It is not often you see grazing livestock in a young forest. In fact, the practice is actively discouraged, unless the forest is an agroforest. The first time I saw sheep grazing quietly in a forest without causing tree damage was six years ago in Liam Beechinor’s agroforest in the townland of Liscubba, located 7km northwest of Clonakilty, Co Cork.

He is an agroforestry enthusiast, and had planted a trial agroforesry plot of 1.9ha with mainly ash, which was compatible with his overall farm enterprise. He had previously established 4ha of a mixed species plantation while the remaining 55ha is managed as pasture – mainly cattle grazing with silage and hay production.

The agroforestry experiment was a halfway house between traditional agriculture and forestry. When I visited the site originally, the fastest-growing ash was just about peeping over the tops of the tree shelters. The area was treated as a forest environmental protection scheme (FEPS) at the time and the agroforestry section was approved as a pilot trial by Eugene Curran, inspector with the Forest Service and himself an agroforestry advocate. It was established by Gerard Moroney, regional manager with Green Belt.

“Planted in 2012, the trees are thriving and there is no sign of ash dieback so far and the big advantage is that if the ash is infected, diseased trees can be removed immediately,” says Eugene. “In addition, the sheep will feed on the leaves in autumn which essentially removes the vector for the disease.”

The agroforestry scheme has a stocking rate of 400 stems/ha (5x5m tree spacing) compared with 3,300 (2 x 1.5m spacing) for broadleaved afforestation.

Wide spacing can result in poor form but Eugene says: “What is noticeable in this site is the excellent form of most of the trees compared to a conventional ash plantation at this stage.” Ash is the preferred species for agroforestry but is no longer grant-aided due to dieback. Broadleaves such as oak, cherry, sycamore and sweet chestnut may be alternatives.

Protection

In two years’ time, the tree shelters will be removed and replaced with plastic mesh giving continued protection to the trees. “This is necessary as the soft bark of ash is attractive to sheep so damage can occur without mesh protection,” says Liam. In mainland Europe, larger livestock graze freely in mature agroforestry sites.

“This is also a possibility in Ireland but the ash would need to be much stronger before cattle grazing is allowed,” he maintains.

Liam has cut back on hay and silage production in the agroforestry site, using it mainly for sheep grazing these days. “Research in Northern Ireland has shown that annual grazing can continue for an additional 17 weeks where trees are growing, which is due to the improved filtering of the water down through the roots of the trees,” says Eugene. He acknowledges that the agroforestry takeup has been slow but there has been an increase in interest with 80ha in the pipeline this year.

While the scheme is excellent, there are two stumbling blocks that need to be removed before farmers fully commit to agroforestry,” Liam maintains. “First, the five-year premium period is too short and should be extended to 15 years like other schemes. Second, like all other forestry schemes, the replanting obligation is turning farmers off.”

He is happy with all other aspects of the scheme, including establishment grants, premium payments and support from the Forest Service, while the flexibility to be both a farmer and a forester is proving extremely attractive.

By addressing issues such as the premium period, Liam believes that agroforestry could be an enticing land use for farmers who are not prepared to make the jump to full forest establishment but who wish to incorporate more trees into their farm enterprise.

Closing date for forestry awards extended

The closing date for entries for the RDS-Forest Service Forestry Awards has been extended to Wednesday 31 July. “If forest owners require any additional information, they can contact the RDS Agriculture Foundation Department directly on 01 240 7242,” says Kate Gould, RDS foundation programme administrator.

“With a prize fund of €9,000, the awards promote the economic, environmental and social benefits of efficient forestry and farming.”

The awards are open to a wide range of forests – large and small, she says. “Judges will visit all shortlisted entries over the summer. Having the judges visit your woodlands is one of the great benefits of entering the awards, as they are experienced foresters and can advise in the development of your woodlands.” There are three prize categories:

  • Production forestry award.
  • Teagasc farm forestry award.
  • Community woodlands award.

    • Application forms are available on www.rds.ie/forestry or via email from forestry@rds.ie.