Coillte Embrace Continuous Cover Forestry in Dublin Mountains Makeover

https://youtu.be/j41Muu6kN1Q There was much excitement this week when my forestry colleague Karen Woods –Pro Silva Ireland committee member and Coillte Operations Manager (Coillte is Ireland's semi-state body that manages Ireland's public forests) announced that there has been a landmark decision to manage the popular Dublin Mountain forests using Close-to-Nature continuous cover forestry methods. The conversation…Read more Coillte Embrace Continuous Cover Forestry in Dublin Mountains Makeover

‘Uinse’ by Sarah Flynn: grieving Ireland’s madness for monocultures

At a conference in Ireland in 2004, I remarked that the Irish had had enough experience of imported plant disease to last them a thousand years - the calamitous potato famine in 1845. The man from the Ministry got up and bleated nothing could be done because this would restrict trade and the World Trade…Read more ‘Uinse’ by Sarah Flynn: grieving Ireland’s madness for monocultures

Why ancient tree knowledge in Ireland matters today: Blackstairs Ecotrails film and Ogham tree-teaching stone

Today, Ireland only has remnants of its ancient forests and has one of the lowest levels of tree cover in Europe. While afforestation is promoted with plantations of conifers and native trees (tree cover across Ireland is around 12%) there is value in considering how ancient forests were once regarded. Ireland was deforested over many…Read more Why ancient tree knowledge in Ireland matters today: Blackstairs Ecotrails film and Ogham tree-teaching stone