Illaun Restoration Site: Continuous Cover Forestry Project

In summer 2021, we purchased an old plantation forest; on a sixteen-acre out farm near Miltown Malbay, West Clare. The woodland consists of two conifer blocks bisected by a small ash plantation. Typically of much plantation forestry of its era, it has never been managed, and it bears all the hallmarks. Beneath the conifers, the forest is dark and lifeless. No wildflowers, shrubs or herbs exist under the blackout canopy.

Our plan, delivered with expert advice from a registered forester and an ecologist, will slowly transform Illaun into a native woodland. To manage this area we have chosen to apply Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) at this site.

At the end of February we started the first thinning of sitka spruce. The first step is to fell one in every six rows of conifers. We will also free up any native trees we come across, by thining the spruce around them.

We will be then allowing the understory naturally regenerate in places, whilst adding native species like oak, hazel and holly in others. We will ringbark some spruce trees, to create standing deadwood - habitat for insects, and fungi.

We will be introducing long- established woodland indicator species like wood anomone, sorrel and bluebell. These species would take a long time to arrive on their own.

Certainly, one of the biggest challenges in attempting CCF this close to the coast, is that the whole forest collapses in strong winds. After the week we just saw on the west coast, today may be as opportune a time as ever!

The project here at Illaun will take many years to complete, but as they say - tús maith, leath na hoibre! Below is the video where Meadhbh Costigan, our botanist, talks more about the project, why it is important and how we are planing to achieve it.

This project is funded by The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine and is part of The European Innovative Project.