Forest Walk: Establishing and managing young forests

Forest walk on Tuesday, March 29, in Teagasc Ballyhaise College

Successful establishment and early management is essential to get the best returns from your forest.

Teagasc, in association with the Forest Service and the Department of Agriculture, has organised a forest walk on Tuesday, March 29, in Teagasc Ballyhaise College, starting at 2pm, focusing on the establishment and management of young forests. A forestry advisor from Teagasc and a Forest Service inspector will be on hand to explain why it is necessary and important to care for your young forests.

Forestry can be a highly attractive land use option. People plant forests for many different reasons. Objectives may include timber production, biodiversity, recreation, climate mitigation, leaving a legacy or a combination of some or all. Forests take many years to mature, gradually delivering more and more ecosystem services.

New forests require active management to become well established. If a young forest is not well looked after, future revenues are likely to disappoint and biodiversity value will be compromised. It is therefore very important for new owners to look after their young forest and to know what needs to be done each year.

The aim of this walk is to provide guidance to new forest owners and to those considering establishing a new woodland. We will look at a recently established conifer woodland, but will also cover all the establishment grant categories currently available including conifer, broadleaf, native woodland, forest for fibre and agroforestry. We will also examine successfully established broadleaf and conifer woodlands to give an idea of how your trees will develop. All are welcome to attend, however you need to register in advance. Upon registration, you will receive an email with meeting point details including an Eircode.

For further details contact Kevin O’Connell, Teagasc Forestry Adviser 087-1216159.