Diverse farm forestry opportunities in Munster

Farm forestry is sometimes seen mainly as means of developing the timber resource and while this is a priority for many farmers, there are also many other “strings to the forestry bow”.

More farmers are taking an expansive view of forestry and identifying the appropriate species options to deliver enhanced environmental benefits as well as ably assisting the farm finances.

Timber production is an important goal for both but they are also looking at non-wood benefits including biodiversity, tourism, landscape values and climate change

In this article, we meet two farmers in Munster who demonstrate the benefits of mixed species forests.

Timber production is an important goal for both but they are also looking at non-wood benefits including biodiversity, tourism, landscape values and climate change. This is reflected in their choice of trees which includes native and exotic species.

Deirdra Doyle, who farms in the scenic north Kerry/west Limerick area is exploring forestry options for part of her farm and decided an appropriate species mix would best suit her objectives.

A key requirement was to match the right species to the appropriate soil and site type to deliver sustainable growth. She opted for 4ha of oak in combination with 10ha of diverse spruce/broadleaf forest.

“I decided to plant to strengthen the future environmental and financial sustainability of my farm, to create additional on-farm employment for myself and a legacy for my children,” she said.

Deirdra’s new oak forest will take longer to mature, but can be developed as an excellent environmental resource.

She successfully established her farm forest this spring, helped by grants from the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine

The well-designed diverse spruce forest can also significantly enhance the farming landscape which includes 15% of the forest designated as an area for biodiversity enhancement (ABE).

She successfully established her farm forest this spring, helped by grants from the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM), which covered all planting costs. The attractive tax-free annual premiums (€645/ha for oak and €510/ha for the diverse conifer/broadleaf category), over 15 years, provide “welcome additional income”.

While the oak woodland can deliver a valuable timber resource over a long rotation, the conifers enhance financial viability on the farm in the shorter term, estimated at between €500/ha and €550/ha per annum over the life of the forest.

Although new to forestry, Deirdra is determined to learn how to make the most of her new resource. She intends to join the next round of the forestry Knowledge Transfer scheme and continue to avail of information from her local Teagasc Forestry adviser.

With a background in tourism, Deirdra also intends to explore the integration of eco-tourism into the farm forest venture and achieve added value in the process. The forest will also be an important resource in contributing to carbon capture.

We featured Michael Murphy’s new farm forest last year and it is now well established. A tillage farmer from Midleton, Co Cork, he planted 8ha of broadleaf trees, under the establishment part of the Native Woodland Scheme (NWS) over the winter of 2015/2016. In addition to his forestry crop, Michael grows 10ha of barley, incorporating some wild bird cover, and leases out the remainder of his agricultural holding.

The area planted was suitable, at best, for summer grazing because of impeded drainage. He said at the time that the planted site “has always been very wet and I felt the forestry would help to dry it out and also have a drying effect on the surrounding fields”.

The grant aid of over €6,000/ha along with a tax-free annual premium income of €665/ ha for 15 years will allow Michael to leave a living, vibrant woodland legacy to future generations of his family.

The NWS provides opportunities for Michael and other landowners to protect and expand Ireland’s native woodland resource and is a key biodiversity measure within Ireland’s national forest policy. It can also support a wide range of other biodiversity and landscape benefits arising from native woodlands.

He continues to carry out much of the work himself and encourages other forest owners to be more involved in the establishment and maintenance of their forests.

Michael believes in hands-on management and carries out establishment and early maintenance work

This is important as native woodland management needs intensive management, especially as his forest comprises 30% alder, 30% oak, 30% birch and the remaining 10% includes biodiversity-rich species, holly, Scot’s pine and hazel.

He also calls on the expertise of forester Mark Donnelly and John Casey, Teagasc.

Michael believes in hands-on management and carries out establishment and early maintenance work. He manually removed competing vegetation around some of the slower-growing broadleaf trees as he is keen to limit herbicide use unless absolutely necessary.

The trampling of vegetation around individual trees was carried out in the spring 2019 as well as the shaping of some of the oak.