Still trying to get Red Squirrel protected.

thyme

It's been over a year since I started this thread (http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=88330604), and little did I know that it was going to take this long to get someone to listen.

All the people I contacted over the last year about the reds here were delighted to hear that the reds are in the forest and thriving, but none of them could do anything to help me to get Coillte to save the old mature forest which there's not a lot left now, windblown over the years and now a new highway gone through it :mad:.

I was told to contact a Coillte man in Wicklow which I did in February, and after a few emails back an forth he assured me that they do all they can to protect the wildlife in there forests, but he hasn't convinced me yet.

He told me in the last email that there going to leave two stands of trees for the reds and the reds will have plenty of food in those two stands. Someone is to come and show me the two stands, but, another man told me that the old part is for clearing next year .

So I have asked him what do I have to do or who do I contact to have it saved for good for the reds so it will not be cut down, and I'am waiting for a reply nearly a month now.

So the battle continues .

Capercaillie

Threatened wildlife needs people like yourself to fight for them. Respect!

Birdnuts

I wouldn't have much faith in Coillte when it comes to such things. Apparently the whole "Wild Nephin" thing was a cynical PR stunt based on stuff I've seen on FB recently. Their forestry practices over the years leave a lot to be desired in terms of sustainability and best practice. They have also started to sell off state forests to private companies on a piecemeal basis in recent years without any disclosures are regards price etc, since they are conveniently not covered by the FOI act.

vistafinder

Some of us see wildlife and others just see. $$$$$$$$

Fairplay for all the effort.

Jayzesake

Birdnuts wrote: »

I wouldn't have much faith in Coillte when it comes to such things. Apparently the whole "Wild Nephin" thing was a cynical PR stunt based on stuff I've seen on FB recently.

Can you expand on that Birdnuts? I know there was much trumpeting of the planned 'rewilding' of Nephin a couple of years back. I was hopeful, if dubious, at the time, but haven't heard anything about the goings on - or lack of - there since.

Manach

Fair play to OP. Offhand would any NGO be interested that could be contacted. They would augment any exposure to the issue.

magicbastarder

Jayzesake wrote: »

Can you expand on that Birdnuts? I know there was much trumpeting of the planned 'rewilding' of Nephin a couple of years back. I was hopeful, if dubious, at the time, but haven't heard anything about the goings on - or lack of - there since.

there has been replanting going on in nephin, despite the original aims of the project.
however, they are legally required to replant, an issue i've heard about before, but one might have hoped they'd have dealt with this niggling issue before announcing the project.

Jayzesake

magicbastarder wrote: »

there has been replanting going on in nephin, despite the original aims of the project.
however, they are legally required to replant, an issue i've heard about before, but one might have hoped they'd have dealt with this niggling issue before announcing the project.

I presume you mean they're replanting exotic conifers?

If so, after all the 'rewilding' fanfare, it would make you despair. Most of Europe is getting its act together on serious large-scale ecological restoration, and this is what happens in Ireland.

Words fail.

robp

magicbastarder wrote: »

there has been replanting going on in nephin, despite the original aims of the project.
however, they are legally required to replant, an issue i've heard about before, but one might have hoped they'd have dealt with this niggling issue before announcing the project.

I think the clear felling and new fencing there is perfectly justifiable but it is worrying that more lodge pole pine is being planted.

For the sake of balance I will just post here what they posted on the Irish Wildlife trust's facebook.

I would like to point out that Coillte (and I as project manager) are very committed to the wilderness concept and development but it should be pointed out that we have always indicated that the set aside in March 2013 was only the beginning of a process of rewilding. It is unreasonable to expect a landscape that had been managed over the last 30 – 50 years for timber production would now, at the stroke of a pen, become a wild landscape. All our communications have indicated that we would have a 10 to 15 year conversion programme during which time we will aim to modify the forest (and other aspects of the area) to develop improved ecological and landscape values. For example we have trialled at the northern end of the forest element of the wilderness area continuous cover forest using a very heavy thinning of the forest to improve its ecological function and value.

On harvesting in general - We are coming to the end of a harvest programme cycle which was initiated before the wilderness area was signed into existence and the clearfells we see today are the result of that programme. Furthermore we are obliged under current legislation to replant but are modifying our replanting with the aim of introducing stands of birch, willow and alder that we hope in the mid-term will form the seed source for natural regeneration of a more diverse species mix. Fencing is essential to reforestation – even more so of broadleaf species – but is not compatible with wilderness in the long term. Over the next 5-10 years forest activities will concentrate on improving the ecological value of the wilderness area as opposed to timber production.

We have always said that wilderness is a long term venture. I believe it will take 50 years to truly see the potential of this project. The first step is to designate the landscape as one that will see no new development or infrastructure built so we retain the unique characteristics of what exists already.

In this project we have begun a process of rewilding, not restoration. We are starting with today’s landscape and all that that brings. Restoration back to some arbitrary time is just that - arbitrary. We aim to create a landscape in 10 to 15 years where man has no part in its management – which is a real challenge. We are striving for the next few years to create the conditions where the ecosystems, landscape and recreation opportunities are robust enough to support this landscape been called a wilderness.

Wild Nephin Wilderness Project

Jayzesake

robp wrote: »

I think the clear felling and new fencing there is perfectly justifiable but it is worrying that more lodge pole pine is being planted.

I totally agree, robp: there is nothing at all wrong with clear-felling and fencing in this case. But planting exotic conifers completely contradicts claims of ecological restoration; how long will it be before they are harvested, and real restoration can begin - 40 years? Where is the sense, ecologically, in felling one bunch of exotic conifers, only to plant more?

Only locally sourced native species that are genuinely beneficial to wildlife should be planted or, even better, allowed to self-seed onto the land, beginning right now (the latter presuming, of course, that there are mature trees as seed sources nearby), if Coillte are serious about their claims.

"We have always said that wilderness is a long term venture. I believe it will take 50 years to truly see the potential of this project."

It is true that genuine ecological restoration often needs to be seen in terms of a process that may last decades or even centuries to mature, rather than something instant (although things can move surprisingly quickly too). All the more reason to be taking the right steps from the outset.

"In this project we have begun a process of rewilding, not restoration."

One of the fundamentals of rewilding is restoration ecology. Reading the above, it would appear that Coillte either don't have even a basic understanding of what rewilding means, or else they are cynically using the term without basing it on anything much of real substance.

thyme

Went down the forest today to the larch and oak mixed stand of timber to watch the three red squirrel dreys that I've keeping an eye on for a while now.

And what a shock I got when I got there, the harvester had been through it and the three dreys are gone. After watching one red build it's drey in February I was hoping I would see little reds up there soon. I just stood at the stump of the tree that the drey was in and thought what was the point of destroying all these larch trees just for pulp, and the oak was cut down and put under the wheels. They told me they weren't going in there that it did not need thinning and we don't cut down oaks.

I searched around for a while looking for the dreys on the ground but could not find any trace of them. So the next time that man from Coillte contacts me he's going to get a shock with my reply.

Salzer

That's a really shocking story about the red squirrel drays. It should be possible to take it further than Coillte. Can you tell me exactly where the wood is? I have a son who is a conservation biologist and other contacts who might be able to advise. Heartbreaking!

recedite

Aren't they supposed to be a protected species? Here's a list.

I'd suggest you contact your local NPWS ranger. Click on the contacts link on their website for a list of rangers. Its also an offence to destroy the dreys..

(5) Any person who—

(d) wilfully interferes with or destroys the breeding place or resting place of any protected wild animal,

shall be guilty of an offence.

If an offence has been committed, you can also go directly to the Gardai, but I don't know whether Coillte have some sort of general licence to ignore the wildlife legislation. It could be that they can usually get a licence to "re-locate" squirrels, but in this case they just didn't bother. If that happened they would be open to prosecution now.
There is no point talking to Coillte about it now; they will only be trying to fob you off, and will try to convince you to drop it.

thyme

recedite wrote: »

Aren't they supposed to be a protected species? Here's a list.

I'd suggest you contact your local NPWS ranger. Click on the contacts link on their website for a list of rangers. Its also an offence to destroy the dreys..
If an offence has been committed, you can also go directly to the Gardai, but I don't know whether Coillte have some sort of general licence to ignore the wildlife legislation. It could be that they can usually get a licence to "re-locate" squirrels, but in this case they just didn't bother. If that happened they would be open to prosecution now.
There is no point talking to Coillte about it now; they will only be trying to fob you off, and will try to convince you to drop it.

Yes they are, but not in "out of the way" Coillte forests that people cant go for a afternoon stroll at the weekend.

The local ranger was here last year but could do nothing, all they can do is inform Coillte's local office and hope they listen.

When it comes to wildlife in the forests they make sure that the fox earths and the badger sets are clearly marked so that the harvesters do not destroy them which is good, but anything living in the canopy is not so lucky.

At least the harvesting is finished for this year, was talking to one of the drivers before they left and he told me that he seen the "nest's" in the larch tree's when he went in to that area, so he just cleared a track on one side and came back out, to him it did not need thinning, but two days after he was sent back to finish it so there was nothing he could do.

SILVAMAN

Jayzesake wrote: »

I totally agree, robp: there is nothing at all wrong with clear-felling and fencing in this case. But planting exotic conifers completely contradicts claims of ecological restoration; how long will it be before they are harvested, and real restoration can begin - 40 years? Where is the sense, ecologically, in felling one bunch of exotic conifers, only to plant more? [/I]."

I don't work for Coillte.
As a forester I know that regeneration of conifers like Sitka or lodgepole can number in the hundreds of thousands of seedlings/ha. The soil and climate suit them.
I wonder about the replanting of lodgepole...has anyone seen it being planted or are they just seeing natural regeneration post clearfell?
A couple of suggestions.....no point kvetching over the conifers....they cannot be stopped unless there is someone dedicated to pulling each one out for the next 50 years. I'd suggest maybe employing of some of the conifer regeneration for diversity, and to provide shelter to any broadleaves that might be planted. Try to imagine that Nephin could become a birch/pine/rowan forest. Some oaks could be added on good soil and in shelter, and excessive conifer removed. Trust me, the broadleaf component will grow much better if there are scattered conifers to provide shelter and drainage. Pine and spruce cones provide food for a good variety of birds and red squirrel. Pine marten will build dens in them.
There are historical reasons for the planting of the western peats, from well intentioned attempts to provide local employment to politicians pressuring whatever incarnation Coillte was back in the 1950s to buy poor land from hard pressed farmers. The land commission could also refuse planting on private land if a local farmer objected, and the western peats became available once cultivation techniques could be found to make them usable for forestry.
Ireland, right up until the 1990s was a pretty backward, dreary place with mass immigration and huge unemployment. It's easy to damn past decisions with hindsight, but there is a way to create a wilderness forest with benefits for society.

thyme

All my nagging at Coillte looks to be paying off, and with a little help from the inside. First survey was done a month ago to establish that there is red squirrels in the forest(someone wasn't believing me) , second one done today to map out all the feeding areas. So now I'll have to wait to see what they recommend , I have asked them to try and get most of the old part saved and they said they'll ask but that's all they can do.
I was told that everything that I said about reds is on file so they have to look into it before they cut it all down.
So now for another long wait.

recedite

thyme wrote: »

All my nagging at Coillte looks to be paying off, and with a little help from the inside. First survey was done a month ago to establish that there is red squirrels in the forest(someone wasn't believing me) , second one done today to map out all the feeding areas. So now I'll have to wait to see what they recommend , I have asked them to try and get most of the old part saved and they said they'll ask but that's all they can do.
I was told that everything that I said about reds is on file so they have to look into it before they cut it all down.
So now for another long wait.

Well done. It sounds like the guys at the top were claiming they didn't know the squirrels were there, and the guys on the ground with chainsaws were just following orders. But now that its all on file, they can't knowingly break the law; there are no excuses left for them.

tisgrand

Leaving little islands of conifers will do little to help the long term survival of isolated red squirrel populations. Eventually inbreeding and predation will take its toll. Unless a policy of large scale planting of tree corridors links up fragmented populations or npws gets involved in swapping animals regularly from different gene pools, these smaller colonies are doomed.

tisgrand

One other point... As was pointed out earlier on this thread, coillte's policy of planting vast swathes of exotic conifers is by and large a commercial decision and does little for the majority of native woodland species. Ironically though it is these large patches of spruce and non native pines that have saved red squirrels in many parts of the country. They probably would fare better in native hardwood or mixed forest given the choice, but i have seen for myself here in Co. Wicklow the one habitat the grey squirrel will not over run and displace them is the larger spruce plantations such as those in the Wicklow mountains.

lazybones32

thyme wrote: »

All my nagging at Coillte looks to be paying off, and with a little help from the inside. First survey was done a month ago to establish that there is red squirrels in the forest(someone wasn't believing me) , second one done today to map out all the feeding areas. So now I'll have to wait to see what they recommend , I have asked them to try and get most of the old part saved and they said they'll ask but that's all they can do.
I was told that everything that I said about reds is on file so they have to look into it before they cut it all down.
So now for another long wait.

While you're waiting, would you consider contacting a few other organisations who, if they choose, can also try apply pressure on Coillte? Kudos to you for all you've done so far but it never hurts to introduce organisations who may elicit responses faster and have the ability to lobby or garner more publicity.
I gave a quick search and came up with Irish Wildlife Trust; Friends of the Irish Environment and to a lesser degree Tree Council of Ireland. It won't hurt to send an e-mail but if they do add their muscle, it could lead to a faster and more favourable outcome.

Thargor

tisgrand wrote: »

One other point... As was pointed out earlier on this thread, coillte's policy of planting vast swathes of exotic conifers is by and large a commercial decision and does little for the majority of native woodland species. Ironically though it is these large patches of spruce and non native pines that have saved red squirrels in many parts of the country. They probably would fare better in native hardwood or mixed forest given the choice, but i have seen for myself here in Co. Wicklow the one habitat the grey squirrel will not over run and displace them is the larger spruce plantations such as those in the Wicklow mountains.

What are the red squirrels eating in a forest plantation?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Thargor wrote: »

What are the red squirrels eating in a forest plantation?

Seeds, fungi, fruit and buds.

thyme

lazybones32 wrote: »

While you're waiting, would you consider contacting a few other organisations who, if they choose, can also try apply pressure on Coillte? Kudos to you for all you've done so far but it never hurts to introduce organisations who may elicit responses faster and have the ability to lobby or garner more publicity.
I gave a quick search and came up with Irish Wildlife Trust; Friends of the Irish Environment and to a lesser degree Tree Council of Ireland. It won't hurt to send an e-mail but if they do add their muscle, it could lead to a faster and more favourable outcome.

It's good to have the interweb thing back again , haven't had it for a while:rolleyes:.

I have contacted every organization that I could find, and was told by them all that they have no power to stop Coillte doing what Coillte do.

I've had a very interesting read on another thread here, ( Nature in the news ) about Squirrels in Ireland, thanks to OpenYourEyes for the links.

I emailed two of the people that was conducting that survey, one never replied and the other just sent me a phone number and an email address of a man in Coillte and told me it would be better if I contacted him.

Anyway, there was another survey done last week, and the guy was happy with what he'd seen regards the reds and pine martin, and will put in a good report to try and save most of the forest. and then it's up to Coillte to go with the report or ignore it.

Keplar240B

Thargor wrote: »

What are the red squirrels eating in a forest plantation?

I never see reds in large conifer plantations only in mixed forests where there is some percentage of nonconfiers trees or of course native forests

Even conifer forests with a small percentage of nonconfiers I have seen reds

I just don't see them unless there is deciduous trees around at some level

Edit
There one area where I walk which I square mile after square mile of coillte confiers never seen a red there not one then I was there at weekend took a detour down a side path to the edge where there was a patch of deciduous. Trees and bingo seen some reds,
What I am saying is Imo in large areas of exclusive conifer trees there are no reds from what I see

By confier I mean non native confiers spruce lodgepole

SILVAMAN

Keplar240B wrote: »

What I am saying is Imo in large areas of exclusive conifer trees there are no reds from what I see

By confier I mean non native confiers spruce lodgepole

I regularly see sitka and lodgepole cones which have been stripped by red squirrels.

Keplar240B

SILVAMAN wrote: »

I regularly see sitka and lodgepole cones which have been stripped by red squirrels.

In large exclusive conifer plantations ?

SILVAMAN

Keplar240B wrote: »

In large exclusive conifer plantations ?

Yes. But I'm sure they also feed from hedgerows.

SILVAMAN

Yes.
But I suspect that they also feed in hedgerows and travel to scrub areas. It's not as though coniferous plantations exist in a vacuum.
Squirrels also eat fungi, bird eggs, sap and insects.

whyulittle

On the way to Boora today when a Red Squirrel very unexpectedly stepped out in front of me! It was very out in the open, just off the Athlone bypass. Am curious to where it would have come from, the little wood down to the south-east? Seems a long way from home though. Sighting was at the "1" marker.

http://binged.it/1jkCc8u

Capercaillie

whyulittle wrote: »

On the way to Boora today when a Red Squirrel very unexpectedly stepped out in front of me! It was very out in the open, just off the Athlone bypass. Am curious to where it would have come from, the little wood down to the south-east? Seems a long way from home though. Sighting was at the "1" marker.

http://binged.it/1jkCc8u

Great sighting! Sad picture from google maps. I can see the raised bogs being destroyed by the domestic turfcutters (spreading banks). The drains from Bord na móna in the other raised bog:(

thyme

whyulittle wrote: »

On the way to Boora today when a Red Squirrel very unexpectedly stepped out in front of me! It was very out in the open, just off the Athlone bypass. Am curious to where it would have come from, the little wood down to the south-east? Seems a long way from home though. Sighting was at the "1" marker.

http://binged.it/1jkCc8u

You could have been in the right place at the right time, it could be making that trip everyday if there's a food source near by like hazel in the hedgerows.

They will travel a good distance for hazelnuts, I've watched them climb through white thorn and brier hedgerows far away from the forest, and in some cases they will cross the open fields just to get to the hazel.

Is there some scots pines on the left hand side as you drive out towards Michael Moore's garage, or maybe I'am thinking of further out and all the times I drive past there.

snowstreams

A few red squirrels live in the hazel/ash/birch wood beside my house even though its a small wood. The closest large wood is nearly 2 miles away. The wood beside me is probably 3-4 acres in area, is that large enough to support a family of them?
But during the summer i saw a dead one knocked down on the road in front of my house, so it seems they do try to forage further afield anyway.

snowstreams

A few red squirrels live in the hazel/ash/birch wood beside my house even though its a small wood. The closest large wood is nearly 2 miles away. The wood beside me is probably 3-4 acres in area, is that large enough to support a family of them?
But during the summer i saw a dead one knocked down on the road in front of my house, so it seems they do try to forage further afield anyway.

whyulittle

thyme wrote: »

Is there some scots pines on the left hand side as you drive out towards Michael Moore's garage, or maybe I'am thinking of further out and all the times I drive past there.

None immediately spring to mind along that stretch. There are some further out and on the other side of the motorway though.

thyme

I'm back again,

I received a completed report on the Red Squirrels here in the forest from Coillte yesterday.

Here's a summary of the recommendations,

FACTOR REQUIREMENT RECOMMENDATION ACTIONS
FOOD SUPPLY
Ensure continual food supply for red squirrels in Jamestown Forest
- Plant range of tree species
- Have range of tree ages
- Maintain current feeding areas
1. Maintain range of tree species in Jamestown forest
2. Re-planting should include mix of Norway spruce, Sitka pine, Scots pine and larch
3. Manage felling and planting to ensure a varied age structure of stands including trees of 15, 30 and 60 years of age
4. Maintain section of sub-compartment 6 (Compartment 73444B) that borders farmland boundary
HABITAT - GENERAL
Red squirrels need large areas of forest with good habitat connectivity
- Maintain large area of forest
1. Produce long-term management plan for Jamestown with aim of maintaining good habitat connectivity
2. Forest structure should contain stands of trees of similar age
MANAGEMENT OF FOREST- Felling
Maintain feeding areas
- Retain small areas of forest where feeding frequency is high
1. Retain a strip of compartment 73444B, sub-compartment 6, which adjoins the open fields. The width of the strip should be wide enough to protect trees from blowing over in the wind (see Figure 4)
2. Review squirrel populations before planning to fell section 3 and 4 of compartment 73444B and Compartment 73469K
Maintain habitat connectivity to allow squirrels to move freely through forest
- Retain stands of trees to maintain habitat connectivity
1. Retain stand of trees in SE corner (see Figure 4)
2. Consider leaving some trees along Northern boundary (see Figure 4)
3. Leave trees along existing bank that runs east west through the site as natural corridor (see Figure 4) along boundary between compartment 73444B and 73469K
Timing of felling
- Felling should occur outside breeding season
1. Main felling should occur between mid-October and late January
2. Where summer felling must occur delay till late July or August to ensure first litter of squirrels has time to wean and become mobile.

Part two,

MANAGEMENT OF FOREST- - Restocking
Red squirrels need a variety of food resources to ensure continual food supply
- Manage and restock trees with a view to maintaining good food supply for red squirrels
1. Maintain a continuous proportion of the forest composed of stands of trees of seed bearing age
2. The tree species used for restocking should include Norway spruce, Sitka spruce, Scots pine and larch
3. Do not restock with large-seeded broadleaf (particularly oak, beech and chestnut)
4. Small-seeded broadleaves such as birch, rowan, willow or aspen can be planted to provide additional food resources for the squirrels
4. Plant a mixture of Norway and Sitka spruce along rides
MANAGEMENT OF FOREST- Long term
Produce a long term management plan of Jamestown Forest to ensure long term viability of red squirrel population
- Draw up a long term management plan of Jamestown Forest
1. Following recommendations given above and those recommended on page 13-15 of this report draw up a long term management plan for Jamestown Forest
OTHER FACTORS – Other threats to red squirrels populations
Reduce potential threats posed by grey squirrels
- Survey periodically to ensure no encroachment of grey squirrels
- Report any dead or sick squirrels to monitor for any possible outbreak of Squirrelpox Virus (SQPV)
1. Do not plant additional more oak, chestnut of beech into Jamestown as this is likely to encourage grey squirrels to move into area.

And a sentence from an email ,

"We will endeavour to meet as many of the recommendations that have been laid out by the external company as possible but some will not be met due to safety and practicality concerns."

So what's the chances of any of the recommendations been met .

Capercaillie

thyme wrote: »

"We will endeavour to meet as many of the recommendations that have been laid out by the external company as possible but some will not be met due to safety and practicality concerns."

So what's the chances of any of the recommendations been met .

They have washed their hands of the operation when they mention the "external company". The letter is basically to shut you up. I would not trust them for a second.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

That's generic for Red Squirrels anywhere.

Chances? Who can guess? What's the budget and the business plan?

What does the report say about current population figures?

recedite

Its not generic, the external expert has gone to the trouble of identifying specific areas of your forest (compartments) and prescribing specific plans for those areas.

Then coillte says "We will endeavour to meet as many of the recommendations that have been laid out by the external company as possible". This "command" will filter down to the guys with the chainsaws (or logging machines).

I think you have done surprisingly well here thyme. Well done

thyme

Capercaillie wrote: »

They have washed their hands of the operation when they mention the "external company". The letter is basically to shut you up. I would not trust them for a second.

The external company are, Giorria Environmental Services, two very nice people and the above recommendations are there's and they told me they would put in a good report to get as much of it saved as possible.

So I wont wash my hands of them yet, and they will be back;).

thyme

Jared Salmon Logo wrote: »

That's generic for Red Squirrels anywhere.

Chances? Who can guess? What's the budget and the business plan?

What does the report say about current population figures?

No mention of budget or business plan in report as its not a Coillte survey.

And it say's three Reds were spotted at the time the survey was conducted, but they did not survey all the forest just the part that I asked to be saved which is strange.

thyme

recedite wrote: »

Its not generic, the external expert has gone to the trouble of identifying specific areas of your forest (compartments) and prescribing specific plans for those areas.

Then coillte says "We will endeavour to meet as many of the recommendations that have been laid out by the external company as possible". This "command" will filter down to the guys with the chainsaws (or logging machines).

I think you have done surprisingly well here thyme. Well done

Correct, its up to Coillte now to go with the recommendations or bin them, but I'm still here for another while I hope .

SILVAMAN

Had a pre-emptive clearfell of 10 acres mostly SS.
35 years old, had seen squirrel activity i.e. stripped cones over the years. Now I see several times a week a pair of red squirrels running about the clearfell feeding from cones in the lop and top, with freshly stripped cones here and there.

recedite

SILVAMAN wrote: »

running about the clearfell feeding from cones in the lop and top.

Interesting, I suppose its easier for them than climbing trees, but those cones will rot away soon enough. They would be more vulnerable to predators away from the standing trees, but they obviously think its worth the risk.
Hopefully you can continue works as per the recommendations in post#35

1. Maintain a continuous proportion of the forest composed of stands of trees of seed bearing age
2. The tree species used for restocking should include Norway spruce, Sitka spruce, Scots pine and larch

Birdnuts

I wonder how they are doing in relation to the various re-introduction schemes??

SILVAMAN

recedite wrote: »

Interesting, I suppose its easier for them than climbing trees, but those cones will rot away soon enough. They would be more vulnerable to predators away from the standing trees, but they obviously think its worth the risk.
Hopefully you can continue works as per the recommendations in post#35

There's plenty of fores cover of varying ageclasses for them to use. I do plan on replanting with a substantial component of hazel, rowan, birch and alder.

thyme

SILVAMAN wrote: »

There's plenty of fores cover of varying ageclasses for them to use. I do plan on replanting with a substantial component of hazel, rowan, birch and alder.

If you have the room to plant a couple of lime trees in there to the reds will be happy . When some branches start to die off they use the membrane that's under the dead bark for bedding, they peal it off like strips of paper and it's only the dead branches they use.

SILVAMAN

thyme wrote: »

If you have the room to plant a couple of lime trees in there to the reds will be happy . When some branches start to die off they use the membrane that's under the dead bark for bedding, they peal it off like strips of paper and it's only the dead branches they use.

Would that I could grow limes in this part of the country:(

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

SILVAMAN wrote: »

Would that I could grow limes in this part of the country:(

Where are you?

Lime will grow in any well drained moist soil.

SILVAMAN

Jared Salmon Logo wrote: »

Where are you?

Lime will grow in any well drained moist soil.

But not at 200m above sea level in west Clare

thyme

So the harvesters are coming back next week to clearfell the old part of the forest that I was trying to save. It's over two years now since I started this one man campaign (no one else was interested ) to try and stop it been cleared, and I've had a small bit of success in so far as they asked me to go with one of the harvest managers to mark out what I want kept.

So we spent a good few hours walking through the forest yesterday (Saturday) and marked out a good bit of forest that's going to stay, mainly on the boundaries so the reds will have an unbroken run from one end to the other, not all of the forest is Coilltes, there forest is in the middle of two private forests, and I got him to keep some small bits in the center that's really no good to them but good cover for wildlife.

I't will take them about two months to clear it so we'll see if there's any changes to what's marked out.

magicbastarder

you have a map of where the forest is?