use, he says.
This is the main contention of opponents of such conservation projects. Farmers are concerned about the loss of farmland and the Manx National Farmers Union has opposed plans elsewhere to convert farmland to rainforest. However, the union says it has no specific concerns about conifer monocultures being converted to native trees, such as at the Glion Darragh site.
Diversifying forests would help combat tree diseases, Dubbeldam notes, while expanding forests would help the island absorb more water overall. With the more variable weather conditions created by climate change, “a fifty-year flood is now a five-year flood.” He speaks in the immediate aftermath of Storm Bert, which led to power outages and traffic disruptions in the Isle of Man, and at least five deaths in the United Kingdom, the neighboring country visible from the Isle of Man. Not only are storms now stormier, says Dubbeldam. droughts are also drier.
The rainforest project was funded by insurance company Aviva as part of a £38m donation restoring temperate rainforests in the British Isles. Makepeace-Warne says supporting biodiversity and climate protection is both economic and philanthropic for companies facing risks. it will become more expensive to deal with climate change. “What we can do as a trust is plant the right trees in the right place,” for both carbon sequestration and biodiversity.
There is one part of the reserve that already looks like what Dumbledam hopes the rest will eventually look like. At the edge of the conifer forest and overlooking a stream, soft, green Grinch moss has begun to return to the fir trees. Occasionally there is a small fern. It’s a striking difference from the dark, uniform rows of trees behind. This area feels “ancient and boring and Tolkien-like,” as Dubbeldam describes it.
A mossy spot in Glion Darragh Nature Reserve.
It certainly looks very different from the monoculture of trees coming from the US, not too far away in the same stock. This mossy area conjures up the history and mystery of the term ‘Celtic Rainforest’. With enough will and planning, more of the Isle of Man may eventually remind visitors of this rich natural heritage.
Reporting for this article was supported by the Isle of Man Department of Business.
