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Coillte Nature is a new not-for-profit venture that has been set up to respond to the challenges of climate disruption and biodiversity loss in Ireland. Coillte Nature will undertake native woodland creation and nature restoration projects of scale in partnership with public and private sector organisations and with other non-profit organisations.
Protecting the environment is an intrinsic part of Coillte’s sustainable forest management, as part of its normal commercial forest operations. With the establishment of Coillte Nature, the company is seeking to advance its sustainability agenda by undertaking large discrete projects with a separate non-commercial focus. These projects are intended to increase the national forest estate but with a strong emphasis on carbon sequestration, species diversification, biodiversity and the development of outdoor recreation and tourism amenities.
Coillte, the State-owned forestry company, is 30 years old this year, and on this anniversary it has established a new not-for-profit venture that has been set up to respond to the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. The venture will be led by Dr Ciarán Fallon, who has been appointed to the role of Director of Coillte Nature.
Strategic Themes
Coillte Nature’s work will be separate from commercial forest operations and will focus on four strategic themes.
The first theme is new woodland creation, and it is planned that new forests will use a diverse species range, such as our native oak, birch and/or alder. The new woodlands will be able to store and sequester carbon from the atmosphere and will optimise the environmental and social benefits for local communities, and nationally.
The restoration of existing forest sites is the second strategic theme. Established forests will undergo a major species diversity programme in the form of restoration projects. The works to be carried out on these forests will include interventions to remove invasive species, opening-up of forest canopies and changes to site drainage.
In Association with
The third strategic theme is urban forest projects. These projects will create new woodlands amenities near to our large population centres. An inaugural project of Coillte Nature is the Dublin Mountains Forest Conversion plan. Over the next three to four decades, the project will gradually convert the commercial forests of the Dublin Mountains to native and mixed woodlands, with the primary function of recreation.
The conversion from commercial forestry to recreational forests will involve a mixture of conventional tree felling and replanting with native tree species, continuous cover forestry, and long-term retention of other tree species.
Finally, ecosystem services projects refers to management of areas for specific ecosystem services functions. An example of such areas is where there is a potential flood risk management, or management of an at risk species such as the hen harrier or the freshwater pearl mussel.
How Will This Be Funded?
Coillte Nature is a not-for-profit organisation and sources of income will include grants and funding via strategic partnerships. Funding that will be available to the proposed programmes will include grants from the National Forestry Programme, such as native woodland schemes and conservation grants, as well as EU LIFE programme funding for environmental and climate change projects.
Creating external partnerships will also be a source of funding the team will be pursuing. Coillte Nature will work with private sector organisations on native woodland and biodiversity projects. “We are frequently contacted by organisations that want to engage at an impactful and practical level,” Dr Fallon explains. “For some organisations this is a tangible way of becoming involved in tackling climate change and biodiversity loss.”
What's Next?
Coillte Nature’s first project will be the Dublin Mountains Forest Conversion. For over ten years, Coillte has worked with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Dublin City Council, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, South Dublin County Council and representatives of outdoor recreation groups to promote recreation in the Dublin uplands through the Dublin Mountains Partnership. During this period, Coillte has seen visitor numbers climb to over 600,000 per year, making these forests some of the most visited outdoor attractions in the region.
Due to their proximity to the city, nine Coillte forests account for the vast majority of visits to the Dublin Uplands: Ticknock, Barnaslingan, Carrickgollogan, Kilmashogue, Ballyedmonduff, Massey’s Wood, Hell Fire, Cruagh and Tibradden. These forests are currently managed on Coillte’s forest planning systems as commercial forests. However, given their exceptionally high usage and Coillte’s positive experience with the Dublin Mountains Partnership, Coillte has taken the decision to convert them to native and mixed woodlands with the primary function of recreation and biodiversity.
The project is being jointly funded by Coillte and the three Dublin local authorities, with grants for native woodland conversion being provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
To learn more about Coillte Nature, contact Dr Ciarán Fallon: Ciaran.fallon@coillte.ie
