Conference 2024 Video Presentations
Theme 1: Ancient Woodland on the island of Ireland - distribution and condition
Theme 2: Protective Tree Cover in catchments
Theme 3: Community Involvement in Forest Management
Theme 1: Ancient Woodland on the island of Ireland – distribution and condition
The first theme focused on the ancient woodland Ireland project with the team discussing their different roles within the project. The nature restoration law as it applied to native woodlands was discussed, including the various native woodland schemes available from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. You can watch the eight recorded presentations of the first theme below. The other presentations will be updated on this page once completed.
You can also watch the videos in our curated Ancient Woodland Theme playlist available over on our YouTube channel.
The Ancient Woodlands Ireland project
The Ancient Woodlands Ireland project is a four-year research project funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The project is a collaboration between Maynooth University, Teagasc, Dundalk Institute of Technology and the Woodland Trust Northern Ireland. The project aims to create an all-island inventory of Ancient and Long-Established Woodlands for Ireland which will provide valuable data that can be used to enhance the protection of Ireland’s ancient woodlands and help prioritize sites for ancient woodland restoration. You can find out more on their website - https://www.ancientwoodlandsireland.com/
01 “Mapping, monitoring, and protecting Ireland's Ancient Woodlands” by Dr. John Devaney, NUI Maynooth
The first presentation of the conference was “Mapping, monitoring, and protecting Ireland's Ancient Woodlands” by Dr. John Devaney, NUI Maynooth as part of the Ancient Woodlands Ireland Project. Dr. John Devaney received a PhD in Forest Ecology from University College Cork and has completed Post Doctoral Fellowships at the Smithsonian Institution and Trinity College Dublin. John leads the Forest Ecology & Global Change Lab at Maynooth University. John also currently serves as the coordinator of the IUFRO working party on Forest Biodiversity and Resilience. John is the Principal Investigator of the Ancient Woodlands Ireland project and will lead research on indicators of ancientness in Ireland's woodlands.
02 “Exploiting the historic Ordnance Survey maps to identify long-established woodlands” by Dr. Jesko Zimmermann
“Exploiting the historic Ordnance Survey maps to identify long-established woodlands” by Dr. Jesko Zimmermann, Teagasc, as part of the Ancient Woodlands Ireland Project. Dr. Jesko Zimmermann is a Data Technologist in the Agrifood Business and Spatial Analysis Department. Before joining Teagasc Jesko was a researcher at Trinity College Dublin with a background in environmental sciences. In particular, his interests lie in applied spatial analysis, land use dynamics, greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation options in agriculture, the circular bioeconomy, as well as ecology and biodiversity. Jesko is leading WP2 in the Ancient Woodlands Ireland project, responsible for extracting long-established woodlands from the historic OS maps.
03 “Tracing Ancient Woodlands through the archives, surveys and maps of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries” by Dr. Annaleigh Margey
“Tracing Ancient Woodlands through the archives, surveys and maps of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries” by Dr. Annaleigh Margey as part of the Ancient Woodlands Ireland Project. Dr. Annaleigh Margey is a historian of early modern Ireland. She received her PhD in History from the University of Galway and has held postdoctoral fellowships at Trinity College Dublin, University of Aberdeen, Institute of Historical Research, London and Maynooth University. Her research focuses on Irish history and historical geography from c.1540-1650. As part of this project, Dr Margey will co-supervise a PhD student in History with Dr Eamon Darcy, MU. This will lead to the production of an inventory of ancient Irish woodlands as identified from archival evidence that survives across Britain and Ireland.
04 “Extending the ancient in our understanding of ancient woodlands time and ecological dynamics” by Dr. Helen Shaw, NUI Maynooth.
“Extending the ancient in our understanding of ancient woodlands time and ecological dynamics” by Dr. Helen Shaw, NUI Maynooth as part of the Ancient Woodlands Ireland Project. Dr. Helen Shaw is an experienced palaeoecologist who has undertaken research on long-term ecological dynamics of woodland. Her research seeks to understand long-term woodland ecology from the perspective of internal ecological dynamics and human influenced changes. For palaeoecologists long-term means thousands of years of change rather than hundreds as this provides and essential perspective for a full understanding of ‘ancient’ in ancient woodlands. Helen has worked in various roles and across disciplines to improve the long-term ecological information provided to land managers and policy-makers. Helen is leading the palaeoecology work on the Ancient Woodlands Ireland project.
05 “Mapping the past, restoring the Future" by Paul Armstrong, Woodland Trust Northern Ireland.
“Mapping the past, restoring the Future" by Paul Armstrong, Woodland Trust Northern Ireland as part of the Ancient Woodlands Ireland Project. Paul Armstrong joined the Woodland Trust in 2021 as Public Affairs Manager, where he leads the organisation’s policy, evidence, and advocacy work in Northern Ireland. The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity, dedicated to protecting and restoring ancient woodlands, and planting trees to fight climate change and support wildlife. In 2007, the Woodland Trust launched the ‘Back on the Map’ project, which created a Northern Ireland Ancient Woodland Inventory. Paul will contribute to the project sharing data from the Back on the Map project, enhancing its impact in Northern Ireland and beyond.
06 “Scientific research and restoration planning for woodland habitats” by Dr. Jenni Roche, National Parks and Wildlife Service.
“Scientific research and restoration planning for woodland habitats” by Dr. Jenni Roche, National Parks and Wildlife Service. Dr. Jenni Roche is an Ecologist and Programme Manager with over 20 years of experience in nature conservation across the public sector, consultancy and research. In her current role as a restoration planning ecologist with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, she is working mainly on the nature restoration law and the national restoration plan. Prior to that she was a woodland ecologist and has a particular interest in woodland restoration, peatlands, uplands and environmental change.
07 “Native Woodlands: Funding Opportunities under the Forestry Programme 2023-2027” by Kevin Collins, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
“Native Woodlands: Funding Opportunities under the Forestry Programme 2023-2027” by Kevin Collins, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Kevin Collins is Head of Environment Section of the Forestry Inspectorate at the Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Kevin has been at the forefront of the development and evolution of the native woodland schemes since their original formation.
08 “The condition of protected woodlands in Northern Ireland; threats and pressures” by Bobbie Hamill, Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
“The condition of protected woodlands in Northern Ireland; threats and pressures” by Bobbie Hamill, Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Bobbie Hamill is a senior scientific officer working as the Habitat Survey Team Lead in Northern Ireland Environment Agency of the Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland.
Note: The videos from the other two themes of the conference will be uploaded to this page and our YouTube channel in coming months.
We are very thankful for the support and cooperation we received from all the participants, speakers, volunteers especially Aaron McNulty of the Forest service for support on logistics, field trip facilitators, funding organisations, food providers and particularly Shelley Cole, facility manager with Scouting Ireland at the Castle Saunderson Centre and Fuinseog Woodland Crafts throughout the running of the event.