Woodlands of Ireland Seed Network Gathering

Jess Williams, Hometree’s Wild Atlantic Rainforest Project Manager, reflects and writes about the latest gathering of the Woodlands of Ireland network at Hometree HQ site in Ennistymon.

On 21st May, 2024, Hometree had the honour of hosting the latest gathering of the Woodlands of Ireland network, in conjunction with the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, Food and The Marine (DAFM) and National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) on the topic of Native Irish Tree Seed Collection and Sustainable Plant production. This meeting brought together leaders, experts, and key stakeholders from across the native woodland sector, including seed collectors, nursery owners, NGOs and government representatives.

Woodlands of Ireland is a non-profit organisation dedicated to conserving and expanding Ireland's precious native, semi-natural woodlands. By uniting a diverse array of voices through initiatives and networking events like this meeting, they are fostering cross-discipline collaboration that is vital for advancing native woodland restoration. Hometree is an active member of the WoI Technical Advisory Panel, this meeting of the Panel aimed at ensuring the integrity and supply chain of certified indigenous Forest Reproductive Material, and responds to a need for a cohesive approach to bringing together and fostering ‘buy in’ from all key stakeholders, from tree seed collection to commercial nurseries to government regulators. The feedback from these events inform and strengthen a robust national FRM strategy to address an urgent need.

Ray Ó Foghlú, Hometree's Development Lead, kicked off by explaining our ethos and strategy. While Hometree began as a woodland restoration project, we have evolved into a broader habitat restoration and conservation charity. Our headquarters in Ennistymon aims to become a woodland creation hub - a one-stop shop where landowners, farmers, nurseries and others can see the possibilities of native woodland restoration first-hand and leave with materials, resources and expert advice.

However, our ambition is not to become a major landholding charity ourselves. The true success of Ireland's native woodland restoration rests in the hands of the farmers and landowners who steward the land. Our role is to support and empower them to create and regenerate native forest habitats on their own properties.

A major focus for Hometree has been securing genetically diverse and locally-adapted seed sources for our native trees. Historically, much of the nursery stock has originated from the east of Ireland where major nurseries are located. But we have been promoting the importance of preserving local genetic characteristics across 27 key native species and subspecies to ensure resilience.

Over the last three years, we have been collecting and propagating seeds from ancient woodland fragments both from the local area and across the country. Thanks to grant support from the Forest Services Innovative Forest Technology Scheme for both Tranche 1 and 2 funding, in addition to National Parks and Wildlife Service support we are now scaling up production capacity with new polytunnels and will be able to produce tens of thousands of robust native tree seedlings that can be used for our own restoration work as well as nurturing the wider "nursery ecosystem" in Ireland.

Joe Gowran, CEO of Woodlands of Ireland, emphasised the need for new approaches to woodland creation that can rebuild trust and enthusiasm among farmers and landowners. Too often, past policies promoted disconnected thinking around forestry solely as a timber product. A balanced approach incorporating native woodlands alongside commercial plantations is needed.

The regulatory side of seed sourcing and nursery production was clarified by Darragh McFadden from the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, Food and The Marine. The EU forest reproductive material (FRM) directive 1999/105/EC has been translated into Irish law and governs seed collection permits, registration, certification, and trade, to ensure full traceability of origins for nursery stock. While complex, these steps are vital for preserving the unique genetic makeup of Ireland's trees.

A common call arising from the meeting was the need for clearer guidance from the Forest Service on fulfilling certification requirements around provenance and origin for seed collectors. There were also calls for improved pathogen testing capabilities on the island to rapidly identify and respond to emerging tree diseases.

We heard firsthand accounts of successful case studies like Hometree’s Farm Forest Alliance initiative through the European Innovation Partnership Scheme, which provided tailored advice and assisted farmers in West Clare to create new native woodlands under the Native Woodland Scheme. This bottom-up, farmer-first approach resonated as a model for future efforts.

Meanwhile at our site in Maam Valley, we are working to restore a mosaic habitat restoring birch and hazel stands alongside areas of heath and bogland, part of our vision for recreating a Wild Atlantic Rainforest corridor along the western fringes - the ancestral home of Ireland's temperate rainforests.

Ultimately, a resonating theme was the vital importance of locally-led efforts to preserve and propagate the unique genetic resources found only in Ireland's remaining ancient woodland fragments and veteran trees. With the right support of the domestic native forestry sector, from seed sourcing to safeguarding against imported pathogens, we can restore native woodlands that are resilient and locally-adapted.

Hometree is playing our part by acting as a woodland creation catalyst - empowering landowners, expanding native nursery production, developing user-friendly technology for seed traceability, and contributing our on-the-ground forestry experience. But we are just one voice in a broader movement catalysed by groups like Woodlands of Ireland.

This theme will be expanded further at a ground-shifting conference taking place later this week. The Changing Landscapes conference is bringing together professionals and decision-makers from across the land-use sector, from commercial interests to environmental experts, to explore innovative and transformative approaches to land regeneration.

By continuing to strengthen collaboration across the many disciplines and stakeholders involved, we believe we can overcome policy hurdles and accelerate the revival of Ireland's native woodlands at a landscape scale. 

It was refreshing to be surrounded by such a passionate and knowledgeable community united around this common mission of woodland restoration for the benefit of nature and future generations. Beir Bua!