Broadleaf Planting in Ireland with Colm Gilheaney
Download MP3In this interview I'm joined by Colm Gilheaney, Establishment Manager at Western Forestry Co-Op. We discuss everything you need to know if you're considering planting a new broadleaf forest in Ireland. Colm gives me an overview of the Irish Government forestry programme, what it pays for and for how long. Farmland that is considered for planting is always surveyed and Colm explains how this feed into the type of forest the owner applies for. The Irish Forestry Programme supports 7 distinct broadleaf forest types and Colm highlights the crucial aspects of each and which might be best suited for the land in question. Finally we talk through the application process itself, who manages the planting, the maintenance and everything in between.
Colm Gilheaney is the Establishment Manager at Western Forestry Co-Op. He joined Western Forestry Co-op in 2015 and is based in the Sligo office managing the afforestation team and projects predominantly in counties Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Donegal, Cavan, Longford, Monaghan. Colm is a technical member of the Society of Irish Foresters and a Native Woodland Scheme accredited Forester.
This podcast is supported by the Irish Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine. If you're thinking of planting a new forest or if you want information on financial and technical supports to manage your existing forest then go to
Colm Gilheaney is the Establishment Manager at Western Forestry Co-Op. He joined Western Forestry Co-op in 2015 and is based in the Sligo office managing the afforestation team and projects predominantly in counties Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Donegal, Cavan, Longford, Monaghan. Colm is a technical member of the Society of Irish Foresters and a Native Woodland Scheme accredited Forester.
This podcast is supported by the Irish Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine. If you're thinking of planting a new forest or if you want information on financial and technical supports to manage your existing forest then go to
Key Points:
- Broadleaf forest planting schemes and available grants
- Site assessment and matching tree species to soils
- Native woodland types and species selection
- Management and maintenance of forests
- Planting arrangements and clustering key species
- Challenges like deer and hare in forest establishment
Quotes:
- "Don't make any real rash decisions on what you're gonna do with your land, you know, because it's a big decision."
- "There are attractive grants for the establishment of the forest, there's grants for the fencing of the forest, and then there's a yearly premium which goes to the landowner every year after that."
- "Up to twenty thousand euro per hectare over twenty years"
- "FT 1 is your different native mixes based on the native woodland framework and it's based on the soil.... Matching trees to soil is crucial for success"
- "Invert mounding is where you actually turn the sod and put it back in where it was effectively... it's a weed-free piece of soil for the plant to have a start in in life".
- Why plant in straight lines? "I suppose, if you're related to the machine that's trying to create the planting position, if you're doing the planting, the maintenance, like you know, when vegetation comes on and you maybe struggling to see the tree, you know that they're a straight line in front of you, whereas if they're small and they're all over the place, it can be impossible to find them. In relation to thinning out and pruning, it just makes it actually easier and possible to work on the forest in its early stage."
- As regards Forest Type 2 Woodlands for Water: "What it's doing really is incentivizing land to be planted as a native woodland close to rivers, you know, which then will protect them in the long course, you know."
- "Enjoy your forest and get involved in its management."
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Follow the Guest on:
Colm at Western: https://westernforestrycoop.ie/our-staff/colm-gilheaney/
Other Links of Note:
Teagasc Guide to Afforestation Forest Types, Rates and Rules: https://teagasc.ie/crops/forestry/grants/
Western Forestry Co-Op
on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DbsjF8eIT6b/
on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/western-forestry-co-op/
on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westernforestrycoop.ie/
Society of Irish Foresters: https://www.societyofirishforesters.ie/
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