Close to Nature Forestry

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Comment by Lyn Mather on September 8, 2009 at 9:45am

Below is press release by woodlandleague.org - working in restoring people's relationship to trees and promoting native woodlands. If we want to promote community participation in local forestry and our woods as national heritage, then this is really alarming.

Press Release
Where’s my tree?

Amidst the general ballyhoo surrounding the new Millennium, Coillte, the semi state body set up in 1989 to look after the nation' s forests,announced the setting up of the grandiosely titled,"People's Millenium Forests"
Over 1.2 million households in Ireland, were sent a certificate, telling them the particular type of native Irish tree, (the seed gathered, we were told by Irish schoolchildren), being planted in their name, and its location, in one of 16 different chosen woodlands. The certificate alleged ownership "in perpetuity" to each person.
Less than two months ago, buried in the bowels of the McCarthy report, is a recommendation that Coillte be sold - lock stock and smoking barrel - to gain a few bob for the desperadoes in government.
This went virtually unnoticed and unreported on amidst the general meltdown, long predicted by anyone with more than two brain cells of the Irish "economy".
If Coillte is sold off this means a Russian oligarch, a Chinese resource hunter or an American pulp paper company, could own one and a half million acres of Irish forests, including mountains, lakes, rivers and some of the Europe's very last raised bogs. The hunting and fishing licenses that Coillte obtained from the old Land Commission estates will be sold as well, and all of these 1.2 million trees, so generously gifted, for ever and ever, to each and all of us.
What's going on?
Please help stop this latest fire sale of Ireland's environmental treasures and join the Where's My Tree Campaign?
Take action!
Contact Coillte by email at pr@coillte.ie and ask them where your tree is?
and when can you go visit it?
Contact your local elected representatives on this issue as well.
Go see www.millenniumforests.com for more background info.
The potential buyers, who ever they may be are probably slavering at the thought of getting their hands on some of Ireland's most beautiful wild and ecologically fragile lands, but if you're there with your certificate and your tree - what can they do.
Coillte, and its paymaster the Minister for Finance, can't send us all the log factory. Can they?
Where's My Tree?
Write today and support the www.WoodlandLeague.org vision for genuine community native woodlands and a new forestry policy with the emphasis our native trees, for all of the known benefits.
To send us your message of support and any results and pictures of your tree hunt email wheresmytree@gmail.com

Comment by Cathy Fitzgerald on July 24, 2009 at 10:25am

Thanks a lot Mieke
Great to see you here too - hope that woodland in CLonmel is growing well

Cathy

Comment by Mieke Muyllaert on July 24, 2009 at 10:02am

Hi all,
Follow this link to EU DG Environment news alert service http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/latest_alerts.htm It should take you to 'latest alerts' where issue 161 has the following article: "Carbon credits for forestry management". Might be of interest.
Mieke

Comment by Vered on April 21, 2009 at 10:14am

Thank you Cathy - it is good to open a conversation about nature . I will guide a trip to the woods on the 30.5.09 - to walk and explore the nature .I do my master degree in expressive arts therapy coaching consulting and education - in Switzerland and my topic for my theses will be expressive arts in nature . I wish to see more people out in the forest around kilkenny and to get together as a community with children adult and elder. I am part of future proof kilkenny .

Comment by Cathy Fitzgerald on April 20, 2009 at 8:55pm

I've added a feed above from Jan Alexander's blog. Some of you might remember her as the person who founded Crann over 20 years ago. She is now President of Pro Silva Ireland - a branch of the EU Pro Silva forestry organisation which for the last 20 years has been promoting ecologically and economically sustainable forestry. Jan has been involved with Pro Silva for many years; her blog is a filled with practical observations and a lot of information about converting Spruce pioneer plantations to mixed species, permanent forests. It's not rocket science, but it is a radically diferent approach to the monoculture forest model we presently have. Interested, subscribe to her blog.

I've been working alongside Jan more or less since I came to Ireland 14 years ago; I'm an artist, lo-fi film-maker. Jan's other important work; what she thinks was the most significant Crann project was the Forest Service supported 'local project' where 13 years ago, local people in Leitrim were invited to plant broadleaves (over 300 acres were planted). A few years ago, I went with Jan, back to see all these young woodlands and we interviewed both the owners, and the trees! Forest managemet issues were commonplace and not surprising as there is little wood culture in Ireland for maintaining/developing permanet forests. This re-affirmed Jan's belief and work to bring knowledge & skills from EU foresters to Ireland. We also both realised that the community of people who planted in Leitrim had created a model and learnt alot on the way, see the local project films above.