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Forestry Now

Forestry Now

By: Dermot McNally
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Every two weeks this podcast explores the forces impacting the profitable and sustainable management of commercial forests and natural woodlands. I speak with forest owners, forestry professionals and industry stakeholders on the biggest operational, environmental and economic challenges affecting the sector. I'll interview people involved in the harvesting and processing side of the forestry business as well as those who are trying to maximise carbon sequestration and general ecosystem services. Finally I'll investigate political and legislative changes that are coming down the track as well as highlight new technologies and big opportunities that are around the corner. Subscribe to Forestry Now with me Dermot McNally, to hear more.© 2026 Dermot McNally Economics
Episodes
  • Where Farming Meets Forestry - with Andy Dunne

    Where Farming Meets Forestry - with Andy Dunne
    Mar 16 2026

    Today I speak with Andy Dunne. Andy's an agricultural consultant based in Portlaoise, Ireland. He's also a forest owner and a member of the Laois Offaly Farm Forestry Group. Andy explains how he manages his own forest and his experience working with adjoining forest owners using a Continuous Cover Forestry approach.
    Then we talk about his role as an Agricultural Consultant and his experience advising farmers on their options under the current forestry programme. He highlights the way forestry has been marginalised outside of farming and how this affects the attitudes of land holders to it. Finally he explains with clear examples how current restrictions around afforestation rarely result in the best outcome for nature.

    Key Points:
    How Andy made the decision to plant land and why it worked for him.
    Collaborative forestry management including approaches to roads and felling licences.
    State support (or lack thereof) and lack of a holistic created siloed thinking between farming and forestry.
    Encouraging landowners to plant given regulations and land designations.
    Recognising the inevitable environmental trade offs inherent with the Irish forestry system.
    Impact of designations on current land value.
    Shifting attitudes towards forestry.


    Quotes:
    "When I planted it was simple - it's not simple anymore..."

    "If we integrate (forestry) at an institutional level, we start to get the farmer integrating his thinking around it as well."

    "If you impose any burden, and a designation (environmental) is a burden... it's restricting what you can and can't do with the land... it will affect the value."
    "The dairy farmer up the road will reclaim it for me, and he'll give me 350 euros an acre for it..."


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    Links:

    Andy Dunne's Agri Consultants: https://www.facebook.com/eaecltd/

    Andy on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andy-dunne-72b07718Andy's profile at the Agricultural Consultants' Association

    https://aca.ie/andy-dunne/

    Farm Forest Season 2 Episode 5 - Andy Dunne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ELMJDC3Mc4


    Chapters:
    [0:00:00] – Agricultural consultancy and Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) on his home farm.

    [0:03:34] – Collaborative Management with Adjoining Owners.

    [0:05:37] – Shared Infrastructure and Rights of Way.

    [0:07:45] – Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) and Wind Stability.

    [0:11:35] – Storm Impacts and Species Suitability.

    [0:15:18] – Administrative Challenges for Small Owners.

    [0:20:37] – The Marginalization of Forestry in Farming.

    [0:22:38] – Integrating Forestry as a Farm Enterprise.

    [0:30:40] – Bureaucratic Hurdles and Environmental Screening.

    [0:37:12] – Valuing Ecosystem Services, Land Value and "Payment for Environmental Services" (PES).
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    43 mins
  • Community and Conservation: A New Approach to Forestry

    Community and Conservation: A New Approach to Forestry
    Mar 2 2026

    In this conversation, I speak with Ray Ó Foghlú - Ray is Development Lead at Hometree, a nature restoration charity with a strong focus on woodlands based in Co Clare, Ireland. We discuss the organization's role in landscape level projects such as the Wild Atlantic Rainforest Project and the Iveragh Woodland EIP (European Innovation Partnership) in Kerry. Ray discusses bureaucratic challenges in Irish forestry and the need for supportive agricultural policies that empower farmers while also facilitating nature restoration. Ray sets out a clear vision of how we can create vibrant rural communities that value both food production and ecosystem services.

    Reference is made in the podcast to SAC's which are Special Areas of Conservation and also to SPA's or Special Protection Areas.

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    Other Links:
    Ray on Linkedin
    linkedin.com/in/ray-ó-foghlú-24923a70
    Ray writing on The Journal
    https://www.thejournal.ie/author/ray-Ó-foghlú/6649/
    Ray writing in the Farmers Journal
    https://www.farmersjournal.ie/news/opinion/opinion-rural-ireland-s-future-depends-on-homes-for-young-people-893508
    Links to Hometree's website and social media.https://www.hometree.ie/
    https://www.instagram.com/hometreecharity/
    https://www.facebook.com/hometreecharity/


    Sponsor Link
    www.forestsales.ie

    Contact Dermot
    forestrynowpodcast@gmail.com

    Key Points

    • Hometree focuses on native woodlands and community engagement. The organization aims to restore 57,500 acres in the next 10 years in the next 10 years through projects such as the Wild Atlantic Rainforest Project.
    • Ray explains why farmers are often cautious about permanent land use changes and why they often feel let down. Financial incentives are essential for farmer engagement and he suggests how we can make these better for both farmers and nature.
    • He explains in depth how the Iveragh Woodland EIP aims to create woodlands in Kerry.
    • Ray outlines why policy changes are needed to support nature restoration efforts such as those that dictate elevation restrictions and levels of bare rock on afforestation sites.
    • Ray explains how the future of farming must include ecosystem services and technology.
    • Ray gives his opinion on clearfell as a management technique and addresses criticisms of Sitka Spruce .


    Quotes:
    "We're not here just to look good, we want to have real tangible impact."
    "We need to capture that sentiment." (In relation to initial farmer enthusiasm for afforestation)
    "You need to take a cap off what they (farmers) can earn for the environment!"
    "Clearfell can be done sensitively."
    "The future is rural!"

    [0:00:00] – Introduction to Hometree and Nature Restoration
    [0:03:19] – Ambitious Restoration Targets and Strategic Pillars
    [0:05:45] – The Wild Atlantic Rainforest Project and Farmer Engagement
    [0:09:12] – Perceptions of Forestry and Bureaucratic Hurdles
    [0:13:58] – Silvicultural Mindsets vs. Nature-Based Solutions
    [0:16:15] – Strategies for Woodland Conservation and Fencing
    [0:20:07] – The Iveragh Woodlands EIP: Upland Challenges
    [0:24:28] – Innovative Payments and Results-Based Scoring
    [0:26:59] – Landscape-Level Deer Management and Technology
    [0:28:57] – De-risking Policy: EIPs vs. National Schemes
    [0:36:32] – Valuing Ecosystem Services and Rural Succession
    [0:42:07] – Forestry Diversity and Rethinking Monocultures
    [0:44:19] – Clearfell Mitigation and Peatland Restoration
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    48 mins
  • Farming in an Irish Forest with Brendan Guinan

    Farming in an Irish Forest with Brendan Guinan
    Feb 16 2026
    In this podcast I speak to Brendan Guinan of Fiorbhia farm about what happened when he sold his hazardous waste business and transitioned into agroforestry. He explains his experience raising cattle, pigs and chickens in his neglected mixed species forest near Portlaoise, Ireland. We discuss the forest itself and his management approach, thinning the forest, creating paddocks and his system of rotational grazing. He also shares the criticism he received, his experience managing windblow, observations around nature, natural regeneration, rainfall and much more.Key TopicsBrendan explains how he used the animals to open up the understory.The general ecological benefits of using cattle, pigs and hens in forest management.How innovative methods lead to biodiversity improvements.Brendan argues that agroforestry management requires understanding of local ecosystems.The importance of balancing bacterial to fungal ratios in the forest to allow grass to thrive.The value Brendan sees in the soil itself and how the forest enhances livestock welfare.How carefully controlled rotational grazing through defined paddocks prevents damaging the soils and the trees.How Brendan brings the community into his forest.Fiorbhia website: https://www.fiorbhiafarm.ie/Fiorbhia on instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/fiorbhia_farm/?hl=enBrendan's Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendan-guinan-99395662/Read about Brendan in the Irish Indepedent at https://www.independent.ie/farming/rural-life/how-this-26ac-of-abandoned-forest-in-laois-is-now-producing-premium-meat-for-irelands-top-chefs/42273708.htmlFor general advice and information about agroforestry in Ireland: https://www.irishagroforestry.ie/Department of Agriculture Food and Marome Forestry Information including the Agroforestry Scheme at https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-agriculture-food-and-the-marine/publications/forestry-grants-and-schemes/forestrynowpodcast@gmail.comChapters:[0:00:00] – Introduction to Fíorbhia Farm & Biological Agroforestry - Brendan Guinan introduces his unique 100% biological agroforestry enterprise in Ireland that operates without chemical intervention to enhance the living conditions of both trees and animals.[0:00:55] – From Hazardous Waste to Forestry: The Origin Story After 16 years running a hazardous waste business and experiencing burnout at age 40, Brendan explains how he sold his company and eventually found a forgotten, overgrown forest in 2019.[0:02:08] – Assessing the Land: Soil Health Over Timber Value Brendan describes the state of the 25-year-old unthinned forest and explains why he saw more value in the thriving soil biology (worm castings and tilth) than in the neglected, stunted trees.[0:04:49] – Integrating Animals: A Lifelong Farming Philosophy Drawing on 20 years of experience growing 80% of his family's food on a small plot, Brendan discusses why cattle, pigs, and poultry were always a central part of his plan for the forest.[0:08:04] – Forest Composition: Planted Species vs. Natural Regeneration A breakdown of the site’s species, including planted Sycamore, Red Alder, and Lodgepole Pine, as well as the diverse natural regeneration of Oak, Hazel, Willow, and Rowan.[0:10:46] – First Steps: Infrastructure, Licensing, and Initial Thinning Brendan recounts investing €40,000 in a roadway, securing a rare continuous cover felling license, and using a chainsaw to open paddocks and create fencing from the harvested timber.[0:13:24] – The Multi-Species Grazing System & Ecological Impact Details on how cattle first cleared the eight-foot-tall overgrowth, followed by pigs to turn the soil and hens to spread waste, effectively restoring the ecosystem's balance without machinery.[0:18:19] – Soil Microbiology & Managing the Fungal-to-Bacteria Ratio An exploration of soil science in agroforestry, where Brendan explains how animal intervention reduced the fungal-to-bacteria ratio from 60:1 to 5:1 to encourage healthier grass growth.[0:20:59] – Managing Animal Impact & Rotational Grazing Strategy Addressing concerns about root damage, Brendan explains his use of small 1–2 acre paddocks and the importance of moving animals before they transition from "regenerative" to "destructive".[0:24:00] – Diversification: Fruit Trees, Lakes, and Cob Houses Brendan discusses his trials with "nurse crops," planting walnuts and blueberries, and how he converted a flooded, nutrient-poor area into a one-acre lake and built a cob house using on-site clay.[0:30:24] – Navigating Grants, Bureaucracy, and Commercial Viability A candid look at the lack of support from official organic and agricultural schemes, and Brendan’s reliance on direct sales and marketing rather than government grants.[0:32:10] – Future Vision: Demonstration Farming & Succession Planning Brendan outlines his 2026 plans to turn the farm into a destination for training and public engagement, aiming to create a viable intergenerational model for ...
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    42 mins
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