12 acres. Tree plan.

You'll be fine. Most bare root go in at around 1m gaps anyway. I've Oak, Alder and Cherry mixed on a field edge for near 15 years and all seem happy with each other.

Don't be surprised if the oak grows more quickly than you expect. It all depends on the soil, and trees aren't good at reading the rules.

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Or hire a lad who knows what he's at, with a Hitachi.
Let him mound it to your plan, and yourself and a mate follow behind planting.
Best 200 euro you'll ever spend!

Inspired by this thread and the OP's progress and would welcome help from the experienced people here.


First off..........I explored the route of getting a grant and having a forestry outfit plant. I decided to do this myself for full control without encumberances.


I am a townie retired to a 15-acre smallholding in Mayo so forgive my ignorance I am learning fast (I have to!!!) Last February I planted out 140 baby trees (rowan, willow, hazel, hawthorn, whitethorn, blackthorn, five heritage Irish species apple trees and a couple of crab-apple) during "The Beast From the East" using pickaxe and shovel. Btw I am 70 years old 5'0" woman with osteoarthritis in hands and feet so it took some doing.

The "future forest" not only survived but thrives.


A further 450 mixed deciduous trees are on order for coming February. I need an easier way to get this lot into an acre of sloping land (about 45 degrees) with a lot of large stone and rushes.


Is a one-person petrol-driven auger with an 8" drill a good option for this? I have had difficulty getting contractors to give my jobs a second glance as they are small. Is this equipment usable by a short person with limited strength but will do it myself as a last resort. Are there other alternatives I do not know about?



The question from the townie is "what exactly is a lad with a hitachi", where could I find him and how much would it cost?

Chisler2 wrote: »

Is a one-person petrol-driven auger with an 8" drill a good option for this? I have had difficulty getting contractors to give my jobs a second glance as they are small. Is this equipment usable by a short person with limited strength but will do it myself as a last resort. Are there other alternatives I do not know about?

Realistically, in your circumstance, I'd have to say an emphatic "No!" to this idea.

In operation, posthole borers are sort of like a combination of a moderately heavy jackhammer and a very large drill, and are in my opinion, utterly unsuitable for dragging around a rocky hillside trying to make 450 holes.
Even on relatively level and stone-free land, they require a combination of a fair degree of physical strength and commitment to keep them under control, and caution and anticipation for when (not 'if') they snag on a rock or root and try to twist the power head in the opposite direction.

Really, the least-labour/mechanical way here is to get in a mini-digger and operator to do the groundwork, but even that'll be tricky on a 1:1 slope as you describe.

Unfortunately, we're now back to the pick and spade.
It DOES however, give the option of making the planting pattern truly random, and the placing of the saplings in the best possible soil conditions.

find some young lads who want to make a few quid, tell them they can skip the gym that day and pay by number of trees they plant?

SmartinMartin wrote: »

OK, I need to ask. What is the purpose of planting 1600 trees on your land at a cost of 3 grand (not including the incredible amount of labour)?
Given that there's no grant involved it's either
(a) a business venture or
(b) a very selfless act.
I'm genuinely interested as I could be in a similar situation.

I'm intrigued too and might be in a similar situation. I have a 10 area plot that is just one field, I hope to section off 1 acre of this and build a house for myself on it, fence off/sow a hedge creating a long driveway to the 1 acre plot. I'd then like to divide the remaining 9 acres into paddocks. Ideally I do this by plating tress/hedges, is there any grant available for this type of planting?

Accidentally wrote: »

It's obviously not a business venture, but is there something wrong with planting trees just because you like trees. Not everything has to be done on a 'what's in it for me' basis.

Where did anyone suggest there was something wrong with it?

SmartinMartin wrote: »

Where did anyone suggest there was something wrong with it?

I didn't take from your post that you were- but maybe the two option thing seemed a bit coarse as a description? I'm not criticizing, just observing. And well done the OP and the others doing or planning similar., it is a fascinating project.

Melodeon wrote: »

Realistically, in your circumstance, I'd have to say an emphatic "No!" to this idea.

In operation, posthole borers are sort of like a combination of a moderately heavy jackhammer and a very large drill, and are in my opinion, utterly unsuitable for dragging around a rocky hillside trying to make 450 holes.
Even on relatively level and stone-free land, they require a combination of a fair degree of physical strength and commitment to keep them under control, and caution and anticipation for when (not 'if') they snag on a rock or root and try to twist the power head in the opposite direction.

Really, the least-labour/mechanical way here is to get in a mini-digger and operator to do the groundwork, but even that'll be tricky on a 1:1 slope as you describe.

Unfortunately, we're now back to the pick and spade.
It DOES however, give the option of making the planting pattern truly random, and the placing of the saplings in the best possible soil conditions.

Hitting big rocks in these fields would be certain. I was worried about investing in a power-auger and ending up with a broken wrist or hip within hours of starting the job, as well as having to lift it to what is my shoulder-height to place it for the next hole. You also picked up on my worry as far as the mini-digger with operator is concerned. No way would I risk an operator's wellbeing given the lie of the land.


It looks as if (sigh!) it's back to the pick-axe and spade and putting in a small number of saplings each day. "Volunteer" ash, rowan and willow have been establishing in pockets of thin soil between the huge clumps of rushes and I shall take advantage of those areas to place the new trees...........work with Nature, not against! Your advice is much appreciated. I will put up a picture when the work is done.

80sDiesel wrote: »

Ok. So why folks ask

The land is surrounded by a spruce plantation which was recently cut down. That gave me the idea then to 'frame' the land myself with my own boundary of trees.

But my choice of trees was also influenced by which ones would benefit nature the most and then choosing only Irish native trees. ( for example the goat willow is one of the highest plants for pollen ! )

My other interests are wildflowers and hay meadows ( have sown yellow rattle in a small test field and my austrian scythe is all ready for next summer ) so its all part of a greater plan.

Its also very interesting and a nice hobby. For example, last night i have been researching trembling poplars ( the only Irish Aspen tree ) which i will plant but trying to decide where ( they send up suckers ) to plant them is a great mind challenge.

Appreciate you sharing your research and experiences here. I shall include the lesser-known species you mentioned into my own planting. It will be an interesting experiment as my acid, marginal land at elevation and whipped by Atlantic storms is a far cry from the paddocks in your photo. They will be "shivering Aspen" up on that mountainside without a doubt. My ambition is to "turn it around" and create sufficient shelter for bees and other pollinators.

Listening to the radio earlier, each person is paying approx 200euro in carbon tax through taxation and they are talking about how this will rise in the future.

Surely people who are planting lots of trees could be exempt from any such carbon tax.

I have been planting an Oak forest for the past 15 years and it would be good if some monatary gain could be gotten to offset the cost and labour.

I'd consider it a selfless act so, and fair play to you for it. I'd love to do something similar, if only I could find a tree that 'd thrive in wet shallow soil on the side of a mountain at the edge of the sea:D