Forestry Now

To Thin or Not to Thin - that's the subject of todays podcast and joining me to talk it through is Conor Daly, Director at The Forestry Company. In this chat we discuss the pros and cons of thinning Irish plantation forests with a strong emphasis on our two main timber growing species - Sitka and Norway Spruce. Conor explains the silvicultural, economic and biodiversity benefits thinning delivers....

In this interview I speak with Mark McAulay from Forest Industries Ireland (a business group within IBEC). We discuss the positives and negative aspects of forestry in the past, as well as the size and benefit of the industry we now have. I ask Mark about environmental and social concerns opponents of commercial plantation forestry have. A further common criticism is that Ireland's conifer forests...

Today I'm joined by Donal Whelan from the Irish Timber Growers Association. We talk a little about the role of the ITGA itself but we mostly focus on a new challenge for forest owners across Ireland - proposals to widen ESB corridors through existing semi mature and mature forests. We talk about the long established practice which facilitates power lines in new plantations and how owners are compe...

Today I speak with Kevin O Connell, Forestry Advisor at Teagasc - Teagasc are Irelands national agriculture and food development authority and Kevin's role is to advise Irish forest owners about how to best manage their forests. Today we discuss some of the reconstitution schemes the Irish Government offers owners. We start off by discussing the Climate Resilience Reforestation Pilot before moving...

Today I speak with Regional Forest Inspector Seppi Höna about national efforts to address spiraling deer numbers in Ireland. We discuss the problems deer create in forestry and also what the scale of the problem is. Seppi explains how a national strategy group is providing direction for DMU's deer management units, which are now operational across the Republic of Ireland. We chat about whether we...

Today I speak with forester Paddy Purser - Paddy was an early Irish advocate for continuous cover forestry (CCF) and a key figure in the establishment of Pro Silva Ireland who promote CCF's adoption. We speak about the enhancement of native and broadleaf forestry through timely and appropriate interventions and how this can lead to a wide range of commercial, silvicultural and biodiversity benefit...

Native Woodlands in Transition with Kate Harrington In this podcast I speak with experienced ecologist Dr Kate Harrington about her recently published research into native woodlands primarily planted in the last twenty years. We know that native woodlands benefit nature but today Kate and I discuss exactly what that looks like in these forests. Kate carried out extensive field research which revea...

In this interview I'm joined by Colm Gilheaney, Establishment Manager at Western Forestry Co-Op. We discuss everything you need to know if you're considering planting a new broadleaf forest in Ireland. Colm gives me an overview of the Irish Government forestry programme, what it pays for and for how long. Farmland that is considered for planting is always surveyed and Colm explains how this feed i...

Afforestation: Now and Then with Marina Conway.  A deep dive into how we screen all new afforestation applications in Ireland and how this process compares with the process in the past. In this interview I'm joined by Marina Conway, Head of Woodlands at Hometree and one of Ireland's most recognisable and respected forestry professionals. We speak about the afforestation screening process and the t...

Public interest and support for new forestry in Ireland has never been higher. And so in this Season Two Preview I give an overview of the three broad questions I'll be addressing in the twelve upcoming episodes of the Forestry Now podcast.  1) How do we plant and manage forests well? 2) How can forests deliver for nature and biodiversity? And 3) How do we produce the timber we need while making s...

End of Season One Overview! Two things on the agenda today - firstly a short bit of housekeeping about the summer break. And secondly for those who are brand new or recent listeners this podcast includes a brief overview of big takeaways since I launched the show. Firstly the housekeeping -  just to say that there’ll be no new episodes of the podcast until September 2026. This will give me a chanc...

Today I speak with Eeva-Liisa Heinaro from Finland. She spent decades working in the paper industry before moving into Carbon Lab (as COO) who help businesses manage and monetize carbon sequestration and ecological compensation projects. Carbon Lab are very well placed to deliver this service because they are a subsidiary of Conifer Consulting who manage more than 135,000 hectares of Finnish fores...

Today I speak to Douglas MacMillan who shares his analysis and criticisms of the current forestry model in Scotland - Douglas worked in the industry in the 1980's before moving into research related to forestry and sustainable land use systems. In this conversation Douglas explains the historical background to afforestation in Scotland, current ownership, species selection, management techniques a...

Today I speak with Kathleen Lucey who works with the Irish Forest Owners. The IFO support and represent forest owners across Ireland through a vibrant producer group network. In this interview we focus on Kathleen's role as Group Certification Manager at the IFO. We discuss the background to getting a forest certified under FSC and PEFC, the benefits, the costs, the ongoing management requirements...

Today I speak with Kenny McCauley from McCauley Wood Fuels Ltd who are based near Mohill in Co Leitrim. The business processes around 500 tonnes of wood biomass weekly to create high quality, moisture controlled wood chip. In this conversation Kenny explains how his business works, how biomass forms a vital cog in the Irish forestry supply chain, how wood chip is replacing fossil fuels across Irel...

In this conversation I speak with Joe Gowran from Woodlands of Ireland about our native forests - Joe has a deep understanding of the history, ecology and management of these woodlands and so we touch on all of this. We discuss positive initiatives to expand and protect these woodlands as well as regulatory hurdles and contradictions that are preventing more progress. Lastly Joe gives me an overvi...

"I'd die for this piece of land. It’s ingrained in me so much. My DNA, our fields have all names and stories." Ireland is trying to increase it's forest cover from 12% but Irish farmers are very reluctant to plant their land. To understand why I speak with Dr. Laqiqige Zhu (Zhula) from Trinity College Dublin. She shares key findings from her extensive research into why Irish farmers hesitate to co...

In this episode, I speak with forestry engineer and analyst Peter Hasulyó about one of the sector’s biggest blind spots: communication. Despite decades of progress in sustainable forest management, the forestry industry has struggled to win public trust. Peter explains how a lack of proactive storytelling allowed others to shape the narrative—often inaccurately—leading to confusion between sustain...

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 advis...

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 I...

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 rot...

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...

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 ini...

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...

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 aroun...