Edited By
Frances McHugh
Forestry Communications and Digital Media Specialist
Welcome to the Teagasc June Forestry Advisory Newsletter. In this edition, Teagasc Forestry Communications and Digital Media Specialist, Frances McHugh outlines details of the upcoming Forest Management Walks and other engaging forestry events, and also brings you the latest on tree improvement research.
Come along to a Forest Management Walk of your choice
Teagasc will run a series of Forest Management Walks between 15th – 18th June in Kilkenny, Cavan, Sligo, Kildare, Roscommon and Cork, providing forest owners with an opportunity to attend a forest walk focused on a specific management topic suited to them. These events also provide a great opportunity for landowners considering new forestry to get clear insights on how forestry can work for them.
There is no need to register for these events. Each event has a meeting point where attendees can gather and move to a nearby forest site. Click on the link below to see details of date, location and subject focus on each event.
With just over 50% of Ireland’s forest privately owned, forest owners are at many different stages of their forestry journey with many different management objectives. The upcoming walks will focus on different forest establishment and management areas, whether it’s Continuous cover forest management, Agroforestry, Native woodland management or a focus on Forest recreation.
Each focused event will be presented in the context of supports available for existing forests under the current Forestry Programme as well as diverse opportunities available for new planting at every scale.
Teagasc encourages forest owners to take ownership of the management of their forests, setting specific objectives suited to their needs and to work with forestry professionals, along with supports available, to create a sustainable and resilient forest.
These forest management walks are organised in association with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
See Locations, dates and management focus for each forest event here
Forestry at Farming for a Better Future 2026
Join Teagasc Forestry on Wednesday, 10th June at Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford for a an exciting ‘Farming for a Better Future 2026’ event.
The theme of this year’s open day is ‘Innovating for Healthy Soils and Clean Water’ and so we will be focusing on some of the attractive Forest Types within the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Forestry Programme that tie in specifically to this theme.
We will have two demo areas in the forest section. One will demonstrate opportunities within the Native Tree Area Scheme, where trees are planted adjacent to water and can intercept nutrients or sediment moving across farmland along with delivering many other practical and ecological benefits. The scheme funds the creation of small woodlands (up to 1ha) and attracts an annual payment of up to €2,284/ha/year for 10 years.
The second demo area will be an Agroforestry plot showing a Silvopasture system in operation. This highly attractive forest type combines trees and farming in the one area, resulting in many additional benefits to both trees and farming. Under this scheme, tree planting costs and tree protection are covered and it attracts a premium of €1,170/ha/year for 10 years. There is also excellent compatibility with other farm schemes, including organics.
For more information on Farming for a Better Future, visit here.
AshforFuture project – breeding common ash for dieback disease tolerance
Over the past 15 years, common ash (Fraxinus excelsior) in Ireland has been severely impacted by ash dieback, caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. While most trees show significant damage, a small proportion appear to have a higher level of tolerance. These trees offer an important opportunity for recovery and management.
The AshforFuture research project, launched in November 2024, is an all-island initiative funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland. It brings together research aimed at supporting the long-term future of ash in Ireland.
Public engagement is an important part of the AshforFuture project. Through outreach activities, the team has raised awareness of ash dieback and encouraged people to report healthy ash trees through a citizen science initiative. Teagasc sincerely thanks all who have and continue to respond.
Ricardo Pimenta, Postdoctoral Fellow, and Dheeraj Rathore, Research Officer, provide an update on progress in the AshforFuture project. Read the update here: AshforFuture project – breeding common ash fir dieback disease tolerance
Keep up to date with Teagasc Forestry
You also subscribe to the Teagasc Forestry e-Newsletter, which will give details of all our upcoming forestry events while also keeping you on top of the latest Irish forestry news, forestry grants, valuable forest management tips, research updates and much more via e-mail directly to your inbox.