Activity Report - Summer 2026
This activity report gives updates from 9th July 2026 to16th September 2026 (Quarter 3).
Past Events
Heritage Week:
Timber extraction with horse demo by Alan Lynch took place on Tuesday, 18th August at Enniscoe. Oak was extracted for post and rail fencing. Oak cleaving was demonstrated. NPWS managers attending are open to a potential completion the cleft Oak post and rail around the restocked parkland copses at Enniscoe in the near future. If this goes ahead we will turn it into a Supporter Members event.
On-Going Events
Hedgerow Week:
A hedge cutting contractor workshop is proposed for late October/early November as one of the last items to close the Carlow Hedgerow project activity. Two site visits to Farms in Carlow are to be arranged in conjunction with the demo. Some progress has been made on the planning of these around a meeting focused on Section 70 of the roads traffic act relating to hedge cutting held with Shane Casey (Biodiversity Officer Carlow Co Co), Alan Moore (Hedgerows Ireland), Neil Foulkes and Rosemary Rooney on September 15th. See webinar of Carlow Catchments Hedgerow Survey results.
RDS Native Woodland Conservation Awards
In 2024 Woodlands of Ireland proposed the idea of the Native Woodland Conservation Award and worked with the RDS to develop its introduction. This year Woodlands of Ireland CEO Joe Gowran will again be judging the award which has been repackaged as the Native Woodland Establishment Award for 2026/7. The award will aim to recognise new or re-established native semi-natural woodlands between 5 and 30 years old (from planting or natural regeneration). The category will alternate bi-annually to Ancient and Long Established Woodland Award.
Training and Education
Native Woodland Conservation Scheme 2-day Training
This training took place on July 28th and 29th in Co. Wicklow. The October 20th and 21st dates are now confirmed for the next course at Enniscoe, Co. Mayo. If interested, you can book a spot on the course at the link.
Native and Semi-natural Woodland Operative Skills Training Pilot
This training commenced at the end of October 2025 and continued until the end of August 2026. Seven trainees completed the training and will receive their certificates on October 8th at the event celebrating 25 years of the native woodland schemes. As a supporter member, you can attend this event for free.
Public Sector Partnerships and Policy
Native Woodland Strategy 2026-2030 and Consultation
We will be submitting an updated Native Woodland Strategy to stakeholders based on the data collected from a webinar (March 2026), an online public consultation (April 2026), and an in-person consultation (September 2026). 100 online questionnaire responses were received. Our event Celebrating 25 years of the Native Woodland Schemes is part of the process of engaging with stakeholders in person in order to develop some degree of consensus on the shape of an updated strategy. View the previous Native Woodland Strategy 2016-2020.
Forest Strategy Consultative Committee (FSCC)
Forestry Education and Training Strategy
Following a presentation to the Forest Strategy Consultative Committee (FSCC) on March 30th about a discussion document ‘Towards a Forestry Education and Training Strategy’ the Director of Forestry, Barry Delaney, contacted the new Coford Chair, Prof. Áine Ní Dhubháin, with a view to Coford setting up a working group to progress a strategy. Next meeting due on 1st October.
Submissions to Consultations
A Submission was made to the Nature Restoration Draft Plan Public Consultation on Wednesday July 1st. It focused on the use of pioneer species with initially a small percentage of protected Oak as a way of achieving the Nature Restoration Law woodland targets set for 2030. Link tbc.
Outreach
Ireland’s Woodland Show
Two of our staff attended Ireland’s Woodland Show event on August 29th and 30th in Woodstock Gardens and Arboretum, Kilkenny and our CEO gave a presentation regarding 25 years of the Native Woodland Schemes and talked about the Native Woodland Strategy 2026-2030.
FORADVISE
We are participating in FORADVISE
Woodlands of Ireland's CEO will be attending the FORADVISE Climate Change Adaptation & Forest Protection International Workshop on 14 – 15 October 2026 in Farnham, Surrey, UK.
On-Going Projects
Hedge (and other wooded lands) Project
Carlow Catchments Hedgerow and other Wooded Lands Survey (River Burrin and River Mountain catchments) project for Carlow Co.Co. More details
Lichen Project
Photo archive of the project to be submitted by the project lead when ready. We have recently made recordings of Howard Fox reading synopsis for each of 13 sites visited. More details.
Credit Unions and the Woodland Environment Fund
CEO has requested the Forest Service to extend the Woodland Environment Fund to NWS Conservation before approaching the League of Credit Unions. This was under consideration in the forestry programme mid-term review but no updates from that yet.
Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) progress
Protective Tree Cover:
This links into the Native Woodland Strategy Consultation 2026-2030 and was one of the topics in our webinar on 19th March featuring a presentation by Declan Cooke from an Inland Fisheries Ireland perspective.
NWS Establishment:
Through the maintenance workshops and other training we are emphasising the benefit of protecting and nurturing trees in the plantation that may have timber potential through shaping, pruning and setting up inspection lines at intervals. This early active management will strengthen species and structural diversity when combined with thinning in the following decades: the field trips of the 25th Anniversary of the NWS event will re-emphasise this.
Silviculture and Hardwood products:
Liaison with Teagasc and Pro Silva regarding CCF continues.