Giant hopes at root of tiny woods

“Every action counts,” says one of the community leaders helping to get the first of two dozen micro woodlands established across County Cavan in the coming months.

The Tiny Forest project, organised by Cavan Community Local Development (CCLD), will see communities plant woodlands measuring just five metres squared. Crammed with native trees, shrubs and wildflowers they aim to maximise the area’s biodiversity potential. While community groups had been involved with the project for a number of months in selecting appropriate ground and seeking permission to plant, last weekend was the first time spades broke soil in earnest. Under the guidance of forester Daniel Monaghan members from the participating community groups attended three separate training events; in the Conaty Centre, Cavan Town and Cuchulainns GAA grounds on Saturday, and Killeshandra GAA grounds on Sunday.

The top layer of growth was removed with picks, spades and shovels over the course of an hour before the exposed earth was compensated with a feed of biochar, Fish, Blood & Bone, and a light blanket of compost. Finally a native mix of shade tolerant wildflower was sown to deter more pernicious weeds from taking over again in the coming months.

Armed with this new knowledge, the leaders will now return to their own sites, encourage their own communities to pitch in and replicate the process of preparing the land ahead of planting the trees early in the new year.

The Cavan Town training event was hosted at the Conaty Centre - the former St Pat’s building by Kilmore Care of Creation.

With chairperson Patricia Keenan at the helm, this voluntary group are taking up the challenge set by Pope Francis a decade ago - and endorsed in recent months by Pope Leo XIV - to dedicate 30% of church land to nature by 2030. Bishop Martin Hayes is instrumental in pushing the global project in Ireland, and particularly in his own dioceses of Kilmore. He has given his backing and blessing to the Conaty forest, and this is just one of many nature projects that Patricia and the Care of Creation team are helping parishes to deliver at church owned lands.

Patricia was grateful for the support from CCLD driving the Tiny Forest project and with the financial support of Leader funding to cover the expense.

Patricia was eager to acknowledge the support from the parish centre in providing the ground and emphasised how volunteers at the Conaty Centre had already planted hundreds of trees, hedges and seasonal bulbs at the landmark premises. She was heartened by having the help of students undertaking the John Paul II Awards for the Conaty Centre Tiny Forest.

For the Tiny Forest Project, the Kilmore Care for Creation team, and all the community groups are leaning heavily on the expertise of forester Daniel and his colleague Roisin Grimes, in learning what to actually do.

“The fact that this was a CCLD initiative, led by John Toland and then we had the diocesan support to give us the opportunity to use the land, and then of course it’s community led, so those three things are the pillars needed for something to take off.”

Patricia is also looking forward to the next phase, planting the trees and watching the woodland become established as the years pass.

“When we do plant it, we will be maintaining that for two to three years and then it will be self-sustaining at that stage. We’ll be visiting it regularly, and enjoying it as much as maintaining it,” she said.

The assurance that the trees will all be native varieties was important to Patricia.

“The good thing about the native trees is that naturally they have evolved to these growing conditions, so they will adapt and they have the deep roots, they’re not like Sitka Spruce, that are shallow rooted. Another great thing about about the trees we’re planting - they act as shelter belts as well. So the storms that are coming down the road, they’ll be better able to withstand the winds than the plantations of Sitka spruce wedominating in Ireland at the moment.”

While the forests are of modest dimensions, Patricia is happy to count it as a win for nature.

“Every action counts, and we all have to start somewhere. We’re doing what we can. It’s up to our leaders on the global stage to enable the bigger actions that are required, but on the ground as a community we are doing what we can.”

Any parishes eager to take on a nature project can contact Patricia Keenan and Care of Creation for them on 0044 7724 050 618.