12 June 2025

Strengthening forests for climate challenges

Tom Houlihan, Acting Head of the Teagasc Forestry Development Department, outlines how research in forest resilience, carbon, and management practices is helping future-proof Ireland’s forests against climate challenges.

Credit: Sylvia Becerra Gonzalez/istockphoto.com

Building more resilient forests is central to Teagasc’s work in forestry. Through targeted research, advisory services and training, the Forestry Development Department is supporting climate adaptation, sustainable management, and long-term forest health across Ireland.

The focus of our research is tree breeding, tree improvement, and sustainable forest management, to support a stronger and more sustainable forest sector. We are working to build resilience against both biotic stresses (such as tree diseases) and abiotic stresses (like climate change). More recently, we have expanded our research into carbon sequestration, the process by which trees absorb and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This is to better measure the impact of afforestation (planting new forests on land that was not previously forested), and to model how forest management affects greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We also study the social and economic factors that influence how and why landowners choose forestry as a land-use option.

Our research takes place at Teagasc centres in Ashtown, Athenry and Oak Park, as well as through long-term trials across the country. This in-house research supports our advisory and training work and helps us share knowledge nationwide. Alongside our core staff, postdoctoral researchers and Teagasc Walsh Scholars play a vital role in delivering our research programmes. 

Securing future forests

Looking to the future, there are challenges to address and opportunities to grasp in building a resilient future forestry sector. These include the significant role forestry plays in the environmental, economic, and social needs of forest owners, rural communities, and society. There is also a requirement to provide evidence to support and inform many of the policy decisions and practices that are arising at national and EU level.

There is a continued need to strengthen research capacity and focus efforts on supporting the sustainable growth and resilience of Ireland’s forest resources. There is an increasing need to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, which may be served by adapting species and sustainable forest management practices to increase resilience. 

Weathering the storm

The recent severe storms have demonstrated the potential impact of extreme climatic events. Key research areas therefore include breeding resilient and climate-adapted conifer and broadleaf planting stock to enhance future forest resilience. There is a need to build further knowledge on appropriate forest establishment and management options including, for example, agroforestry, which combines trees with crops or livestock, and Continuous Cover Forestry, which avoids clearfelling by maintaining a permanent forest canopy. Appropriate future research will help protect our forests and reduce threats from pests and diseases. There is also potential to study the impacts of forestry and its contribution to environmental goods and services, and the role of adaptive forest management in relation to various soil types.

Clear communication unites stakeholders

Continued two-way engagement and information flows across a wide range of stakeholders will be essential to inform future research approaches, while facilitating advancements in generating science-based innovation and knowledge. In carrying out research, we place a very high value on the many existing collaborations with forestry stakeholders, research organisations, and co-workers, both nationally and internationally. These partnerships help develop synergies and give us access to greater research capacity. They also assist us in meeting our objective of supporting the development of forests and forest management approaches that maximise the potential of the sector from an economic, environmental, and social perspective.