Special Pro Silva Ireland Field Day for members of North East Forestry Group, Westmeath Farm Forest Group, and other forest owners new to Continuous Cover Forestry

Wicklow – Saturday April 23^rd 2016, 10.30am – 3.30pm

“At the request of a number of forest owner associations who contacted Pro Silva Ireland and Teagasc wanting to learn more about Continuous Cover Forestry, we are dedicating our April 2016 Field Day to this purpose.  For this reason we are re-visiting Knockrath forest, the site of our recent October 2015 Field day, in order that newcomers to CCF can get a vision of what a CCF forest looks like.  In addition we will be visiting a first generation forest in which a thinning trial has been established to research the best ways of initiating transformation to CCF through thinning. Pro Silva Ireland Members are welcome to attend as per a normal field day and we would encourage you to do so to share experiences and discussions with our guests from the various farm forestry groups on the day”.

Directions:

We begin the day at 10:30 am the ClaraLara FunPark car park: On Google Maps : https://goo.gl/maps/kjmbDwZ984P2

From Rathdrum (Co. Wicklow) – Take the Laragh / Glendalough road for about 5 km and follow Pro Silva Ireland signs to parking area.

From Laragh (Co. Wicklow) – Take the Rathdrum road following Pro Silva Ireland signs to parking area (approx.. 4 k

Please bring a packed lunch and note that some car pooling will be required on the day to visit different forest sites.

The purpose of the day is to:

1. introduce the concept of Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) and “Close to Nature” forest management to those who have no knowledge of it to date;
2. give a vision of how forests that are being transformed to CCF differ from conventionally managed Irish forests;
3. illustrate the early practical steps involved in transforming young forests to CCF.

We will be hosted in the morning at Knockrath forest, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow which is owned by the Brabazon family and has been undergoing CCF transformation for 10 years. This forest recently featured on RTE’s Ecoeye series. Field Day participants will see advanced regeneration in commercially managed stands.   The afternoon visit will be to a small farm forest at Ballycullen, Ashford, Co. Wicklow owned by Sandra Jorgensen. This forest was planted in 1998, has had 2 thinnings as part of a thinning trial in the COFORD Low Impact Silvicultural Systems (LISS) project. Field Day participants will see the difference in early thinnings between CCF management and conventional management.

The day will be led by Pro Silva Ireland committee members who actively manage CCF sites around Ireland. We are also delighted to be joined by Austrian CCF forester and Pro Silva Austria chairperson Dr. Eckhart Senitza (right) who also works with forest owner groups in Austria.

Forest Owner Groups are expected to arrange their own collective transport by bus to this field day. The field day will commence at 10.30 am and finish at approximately 3.30 pm. The meeting point will be communicated to group leaders in advance of the event.