CCF Operations in Carrickgollogan and Barnaslingan Forests

A forest thinning will commence the middle of March at Carrickgollogan as part of Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) management in northern section of this woodland. The thinning operation will take 2-3 weeks.

Some areas are now ready for their first thinning intervention to begin the CCF transformation process, while other areas with older trees will be selectively thinned.  Removing these trees creates gaps in the canopy to allow more light to reach the forest floor and create the conditions for regeneration of new seedlings in the future.  Over time we aim to gradually make the forest more diverse in terms of age, tree sizes and species in the future.

This thinning will take place across 23 hectares of forest in the northern end of the forest (see map).

Later this Spring we will also be working in Barnaslingan. Sections of the wood were thinned over the last 2 years.  Where trees were felled and removed, this has created a nice gap in the canopy and we are going back in to do an enrichment planting with groups of native tree species such as oak, Scots pine, birch and rowan.  In some areas native trees are already regenerating – you might see some holly and birch present, and these will be protected.  In other areas non-native conifers Monterey pine and lawson cypress are also regenerating, some of these will be removed to give our native tree species a better chance of survival, as we want to diversify the woodland and increase the proportion of native tree and shrub species.

This work is part of the Dublin Mountains Makeover which will see an area of over 900 hectares across nine Coillte forests transitioning away from commercial forestry, to be managed for recreation, biodiversity and climate.

We thank you for your patience during this process. Please follow all signage while visiting the forest and please take care on the roads with timber lorries entering and exiting the forests.