The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has bought 63.75ac beside Knockma Wood in Co Galway for €129,000 to extend the footprint of the wood.
The mixed woodland property is located just off the R333 between Caherlistrane and Belclare, Co Galway.
In 2024 the NPWS purchased a clear-felled conifer plantation which is 63.75ac in size, located contiguous to Knockma Wood, from a private landowner.
“This land acquisition increases the size of Knockma Wood by 32% and will add considerably to the biodiversity of the site. It was cleared of sitka spruce by the former land owner before it was purchased,” a spokesperson for NPWS told the Irish Farmers Journal.
In terms of future plans for the site, the NPWS is to replant it with native broadleaf tree species, primarily sessile oak which have been sourced from Knockma Wood and other NPWS properties. Natural regeneration will also be encouraged as the property will be managed for nature conservation.
Rare
The site is a good example of deciduous woodland on thin limestone soil, the NPWS said, adding that similar sites are rare in this part of the country.
The property also contains a number of important archaeological sites and monuments and is of considerable importance in Irish folklore. The site has a number of looped walks and car parking facilities and attracts approximately 70,000 visitors per year.
Other land
As part of its role in protecting nature the NPWS occasionally purchases land for strategic and nature conservation purposes, the spokesperson said.
“There are a number of sites under consideration at present. Such acquisitions are always considered carefully, on a case-by-case basis, as the opportunity arises, there is no predetermined target.
“In light of the commercial sensitivity of these matters, however, and the strategic implications of bringing such deliberations into the public domain, we would not comment publicly on numbers or details of sites being considered.”
Read more
Revealed: land acquired by National Parks and Wildlife Service since 2020
NPWS completed 14 land acquisitions last year
The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has bought 63.75ac beside Knockma Wood in Co Galway for €129,000 to extend the footprint of the wood.
The mixed woodland property is located just off the R333 between Caherlistrane and Belclare, Co Galway.
In 2024 the NPWS purchased a clear-felled conifer plantation which is 63.75ac in size, located contiguous to Knockma Wood, from a private landowner.
“This land acquisition increases the size of Knockma Wood by 32% and will add considerably to the biodiversity of the site. It was cleared of sitka spruce by the former land owner before it was purchased,” a spokesperson for NPWS told the Irish Farmers Journal.
In terms of future plans for the site, the NPWS is to replant it with native broadleaf tree species, primarily sessile oak which have been sourced from Knockma Wood and other NPWS properties. Natural regeneration will also be encouraged as the property will be managed for nature conservation.
Rare
The site is a good example of deciduous woodland on thin limestone soil, the NPWS said, adding that similar sites are rare in this part of the country.
The property also contains a number of important archaeological sites and monuments and is of considerable importance in Irish folklore. The site has a number of looped walks and car parking facilities and attracts approximately 70,000 visitors per year.
Other land
As part of its role in protecting nature the NPWS occasionally purchases land for strategic and nature conservation purposes, the spokesperson said.
“There are a number of sites under consideration at present. Such acquisitions are always considered carefully, on a case-by-case basis, as the opportunity arises, there is no predetermined target.
“In light of the commercial sensitivity of these matters, however, and the strategic implications of bringing such deliberations into the public domain, we would not comment publicly on numbers or details of sites being considered.”
Read more
Revealed: land acquired by National Parks and Wildlife Service since 2020
NPWS completed 14 land acquisitions last year
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