Cratloe Woods Deforestation

thesimpsons

anyone seen the amount of deforestation going on in Cratloe Woods ? I was up there yesterday and couldn't believe the amount of trees they've taken out and ruined a few good walks and cycle trails. If you walk from main carpark and pass the lake on your right, continue up and the whole area ahead of you up towards the second carpark is gone :mad:

Builderfromhell

These low quality spruce trees are grown commercially, so it was only a matter of time before they got cut. Unfortunately the areas cleared usually look terrible for ages afterwards.
The only hope now is that Coillte may learn from their mistakes and plant native trees in their place. Thereby encouraging plant and animal biodiversity, a more valuable timber crop and an amenity for local people.

phill106

Agreed, I would love if they had planted more natural irish trees.

OldGuysRule

I have been going there, mostly off road cycling for almost thirty years amd you would be surprised how quickly they grow back. All across the park there seems to be a reasonably managed approach to the plant / grow / fell cycle. There are sections else where on the hills that are not managed and left to grow wild / naturally but they are less of an amenity for the general public.

Stuxnet

I hear they cutting down an area the size of Belgium up there every day !
:-p

Scar001

Just wait until Bertie gets his grubby paws on it.:mad:

dr.fuzzenstein

Builderfromhell wrote: »

These low quality spruce trees are grown commercially, so it was only a matter of time before they got cut. Unfortunately the areas cleared usually look terrible for ages afterwards.
The only hope now is that Coillte may learn from their mistakes and plant native trees in their place. Thereby encouraging plant and animal biodiversity, a more valuable timber crop and an amenity for local people.

+1
Trees here are grown like a field of wheat.
Plant them, grow them, then raze the area completely to the ground and start again.
The only criteria is yield, ignoring aesthetics and environmental concerns.
This was told to me when I asked someone from Coillte, I don't know what their plans for the future are, but I can only hope they will take a more enlightened approach, i.e. plant several species of tree and cut them at different ages, so when older trees are cut down, other trees are big enough and younger trees are already coming up.
The whole "mono culture" way of growing forests is ugly, an environmental disaster and, due to lack of diversity, not as efficient as one might think it is.
When you get an infestation of parasites, that parasite will explode in numbers and decimate your crop in one go.
The only defence against that is heavy usage of chemical poisons, not something you'll want to expose yourself or your kids to.
But the worst is the devastating effect this way of logging has on thbe local eco system.
And the timber is of lousy quality. After the timber is stacked, it usually dissolves into pulp within a year.

Jim Martin

I believe from evidence there is a serious problem with pollution of water when areas are cleared for planting due to soil disturbance and use of fertilisers, also when they are clear-felled.

Lady Chatterton

There is an article on the Clare Champion's website this week about Cratloe Woods deforestation.

"Coillte defends recent deforestation in Cratloe"

http://www.clarechampion.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7242:coillte-defends-recent-deforestation-in-cratloe&catid=62:farming&Itemid=60

pakalasa

Guys,
Native trees, I take it you mean deciduous types, wont grow in that type of soil. It's too poor. As for this recent spree of felling, that has always been ongoing. It's a working forest afterall. It has only caused controversy because it is so near the public parking, walks etc.

Atilathehun

Less cover left for Limerick skangers, to dump the bodies:D

Atilathehun

pakalasa wrote: »

Guys,
Native trees, I take it you mean deciduous types, wont grow in that type of soil. It's too poor. As for this recent spree of felling, that has always been ongoing. It's a working forest afterall. It has only caused controversy because it is so near the public parking, walks etc.

Correct. but you know, there are an awful lot of armchair experts in all things rural, who object to anything changing in the landscape.
For the most part, they live in nice comfy suburbia, with all the services. They like to stroll out to the country on week ends and enjoy the vista. They never seem to accept, that us peasants, have to live too:p

Cutting and planting is the way of rural life folks. Get over it. It's been the same since homo sapiens learned to farm.
Ever wonder where the timber came from for your nice, floor, ceiling, kitchen, decking out the back for your barbequ, ....................

MOSSAD

Builderfromhell wrote: »

These low quality spruce trees are grown commercially, so it was only a matter of time before they got cut. Unfortunately the areas cleared usually look terrible for ages afterwards.
The only hope now is that Coillte may learn from their mistakes and plant native trees in their place. Thereby encouraging plant and animal biodiversity, a more valuable timber crop and an amenity for local people.

Spruce bashers out again I see.
The trees at Cratloe are were actually good quality Norway Spruce, a tree native to continental Europe. There is a huge demand for timber at the moment, and thanks to Coillte and it's previous incarnations, this country is self-sufficient in construction timber and it most of the timber is being processed here then exported. If some of you were inclined to get your hands dirty, you could also buy firewood from Coillte- a great renewable resource. Much better than wood pellets, where wood has to be ground down and the reconstituted with glue-not too eco-friendly!
It would do you well to actually read something of the history of Irish forestry, where often times the state was compelled to buy poorer upland areas from farmers. Due to the poor nature of the soil , as well as exposure and altitude it was not possible to grow commercial broadleaves on these sites.
Growing commercial broadleaves-beech, oak, and ash in Ireland is fraught with difficulties. First, these trees require the best of land. That is in agricultural use. Second, we have no tradition of growing broadleaves commercially in Ireland. The genetic base for quality broadleaves is unsure, as the trees with the best form were often cut in the past, and the poorer forms left. All over continental europe there is a tradition of growing broadleaves going back for 500-600 years, and they have the land for it. The Irish climate does not lend itself to the growing of commercial broadleaves-simply put it's too windy.
There is also the misconception that non-native trees are bad for the environnment.
Some figures-60% of all nectar collected comes from sycamore trees-non native to Ireland, so should we cut them down? The Antarctic beech which grows well here hosts up to 24 insects, unlike common beech, another non-native which hosts perhaps 5.
Eucalyptus has the ability to add up to 15kg /ha of calcium to the soil per year-it does this by drawing on Ca deep in the soil and releasing it in its leaf litter and by bark shedding, thereby helping to reverse soil acidification.
There ought to be more mixing of conifers where possible, the provision of shelterbelts, a scheme whereby ditches and hedgerows are used to grow broadleaves, and we need to embrace the wonderful world of trees that is out there, and remember that there's a whole lot more to forestry than meets the eye, and where possible, advance the concept of multiple use forestry.
Those of you who garden-imagine how dull your patch would be if you removed all the non-native flowers and plants.

golden8

To start not bashing spruce but it aint a native species. The Norway Spruce and the likes are better quality in their own native artic areas. They grow too fast hence the wood is softer in Ireland.

Coilte has planted Native trees in Cratloe 15 years ago and they are doing fine.

Ireland was afforested before the British came.

You just have to see what happens when non native species arrive look at the Rhododendrum in Killarney. Giant hogweed in the Irish Rivers.

MOSSAD

golden8 wrote: »

The Norway Spruce and the likes are better quality in their own native artic areas.
Ireland was afforested before the British came.

You just have to see what happens when non native species arrive look at the Rhododendrum in Killarney. Giant hogweed in the Irish Rivers.

Norway spruce has a natural range that extends from the arctic right down to southern europe. Also I never said it was native.
The Irish were cutting down their forests long before the British came here. I suggest you read Frank Mitchell's "Reading the Irish Landscape". It will correct your misconceptions.

Lady Chatterton

I came across this article in the Clare Champion today, it may be of interest.

Coillte to clear 154 hectares of forest over five years

Written by Dan Danaher

UP to 154 hectares of forest owned by Coillte in South-East Clare will be cut over the next five years, according to the company’s Forest Management Plan.
This compares to the felling of an estimated 198 hectares from 2006 to 2010 and 107 from 2016 to 2020, before tree-cutting increases 15-fold to a total of 1,767 hectares post 2020.

The Violet Hill Forest Management Plan predicts that about 45 hectares of forest will be felled annually, about 3% of the overall stocked area, which extends to 2,750 hectares in total.

Violet Hill is surrounded by Broadford, O’Briensbridge, Parteen, Cratloe, Sixmilebridge, Quin and Kilkishen. There are over 30 lakes in the area, with the Blackwater, Owenagarney, Ahaclare and Broadford rivers. The area of the forest is 2,750 hectares of which 72% is spruce and pine, 18% broadleaf and 10% is diverse conifer.

Significant operations in areas designated as Special Areas of Conservation and National Heritage Areas have to be carried out in consultation with the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Cratloe Wood, which is visited annually by 60,000 to 80,000 walkers, is one of the very popular amenity areas within the forest, while part of the East Clare Way goes through the Kilbane, Knockshanvo and Cullaun parts of the forest.
Dumping is a constant concern and it has become expensive for the company to maintain the area litter free.

There is a long history of Woodland Oak in this forest most notably in the Cratloe, Broadford, Dromoland, Cullaun, Leitrim, Cooleycasey and Castlecrine areas. Cratloe’s association with oak dates back many centuries and it is recorded that the House of Parliament in London was roofed with Cratloe Oak.
Like all of Coillte’s forests, Violet Hill is being managed under the principles of sustainable forest management and is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

The principle management aim is the production of timber on the more productive areas, while enhancing existing biodiversity areas and increase the area under broadleaf.

Coillte district manager, Daniel O’Brien, told The Clare Champion the company had received its certification for Violet Hill from the FSC following an audit conducted by the Soil Association of Britain.

The audit is examined under 10 principles to ensure the company is complying will all Irish laws and regulations and FSC goals. These include compliance with all Irish laws; tenure and user rights and responsibilities; indigenous people’s rights to take food from the forest; community relationship and workers’ rights; benefits from the forest; environmental impact; management plan; monitoring and assessments of this plan; maintenance of high conservation value areas and management of the first nine principles.

The areas for clear-felling are planned over a five-year period. According to the management plan, thinnings, whereby a portion of trees are removed at successive stages prior to clearfell, will only be done on the drier, more wind-firm areas. The timber from the clearfells is delivered to sawmills, while the thinnings are supplied to pulp mills and fencing post manufacturers.
The replanting of felled areas will normally be done in the year following clear-felling in order to reduce or eliminate the use of chemicals to prevent competing vegetation on young plants.

Diverse conifers and broadleaves will be increased where the soil type would sustain these species. In general at reforestation stage, the species mix will be spruce/pine more than 65% and diverse conifer, broadleaves and open space less than 35%.

The plan notes that thinning is a desirable practice when aiming to grow quality timber. The maximum level of thinning would mark a significant increase over previous years and is purely an indicative figure.

These figures indicate that 308 hectares may be thinned in Cratloe; 212 in Snaty; 132 in Knockshanvo; 115 in Derrynaveagh and 77 in Callaun.


http://www.clarechampion.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7670:coillte-to-clear-154-hectares-of-forest-over-five-years&catid=64:south&Itemid=56