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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forestrynowpodcast@gmail.com

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).

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

I talk to John Sherlock (forest owner and member of the North East Forest Group) about how his search for a new revenue stream to integrate into his warehousing business led him to develop a thriving firewood processing enterprise. John explains how it works and how he scaled the business upwards while avoiding bottlenecks. John quickly recognised quality logs among the loads of "pulp" and "rescue timber" that he was processing for firewood and so expanded into sawmilling which he explains in depth - he also discusses his craft timber enterprise where he offers custom made post and beam products (from Irish grown Douglas Fir predominantly) as well as making a range of other bespoke wood products to order. Finally John discusses the growth of small scale sawmilling across Ireland and moves towards forming a Guild. All of this is good news for forest owners who want to maximize revenue from their broadleaf and diverse conifers trees. It's also good news for wood manufacturers and users who want more Irish grown timber in high end products.

Note: this is the second part of my interview with John Sherlock - in the first interview we discussed how he manages his own forest outside Navan in Co Meath and the excellent work being carried out on behalf of forest owners by the North East Forestry Group.

Topics Covered:

• Setting and scaling up his firewood business, avoiding bottlenecks and achieving synergies with his warehousing enterprise.
• Certifying firewood under the Wood Fuel Quality Assurance scheme - refusing money for firewood - sticking to a quality ethos.
• Kiln dried firewood, saw dust and bark residues?
• Expansion into small scale sawmilling and how demand for at-home-Shebeens during COVID turned into demand for timber.
• Post and beam training and douglas fir processing. Preparing cants, finishing to order and conversion rates.
• A guild of small scale irish sawmillers? 170 small sawmillers in Ireland! Certified home grown timber in the future?
• The strength of peer to peer learning and site visits - how a small amount of Government funding can accelerate industry expansion and cohesion.
• A ready made market in Irish schools and bespoke furniture as well as post and beam buildings?
• A bright future for Irish forest owners and timber users.

Links

John Sherlock on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-sherlock-6a0a14236/
RDS Forestry Award 2020: https://www.forestry.ie/images/MiscDocs/2021YearbookArticles/2021YB-RDSForestryAwards.pdf
North East Forestry Group: https://northeastforestrygroup.ie/
Sherlogs Firewood: https://sherlogscrafttimber.ie/

Sherlogs Craft Timber: https://sherlogs.ie/
Guide to Small Scale Sawmilling: https://irishforestowners.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IFO-Sawmilling-Handbook-2025.pdf

https://forestrynow.eu/

Today I speak with John Sherlock. As well as managing a 49 acre forest, John and his wife Evelyn own Sherlogs Firewood and Craft Timber based outside Navan in Co Meath. The business supplies firewood in the midlands and also mills timber for resale as well as offering a bespoke timber manufacturing service. If that wasn't enough John is very active in the North East Forestry Group and in a new initiative to bring small scale sawmillers across Ireland together.

So there's a lot to talk about which is why I've split the interview in two parts. In this episode we talk about what's happening in his forest right now (he had windblow in January 25 and ash dieback prior to that). Then we take a deep dive into the activities of the North East Forestry Group where John's a former Chair and current secretary. John explains how their members are thriving through participation and peer to peer learning - their activities all prove the point that a small amount of targeted Government funding can accelerate the growth and cohesion of the industry.

In the second episode (scheduled for release in two weeks) we'll discuss Johns firewood, his sawmilling business and the custom timber products he offers including post and beam from Douglas Fir. Then we move on to talk about the growing number of small scale sawmills across Ireland which can only be good news for forest owners who want to maximize revenue from broadleaf timber and diverse conifers.

Topics in this Episode:

• Johns forest, ash dieback and replanting to suit the land, windblow devastation and CCF going forward.
• Growth of the North East Forestry Group, especially since Storm Eowyn.
• Group Forest Certification (including the 12 Apostles) and expanding the number of forests certified. Learning from Certification.
• The Schools Project to bring kids into the forests.
• Supporting Future Forest Owners with bespoke learning initiatives.
• Knowledge Transfer Groups and the strength of forest owners groups - with examples including an application to fund a group owned forwarding machine.

Links

John Sherlock on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-sherlock-6a0a14236/
RDS Forestry Award 2020: https://www.forestry.ie/images/MiscDocs/2021YearbookArticles/2021YB-RDSForestryAwards.pdf
North East Forestry Group: https://northeastforestrygroup.ie/
Sherlogs Firewood: https://sherlogscrafttimber.ie/

Sherlogs Craft Timber: https://sherlogs.ie/
Guide to Small Scale Sawmilling: https://irishforestowners.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IFO-Sawmilling-Handbook-2025.pdf

https://forestrynow.eu/

In this interview I speak with Alan McCabe who is the Manager at Glaslough Tyholland Group Water Scheme in North Co Monaghan. We briefly discuss how Alan manages his own forest and his role as Co Monaghan representative on the IFA Forestry Committee including challenges surrounding ESB corridors in existing forests. Then we discuss the River Blackwater Catchment Trust who have a project to remove self seeded conifers off the heather boglands of Sliabh Beagh (which is in Monaghan, Tyrone and Fermanagh): we explore how they do this and why it matters.

Alan McCabe on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-mccabe-0485b7162/

The Blackwater River Catchment Trust: https://blackwatercatchmenttrust.org/

Glaslough Tyholland Group Water Scheme: https://gtgws.ie/
The IFA Forestry Committee: https://www.ifa.ie/sector-committees/forestry-committee/

National Park and Wildlife Service (NPWS) https://www.npws.ie/peatlands-and-turf-cutting/protected-raised-bog-restoration-incentive-scheme-prbris

forestrynow.eu

[0:00:01] Introduction & Alan McCabe’s Forest Management

[0:07:25] Joining the IFA Forestry Committee: Roles and Activities

[0:10:54] Committee Advocacy: Wind Blow, Timber Prices, and Owner Support

[0:14:00] ESB Access and Powerline Corridor Management

[0:19:25] Licensing Objections and Ministry Liaison

[0:20:49] River Blackwater Catchment Trust: Overview and Goals

[0:27:06] Peatland Site Description: Species, Geography, Significance

[0:29:50] Invasive Self-Seeded Conifers: Project and Impact

[0:34:06] Other Invasives and Habitat Challenges

[0:35:13] Physical Removal, Drone Use, and Safety Considerations

[0:37:30] Native Species Self-Seeding: Habitat Change Drivers

[0:39:27] Peat Extraction History and Bog Restoration Plans

[0:40:18] Advice and Priorities for Forest Owners

In this podcast I speak to Seán Ó Conláin about planting a 15 acre broadleaf forest in 2004, buying an adjoining mature high yield class conifer plantation (planted 1987) and the risks he took converting this block to continuous cover forestry. Seán explains his background and inspiration, management techniques, thinning interventions, underplanting, windblow of standing timber, observations around nature and enhancing nature on his holding and much more. Seán is a Chair of the Teagasc Forestry Stakeholder Group as well as a committee member at Pro Silva Ireland.

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Links
Field day report from Seáns forest https://prosilvaireland.com/autumn-field-day-2023/
Pro Silva Ireland at https://prosilvaireland.com/ or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ProSilvaIreland/
Department of Agriculture Food and Marine Forestry Information https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-agriculture-food-and-the-marine/publications/forestry-grants-and-schemes/
Sean on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/se%C3%A1n-c-1b24109/

Forestry Now
https://forestrynow.eu/

CHAPTERS
[0:00:04] – Introduction & Guest Background

[0:05:37] – Forest Structure & Oak’s Significance
Discussion about planting patterns, mixing species, the cultural meaning of oak in Ireland, site layout, and adapting to the local landscape’s needs.

[0:09:13] – Interventions & Spruce Management
Sean explains interventions since his trees established, including halo thinning, tending around oak, neighbor assistance, and applying for the Woodland Improvement Scheme.

[0:12:23] – Spruce Block Purchase & CCF Transition
Sean recounts the decision to buy an older spruce block, shifting from clearfell to continuous cover forestry, weighing risks, and starting the transformation process.

[0:18:56] – Machinery, Soil, & Harvesting Challenges
Challenges of using heavy equipment on peaty soil, timing interventions to minimize damage, and balancing harvesting with conservation values.

[0:19:37] – Deer, Wildlife, & Managing Browsing Pressure
Sean shares the rising impact of deer on regeneration and underplanting, failed attempts at fencing, and the need for collaborative local management of wildlife.

[0:29:04] – Social Value, Community, & Future Initiatives
Exploration of the social benefits of the forest, potential for community social farming, application to integrate habitats, and ambitions for wider involvement.

[0:36:06] – Advice to New Foresters & Learning Resources
Sean’s advice on planning access and roads from the start, sources like Teagasc and Pro Silva, learning from big estates, and insights on forest knowledge transfer.

[0:39:43] – Cultural Reflections, Succession, & Closing Thoughts
Discussion of Irish people’s deep cultural connections to trees, succession challenges for new owners, and Sean’s poetic closing remarks on the legacy of woodlands.

The fall out from Storm Darragh and Eowyn has been monumental for the Irish Forestry Industry. To get an overview of this I speak with Victor Barber - Victor's a qualified forester who began his career with Western Forestry Co Op and is now their Harvesting Manager based out of Sligo. He also farms and is a regular contributor to the Farmers Journal on all things forestry. We speak about Storm Éoywn, we try to make sense of why some sites blew down and some sites didn't, we discuss the challenge harvesting windblown sites and the arrival of international harvesting crews. Finally we talk through the export of timber in containers and how prices are holding up for the owners of recently harvested forests.

Western Forestry Coop: https://westernforestrycoop.ie/

Victor Barber's Profile: https://westernforestrycoop.ie/our-staff/victor-barber/

Victor in the Farmers Journal https://www.farmersjournal.ie/focus/forestry/planning-windblow-from-harvesting-and-sale-to-replanting-885052
DAFM Guidance on using free satellite technology to assess windblown forests: youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=Hqqy5sP8PzY
IFA Timber Price Survey: https://www.ifa.ie/market-reports/timber-price-surveys/
ITGA: Wood Price Quarterly: https://itga.ie/services/information/wpq

Forestry Now
https://forestrynow.eu/

Chapters
[0:00:01] – Introduction & Guest Background
Dermot McNally introduces the podcast, outlines the episode, and welcomes Victor Barber, the harvesting manager at Western Forestry Co-Op, discussing his experience and the episode’s topics.

[0:01:13] – Harvesting Methods & Services at Western Forestry Co-Op
Victor explains the evolution of harvesting and sales at Western Forestry Co-Op, including the control of harvests, contracting, and maximizing returns for timber owners.

[0:03:39] – Impact of Storms Dara & Eamon; Harvesting Crews
Discussion of crew numbers before and after storms, the increase to 11 crews during peak, and the significant industry disruption caused by extreme weather.

[0:06:07] – International Harvesting Crews
Victor describes bringing in Romanian harvesting crews managed by Dutch supervisors, their skill, adaptation to the Irish climate, and overcoming initial language barriers.

[0:08:05] – Wind-Blown Sites: Patterns of Damage
Explores which sites suffered wind blow, the lack of clear patterns, why broadleaf plantations mostly escaped damage, and how storm severity overrode usual forestry precautions.

[0:12:18] – Harvesting Process on Wind-Blown vs. Normal Sites
Victor outlines the added complexity and reduced speed of harvesting wind-blown sites, describing tangled trees (“bowl of spaghetti”) and the challenge for operators.

[0:13:51] – Forwarder Machines and Site Maintenance
Discussion on how, despite slow harvesting, forwarders remain engaged in site maintenance, especially laying down brash to protect soil in adverse weather.

[0:15:27] – Timber Recovery & Brash Management
The impact of wind blow on saleable timber recovery, the need for skilled harvester drivers, and the generally good outcomes despite damage and logistical hurdles with brash.

[0:18:10] – Timber Certification & Export to Europe/China
Post-storm oversupply leads to container exports to China/Europe; Victor notes certification wasn’t a deciding factor in sales this year.

[0:21:28] – Logistics of Exporting Timber
How exporting works: from forests to yards to ships, the roles of international buyers, and adapting logistics for safety and efficiency after the storm.

[0:24:55] – Timber Measurement & Pricing
Shift from weight-based to volume-based pricing; the challenges for timber owners, summer weather effects, and industry-wide learning on measurement methods.

[0:31:20] – Financial Returns for Forest Owners
Examples of net earnings per acre from wind-blown sites, with older plantations faring better and younger ones hit hardest by increased harvesting costs and price drop.

[0:35:32] – Future Outlook & 2026 Expectations
Expectations for the coming year: industry hopes for a reconstitution grant, continued challenges with pulp prices, and the need for support to restart planting cycles.