The Westmeath Farm Forestry group was developed by Teagasc as a way of getting growers together to share knowledge, equipment and resources to ensure their forestry is a success.
Over the past number of years, a lot of farmers have planted trees due to the attractive incentives that are available to do so. However, the majority of these farmers have no previous experience of forestry and do not know how to properly manage them to ensure the sustainable development of the plantation.
A lot of farmers are also unaware of the large workload involved in establishing and maintaining a forest. As soon as trees are planted the mentality of many Irish farmers is to disregard it as no longer part of the farm. This is the wrong mentality to have and it should be viewed the same as a cattle or sheep enterprise and managed accordingly.
Small beginnings
The first meeting was held by the group in December 2009, where the needs of the group were identified and the benefits of developing the group were discussed. The main aim was to use it as a marketing tool where farmers with smaller plots and larger plots could come together to make it easier to sell their produce and get an improved price while also reducing costs.
At the first meeting a committee was formed with farmers from throughout the county. Since then, there has been a total of 160 growers who have attended at least one event, with over 40 active members this year.
A series of conditions were established for those who wanted to be a member of the group which were aimed at establishing common objectives. These conditions included being a grower in Westmeath and having a plantation that was eight years old at a minimum. This allowed for discussions to take place on the management of the plantations that were of a similar age.
Every year, the group will hold three to four events for the growers. These can vary from an event to a field visit. On the day I visited, the group was attending a thinning open day where growers were shown firsthand the appropriate steps that should be taken when thinning a plantation.
Other events that the group has undertaken include tours of a sawmill and courses such as conifer measurement and chainsaw training.
Grower power
The group has allowed for a better management of thinnings and selling of timber along with other advantages. Simple things like carrying out group thinnings will mean that costs will be reduced for individual farmers.
Since the group was established, two conifer cluster groups have facilitated members to carry out thinnings together in 2013 and 2015. A number of members from the group have also come together to purchase a Falcon Forwarder with the aid of some Leader funding. This type of investment would not have been possible if it had not been for the farmers coming together.
Due to the nature of the crop, developing a plantation is something that requires a lot of forward planning as many of the events such as thinning may have to be planned up to three years in advance.
Liam Kelly of Teagasc Mullingar stressed the need for farmers to treat a plantation as they would the rest of their farm.
He also had some simple and practical advice for growers:
Installing inspection paths, that are 100m apart, through a conifer plantation once the canopy has developed will allow for the forest to become part of the farm once again and will allow growers to see any issues that are developing within the forest.Identify when your first thinning will occur and ensure you have an adequate roadway in place for when this happens. This could mean beginning work on a roadway up to three years in advance, which could require putting the roadway in between years 12 and 15 of the plantation. If roads are put in late, then plantations may be more open to windblow. It is recommended to undertake light thinnings and often as opposed to only one or two heavy thinnings.It is vital that growers also realise that the thinnings are not intended to make you rich. Yes, they will provide a good cashflow, but the main objective is to allow the remainder of the plantation to develop further. For this reason, do not take out the strongest of trees during thinning as this will reduce the potential amount of timber that you have to sell when your plantation reaches maturity. During thinnings, trees should be cut close to the ground (10-15cm). Stumps should then be treated with urea straight away to prevent infection occurring which could potentially spread to healthy trees.Bring timber to the mill as soon as it is cut. The majority of sawmills will pay on the tonnage and if a stack of timber is left along the road for the summer months it can lose considerable moisture and hence weight.If contractors are in thinning or harvesting, beware of what they are doing. Supervision is key, but remember that health and safety is a priority.Finally, never be afraid to seek advice. This is an unknown venture for many farmers.
The Westmeath Farm Forestry group was developed by Teagasc as a way of getting growers together to share knowledge, equipment and resources to ensure their forestry is a success.
Over the past number of years, a lot of farmers have planted trees due to the attractive incentives that are available to do so. However, the majority of these farmers have no previous experience of forestry and do not know how to properly manage them to ensure the sustainable development of the plantation.
A lot of farmers are also unaware of the large workload involved in establishing and maintaining a forest. As soon as trees are planted the mentality of many Irish farmers is to disregard it as no longer part of the farm. This is the wrong mentality to have and it should be viewed the same as a cattle or sheep enterprise and managed accordingly.
Small beginnings
The first meeting was held by the group in December 2009, where the needs of the group were identified and the benefits of developing the group were discussed. The main aim was to use it as a marketing tool where farmers with smaller plots and larger plots could come together to make it easier to sell their produce and get an improved price while also reducing costs.
At the first meeting a committee was formed with farmers from throughout the county. Since then, there has been a total of 160 growers who have attended at least one event, with over 40 active members this year.
A series of conditions were established for those who wanted to be a member of the group which were aimed at establishing common objectives. These conditions included being a grower in Westmeath and having a plantation that was eight years old at a minimum. This allowed for discussions to take place on the management of the plantations that were of a similar age.
Every year, the group will hold three to four events for the growers. These can vary from an event to a field visit. On the day I visited, the group was attending a thinning open day where growers were shown firsthand the appropriate steps that should be taken when thinning a plantation.
Other events that the group has undertaken include tours of a sawmill and courses such as conifer measurement and chainsaw training.
Grower power
The group has allowed for a better management of thinnings and selling of timber along with other advantages. Simple things like carrying out group thinnings will mean that costs will be reduced for individual farmers.
Since the group was established, two conifer cluster groups have facilitated members to carry out thinnings together in 2013 and 2015. A number of members from the group have also come together to purchase a Falcon Forwarder with the aid of some Leader funding. This type of investment would not have been possible if it had not been for the farmers coming together.
Due to the nature of the crop, developing a plantation is something that requires a lot of forward planning as many of the events such as thinning may have to be planned up to three years in advance.
Liam Kelly of Teagasc Mullingar stressed the need for farmers to treat a plantation as they would the rest of their farm.
He also had some simple and practical advice for growers:
Installing inspection paths, that are 100m apart, through a conifer plantation once the canopy has developed will allow for the forest to become part of the farm once again and will allow growers to see any issues that are developing within the forest.Identify when your first thinning will occur and ensure you have an adequate roadway in place for when this happens. This could mean beginning work on a roadway up to three years in advance, which could require putting the roadway in between years 12 and 15 of the plantation. If roads are put in late, then plantations may be more open to windblow. It is recommended to undertake light thinnings and often as opposed to only one or two heavy thinnings.It is vital that growers also realise that the thinnings are not intended to make you rich. Yes, they will provide a good cashflow, but the main objective is to allow the remainder of the plantation to develop further. For this reason, do not take out the strongest of trees during thinning as this will reduce the potential amount of timber that you have to sell when your plantation reaches maturity. During thinnings, trees should be cut close to the ground (10-15cm). Stumps should then be treated with urea straight away to prevent infection occurring which could potentially spread to healthy trees.Bring timber to the mill as soon as it is cut. The majority of sawmills will pay on the tonnage and if a stack of timber is left along the road for the summer months it can lose considerable moisture and hence weight.If contractors are in thinning or harvesting, beware of what they are doing. Supervision is key, but remember that health and safety is a priority.Finally, never be afraid to seek advice. This is an unknown venture for many farmers. 
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