21 June 2024
Forestry Advice at BEEF2024
Forestry Advisory Kevin O’Connell explains how the Teagasc Forestry staff will be available at Beef2024 in Teagasc Grange, Co Meath on Wednesday 26th June to engage with attendees and explore how forestry can play an important role in the whole farm planning process.
The BEEF2024 Open Day will take place in Teagasc Grange, Co Meath, on Wednesday 26th June. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Securing your future’. The event will focus on the addressing challenges in relation to farm succession, profitability, market disturbances, reducing the environmental footprint and costs of production. Forestry Advisory Kevin O’Connell explains how the Teagasc Forestry staff will be available on the day to engage with attendees and explore how forestry can play an important role in the whole farm planning process.
Landowners consider forestry for many reasons, such as supplementing farm income, farm restructuring, creating bio diverse native woodland and/or developing a retirement fund.
Whole farm planning takes a full and holistic view of farming enterprises, activities and schemes and examines the potential for incorporating trees into the farming mix.
According to Kevin O’Connell, local Teagasc Forestry Adviser, “well planned forestry continues to be a highly attractive land use option, making suitable land work for you. Forests take many years to mature, gradually delivering more and more ecosystem goods and services such as timber production, carbon sequestration, recreation and water quality improvement”
A change to forestry, like any new farm enterprise, can raise many questions. Can forestry be an option on my farm? Tree planting is a significant undertaking, the key decisions taken at planting time, can determine the results over many years. An attractive Forestry Programme is available from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and includes strong financial incentives for the variety of forest option available (called Forest Types), each with their own silvicultural, environmental and practical objectives. There are planting options suitable for many farms, regardless of enterprise or scale. These include native woodland, agroforestry (combining farming and trees in the same fields) and the more commercially-focused conifer and broadleaf options. There are also attractive options for planting smaller areas under the new Native Tree Area (NTA) Scheme.
This is an ideal opportunity to explore how forestry and woodland creation can work for you. Comprehensive information and advice will be available on incentives to create new forests and to support owners of existing forests. On the day, forestry personnel from Teagasc will be available to answer all your queries on issues such as:
- Overview of current forestry schemes including the Native Tree Area (NTA) and the Afforestation schemes
- Outlining the support measures that are available to better manage existing forests
- Improving farm income
- Applying for grants and how to get the work done
- Forestry interaction with other agricultural schemes e.g. BISS
- Forestry, biodiversity and water management
Why not visit us on the day at the Teagasc BEEF2024 Advisory village where you will get free, independent objective advice on all your forestry queries.