Forest walks: the importance of managing young forests

Early management is essential to get the best returns from your forest!

Teagasc in association with the Forest Service (DAFM) are organising a nationwide series of forest walks from 17 to 27 April focusing on the management of young forests. At these events, forestry experts from Teagasc and the Forest Service will explain why it is essential to care for young forests.

New forests require several years of active management to become well established. If a plantation is not well maintained, future revenues are likely to be compromised.

It is therefore very important to ensure that the young forest will perform well and that budding forest owners know what needs to be done each year. This is also true if the management of the forest has been subcontracted out for the first four years. After all, it is the owner that will benefit financially from well looked after trees!

Another very good reason is because the payment of the second instalment of the Afforestation Scheme (4-year maintenance grant) and forestry premium is subject to the forest successfully achieving certain standards.

Focus in the first few years will be on controlling the surrounding vegetation, ensuring that browsing animals won't damage the young trees, replanting of failed trees, assessing nutrient needs, shaping of broadleaf trees and reducing the risk of fires.

This nationwide series of forest walks is aimed at landowners who have established a new forest in the last ten years. Landowners who are considering planting some land will also find these events very useful.

The aim of these walks is to provide guidance to forest owners. Forest owners need to take an active role in the management of their forests to maximise future timber revenue.

Please note: all walks start at 7pm.