Trees Benefit your Farm

"Trees on the farm benefit you, your farm and your community", said Dr Nuala Ní Fhlatharta, head of Forestry in Teagasc. She added: "Trees and woodlands are too useful to be ignored. Woodlands are an excellent, tax-efficient on-farm investment, provide an everlasting supply of timber; create a haven for many plants and animals while providing shelter for livestock and crops in adjoining fields. Wood can also be used to efficiently heat our homes."

These are just some of the messages delivered at a nationwide series of information meetings which have been taking place around the country over the last two weeks. These meetings were organised by the Teagasc Forestry Development Unit, in association with the Forest Service and are concluding this week. Hundreds of farmers and rural dwellers have attended to discover for themselves how trees can assist on the farm.

Teagasc director Professor Gerry Boyle said: "There is a double dividend from forestry plantations. There is the private gain for the individual, who plants, but there is also a public dividend from the amenity value of forestry and from the carbon it sequesters from the atmosphere. This combination of public and private gain makes forestry unique. We in Teagasc are planning to appoint an economist to examine the economic returns from forestry. That person will be in place in the new year."

The final two meetings in the series took place in Wicklow and Waterford yesterday, Thursday, 13 December. Forestry experts from Teagasc and the Forest Service discussed different options, schemes and locations to plant trees on the farm providing answers on a wide range of queries. Brochures covering a host of forestry topics were available free of charge on the night.

Dr Ní Fhlatharta said: "Now is the right time to plant trees. Teagasc's forestry development officers are available to explain when, how and where to plant trees and how to look after these trees once they are planted."