To date, the predominant silvicultural system used in Coillte is based on clearfelling crops as they mature. The adoption of this system, to the exclusion of any other, has arisen as a result of past experience with windthrow on wet soils when the forest canopy is opened. As many of our forests are planted on wet soils, clearfelling has become standard practice in this country. Other systems such as the Shelterwood Systems practised in central Europe may have some application on the drier mineral soils, but have yet to be fully tested in this country. These systems provide continuous forest cover and a multiple age structure, thereby maintaining a forest environment and lessening the impacts of harvesting on landscape, wildlife habitat, soils and water etc. They require, however, a more intensive and skilled management but may provide alternatives to clearfelling on stable sites in areas of high sensitivity.

It is our policy to undertake a programme of testing and demonstrating a number of these Lower Impact Silvicultural Systems, in conifer crops on both a research and operational scale.

Our Progress
Representatives from each Region have recently attended a training course in Continuous Cover Forestry. Suitable sites of 20 to 30ha each are currently being identified and these will be managed under a range of low impact systems and their performance monitored. Coillte is also involved with the Department of Forestry, Faculty of Agriculture in University College Dublin on a major new COFORD (Council of Forest Research and Development) project on Continuous Cover Forestry.

How to contact us:

For further information on Coillte's low impact silvicultural systems policy, please contact:

Dr. Michael Keane,
Coillte,
Research and Development,
Newtownmountkennedy,
Co. Wicklow.

Tel: +353 (0)1 2011159
Fax: +353 (0)1 2011199
Email:michael.keane@coillte.ie