In the area where I live, on the Cavan/Leitrim border, much of the forestry is small scale farmer owned. So it’s easy to see why the event last week run by Teagasc at Ballyhaise Agricultural College in Cavan on small scale harvesting, generated such a huge interest. Like the event in Kilkenny the week before, it was a very well organized, relevant and interesting.
Forestry Advisor Marianne Lyons from Ballyhaise addresses participants on safety issues before we leave the bus for the site
The main focus for the day was on showing farmers the various methods of harvesting timber from their forests at first thinning stage. For me, reading up on practical work like this just doesn’t do it. I need to actually see what is being done and how, in order to grasp something new, so this kind of demonstration day was very useful. The Teagasc staff had planned out various sections of their own forests for thinning and at each section the device (or creature!) to be used was set up and ready to go.
Extracting hardwood thinnings on steep slope using horse extraction.
The first stop was horse extraction by Murray Tree Care Ltd. in Monastrevin, Co. Kildare (Tel: 045 523582). As the timber to be hauled was on a high slope, it was easy work dragging the logs down to the road. (For images of heavy horse work, check out Tom Nixon’s Trojan Heavy Horses. )
Because the workshop was aimed at helping farmers, the majority of other methods of extraction demonstrated were using ordinary farm tractors with simple attachments:
Tractor and grabber dragging first thinnings from conifer plantation
Farm tractor and buck rake carrying logs out.
Most of the action happened in conifers, but there was also a small stand of mainly sycamore to learn from. Information boards at roadside gave simple thinning technique guidelines.
Information board standing at the broadleaved site
If you’ve been following this blog site over the months, you will have gathered that my interest in forestry is in permanent commercial forests. I see all plantations as having the potential to become permanent, evolving forests, yielding timber and at the same time increasing in tree height, diversity and value over time through close-to-nature management (or CCF – Continuous Cover Forestry). Forest plantations that are treated as single species crops to be eventually cut down and replanted, as is currently the teaching here, just doesn’t attract my interest. At Pro Silva Europe forest outings, for example, you just don’t hear the word ‘crop’ used at all. The word speaks of agriculture, not silviculture, and as such it is easy to understand why it is used so widely in this predominantly agricultural country.
So it was refreshing for me when a young man in my group asked if Teagasc were planning to take into account the seedlings that were starting to show themselves on the floor beneath the sycamore trees. Dr. Ian Short of UCD/COFORD was quick to ask if the young man meant a Continuous Cover Forestry approach. Yes, that’s what he meant. A brief discussion took place, but I detected that most of the farmers present weren’t really aware of this approach yet. However Dr. Short was obviously familiar with CCF. He said that his personal view is that he wouldn’t be surprised if clearfelling would be prevented by the time the young stand of sycamore we were looking at reached maturity.
I thought back to that wonderful Pro Silva trip to Slovenia where clearfelling is already forbidden, and has been for many years. If Dr. Short’s hunch is correct, I wondered if we’ll plod along in what to me is such a limited manner until legislation forces change or will we show some initiative and embrace a wonderful forestry opportunity at the earliest possible chance? Time will tell.
Seamus Kelly from Louth demonstrating with his mobile sawmill how logs can be sawn and saved on site.
Another excellent aspect of the day at Ballyhaise was to be found in the shed and yards. There were many useful displays of forestry tools and machinery and others involved in farm forestry. Here above is a mobile sawmill showing how logs can be planked into timber for use on the farm or for sale on site.
Below, Marion and Eltjo Vanderlaan, familiar faces at forestry events throughout Ireland, displaying their Silky Saws for pruning and shaping forest trees. These beautiful saws are so easy to use and often make the difference between firewood and high grade timber.
Marion and Eltjo Vanderlaan with their Silky Saws
No farm forestry event would be complete without an information stand from the Irish Farmers Association. Here is Geraldine O’Sullivan ready and able for answering quesitons about the IFA’s activities.
Geraldine O'Sullivan, IFA Farm Forestry Development Officer at the IFA stand
As I pulled away from Ballyhaise, watching all the various farm jeeps driving off home, I thought of this brave new start at building a forest culture here in Ireland, in this country more famous for its agriculture. Demonstration days like this are so important towards helping that culture develop.
And I thought of the trip I made to Freudenstadt in the Black Forest, Germany with Pro Silva Europe last year, where forestry and timber is so totally integrated into the culture.
Here are a few images to leave you with:
Two farms belonging to two brothers, each with their own commercial forest
Various sizes of homegrown timber air drying ready for use on the farm buildings when it's needed.
These farm forest are highly commercial, bringing in vital revenue to help keep the farm in profit.
Hot tub in the farm garden home made from a single log with simple boiler. - A must for easing out sore muscles of any hard working farmer! 
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