In recent years, the Ploughing has been followed by forestry events aimed primarily at farmers and other landowners who either have forests or are thinking about planting. Foresters, forestry companies, producer groups and organisations such as the Society of Irish Foresters, (SIF) and the Irish Timber Growers Association (ITGA) along with the Forest Service and Teagasc are well represented in promoting forestry at events around the country in late September and October. Standout events include:
Forestry, foliage, sawmilling in counties Kerry and Leitrim: 21 September and 12 October.Native woodlands and the forester’s role in UCD: 4 October.Ash management in Ballyhaise: 23 October.ITGA in Kerry and Leitrim
The ITGA is organising two events in Kerry and Leitrim in September and October. The Kerry field day is held in association with the forest certification body – PEFC Ireland – and Forest Produce Ltd (FPL), and is, according to Donal Whelan, ITGA, compatible with the association’s aim to promote commercial forestry and to encourage innovative non-wood initiatives.
The field day begins in Curraghmore West woodlands where William Merivale, forest manager, will lead the group in Adrian Brink’s128ha forest. This was established on cutaway bog and after a slow start has now developed into a promising woodland. Forest management topics to be discussed include thinning and harvesting, managing past windblow, reconstitution, reforestation and practices that are required to comply with PEFC certification.
In the afternoon, the conversation will shift from cubic metres to foliage stem units in Padraig O’Sullivan’s site outside Tralee where Jason Flaherty of FPL will discuss tree and shrub species cultivated for foliage production. FPL produces 35m foliage stem units annually mainly for export to the UK and continental markets from their Kerry operation, as well as sourcing foliage from woodlands throughout Ireland. The company employs 40 people full-time and over 100 seasonal workers. The meeting place for the Kerry field day is the car park at the Tralee Aqua Dome at 10am on 21 September.
Leitrim
The Leitrim ITGA field day begins in Crowe’s Sawmill, Mohill, before moving on to Cloone forest, Co Leitrim. Alan Crowe and Victor Barber will outline Crowe’s core sawmill business, which has diversified over the years to produce high-value products including garden furniture, gates and high-quality fencing for the equestrian market. Founded in 1907, the mill processes minor conifers such as larch, Scot’s pine and Douglas fir, as well as Sitka spruce, some of which was harvested in the Crowe farm forest.
In the afternoon, the group will visit the nearby private locally owned 22ha Cloone Forest. It was planted in 1998 with Sitka spruce and 20% diverse species comprising Japanese larch, Norway spruce, oak, ash and sycamore. Marina Conway, Western Forestry Co-op, will lead the group in discussing recent thinning and forest road construction.
A harvesting demonstration will take place on site where retained small timber is chipped for transportation directly to the end user. Forest owners in Co Leitrim are fortunate in having a wide range of markets close by including Crowe’s Sawmill and McCauley Wood Fuels in Mohill, Masonite in Carrick-on-Shannon and two major sawmills in Co Galway.
The meeting point is at St Patrick’s Church, Mohill, at 10am on Friday 12 October. While both ITGA field days are organised primarily for the association’s members, non-members are welcome but should book in advance by emailing ITGA (info@itga.ie).
Native woodlands
“Rediscovering the role of the forester in Ireland’s native woodlands” is the title of this year’s Seán Mac Bride forestry lecture, organised by the SIF. The lecture is provided by Kevin Collins and Dr. John Cross co-authors of Management Guidelines for Ireland’s Native Woodlands.
They maintain that “while foresters’ expertise and involvement in the area are growing, there may still exist a certain reticence within the profession regarding the relevance of native woodlands and the forester’s role in their management”. They challenge foresters to take their place alongside woodland ecologists in owning this native woodland space.
Foresters might argue that the average increase in native tree species planting, from little more than 5% of all planting for much of the last century to over 30% since the beginning of this century until ash dieback in 2012, demonstrates that they are now occupying the native woodland space. The owning of it is ultimately in the gift of existing and potential woodland owners – State and private – and the value they place on this important resource which the presenters say “delivers a wide variety of clearly recognised – if not yet fully quantified – ecosystem services”.
These include biodiversity, water, carbon and amenity benefits as well as wood and non-wood products. The lecture takes place in Theatre G08, Agriculture Building, UCD on Thursday 4 October beginning at 6pm.
Cavan ash
Cavan may not be the county that springs to mind when discussing ash and ash dieback but the disease recognises neither county nor international boundaries in its relentless spread.
Teagasc forestry advisers and researchers will focus on the management of ash in Ballyhaise Agricultural College next month. The event includes a tour through an ash plantation – top height of 15m – with topics such as felling systems, timber production and uses up for discussion.
This event will take place on October 23 with guided tours from 10am to 11.30am to last around two and a half hours. Further information is available from Kevin O’Connell, Teagasc (phone-049 4338645 or www.teagasc.ie/forestry).
There is no admission charge to the above events.
In recent years, the Ploughing has been followed by forestry events aimed primarily at farmers and other landowners who either have forests or are thinking about planting. Foresters, forestry companies, producer groups and organisations such as the Society of Irish Foresters, (SIF) and the Irish Timber Growers Association (ITGA) along with the Forest Service and Teagasc are well represented in promoting forestry at events around the country in late September and October. Standout events include:
Forestry, foliage, sawmilling in counties Kerry and Leitrim: 21 September and 12 October.Native woodlands and the forester’s role in UCD: 4 October.Ash management in Ballyhaise: 23 October.ITGA in Kerry and Leitrim
The ITGA is organising two events in Kerry and Leitrim in September and October. The Kerry field day is held in association with the forest certification body – PEFC Ireland – and Forest Produce Ltd (FPL), and is, according to Donal Whelan, ITGA, compatible with the association’s aim to promote commercial forestry and to encourage innovative non-wood initiatives.
The field day begins in Curraghmore West woodlands where William Merivale, forest manager, will lead the group in Adrian Brink’s128ha forest. This was established on cutaway bog and after a slow start has now developed into a promising woodland. Forest management topics to be discussed include thinning and harvesting, managing past windblow, reconstitution, reforestation and practices that are required to comply with PEFC certification.
In the afternoon, the conversation will shift from cubic metres to foliage stem units in Padraig O’Sullivan’s site outside Tralee where Jason Flaherty of FPL will discuss tree and shrub species cultivated for foliage production. FPL produces 35m foliage stem units annually mainly for export to the UK and continental markets from their Kerry operation, as well as sourcing foliage from woodlands throughout Ireland. The company employs 40 people full-time and over 100 seasonal workers. The meeting place for the Kerry field day is the car park at the Tralee Aqua Dome at 10am on 21 September.
Leitrim
The Leitrim ITGA field day begins in Crowe’s Sawmill, Mohill, before moving on to Cloone forest, Co Leitrim. Alan Crowe and Victor Barber will outline Crowe’s core sawmill business, which has diversified over the years to produce high-value products including garden furniture, gates and high-quality fencing for the equestrian market. Founded in 1907, the mill processes minor conifers such as larch, Scot’s pine and Douglas fir, as well as Sitka spruce, some of which was harvested in the Crowe farm forest.
In the afternoon, the group will visit the nearby private locally owned 22ha Cloone Forest. It was planted in 1998 with Sitka spruce and 20% diverse species comprising Japanese larch, Norway spruce, oak, ash and sycamore. Marina Conway, Western Forestry Co-op, will lead the group in discussing recent thinning and forest road construction.
A harvesting demonstration will take place on site where retained small timber is chipped for transportation directly to the end user. Forest owners in Co Leitrim are fortunate in having a wide range of markets close by including Crowe’s Sawmill and McCauley Wood Fuels in Mohill, Masonite in Carrick-on-Shannon and two major sawmills in Co Galway.
The meeting point is at St Patrick’s Church, Mohill, at 10am on Friday 12 October. While both ITGA field days are organised primarily for the association’s members, non-members are welcome but should book in advance by emailing ITGA (info@itga.ie).
Native woodlands
“Rediscovering the role of the forester in Ireland’s native woodlands” is the title of this year’s Seán Mac Bride forestry lecture, organised by the SIF. The lecture is provided by Kevin Collins and Dr. John Cross co-authors of Management Guidelines for Ireland’s Native Woodlands.
They maintain that “while foresters’ expertise and involvement in the area are growing, there may still exist a certain reticence within the profession regarding the relevance of native woodlands and the forester’s role in their management”. They challenge foresters to take their place alongside woodland ecologists in owning this native woodland space.
Foresters might argue that the average increase in native tree species planting, from little more than 5% of all planting for much of the last century to over 30% since the beginning of this century until ash dieback in 2012, demonstrates that they are now occupying the native woodland space. The owning of it is ultimately in the gift of existing and potential woodland owners – State and private – and the value they place on this important resource which the presenters say “delivers a wide variety of clearly recognised – if not yet fully quantified – ecosystem services”.
These include biodiversity, water, carbon and amenity benefits as well as wood and non-wood products. The lecture takes place in Theatre G08, Agriculture Building, UCD on Thursday 4 October beginning at 6pm.
Cavan ash
Cavan may not be the county that springs to mind when discussing ash and ash dieback but the disease recognises neither county nor international boundaries in its relentless spread.
Teagasc forestry advisers and researchers will focus on the management of ash in Ballyhaise Agricultural College next month. The event includes a tour through an ash plantation – top height of 15m – with topics such as felling systems, timber production and uses up for discussion.
This event will take place on October 23 with guided tours from 10am to 11.30am to last around two and a half hours. Further information is available from Kevin O’Connell, Teagasc (phone-049 4338645 or www.teagasc.ie/forestry).
There is no admission charge to the above events.
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