want to buy a little wood to enjoy with my family

P

PGD1

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I want to buy some forestry... or at least start thinking about it properly.
Are there are good sources of information, websites offering sites for sale?

I want to get native Irish forestry to enjoy, not to harvest. I don't want acres of neatly divided rows of sitca spruce.
 
Re: forestry

thanks. I guess I'm more interested in any sites that are offering forestry for sale. Myhome doesn't really have much and iavi.ie is down.

I did find a site called [broken link removed] which has some.

I would like to find something with native trees but also with some clear land where I can grow willow, to harvest for fuel for personal use. But this wouldn't only be a side role... the main role is just to enjoy the land and bring the kids camping on it etc etc. Perhaps keep some beehives.
 
Re: forestry

Hi PG,

To paraphrase:
You want to buy a little wood consisting diverse flora and fauna in Ireland to enjoy rather than as a commercial undertaking.

How many hectares would you require and what part of the country are you interested in?

aj
 
Re: forestry

Why buy?:confused: All state forests and forest parks are open to the public and many provide facilities such as picnic sites, litter bins, nature trails and information posts. Actually a great facility for the kids.:) Also a great variety to choose from throughout the country, rather than being stuck in the one (possibly small) wood.

You will of course have to stump up for the commercial value of the timber growing in the wood if you can manage to buy in driving range of your home. There would not be a big turnover of growing forests.
 
Anywhere except the most remote places (kerry and donegal basically!).

Minimum would be 5 acres. I would prefer more but I would accept 5 acres over a larger site if it was particularly scenic... or had a river etc etc or was closer to Dublin. I mean, it wouldn't be nice to own 15 acres of woodland if it was beside a meat processing plant!!

Obviously budget comes into it too.

beaky, I understand and I am a member of Coillte.... but there are a number of projects we would like to undertake with the kids, including beekeeping, bird boxes, bat boxes etc etc.

Could also be used for camping/campfires etc.

Willow appears to be very fast growing (couple of meters per year) and can be harvested every year for use in our wood burning stove. I'm talking small scale here.

Also want to just own some land and doing something useful with it and stop it from being used for development.
 
Re: forestry

I have seen short rotation willow crops in Co Derry and must say that this monoculture is a commercial activity and is in no way conducive to recreational use.

Do you intend living in or near the wood?

Ill change the title of the thread to more accurately reflect your question.
 
Re: forestry

Bird boxes, bat roosts etc will work best where the habitat is of sufficient scale to allow the species, and prey species, to thrive. 5 acres may be a bit on the skimpy side, unless it adjoined a 100 ac wood. But wouldnt we all like our own little country estate bolt-hole;). Best of luck with the search and be very, very, very careful with the fires.:eek: :D
 
Re: forestry

ajapale,

I would intend on only planting a small area as a test. I would be able to easily visit the site at weekends. Just spend a weekend or two chopping and schredding it and bagging it... should be manageable. I'm not talking large areas here. It's just an idea. If I had a site with no clearing then I obviously wouldn't do it.

I don't need anywhere with planning permission or the ability to have a log cabin on it.

beaky, thanks!
 
Do bear in mind that any native Irish species will need to grow for the guts of 15-20 years before it is capable of producing even small volumes of timber. In general, broadleaf trees can be quite problematic to nurture in the first four years following initial planting and where broadleaf trees fail (most typically due to site conditions) it is often necessary to plant conifer trees in their place in order to sustain the plantation as a whole.
 
PGD1 said:
Also want to just own some land and doing something useful with it and stop it from being used for development.
Click to expand...


The vast majority of Irish forestry sites are in areas totally unsuitable for development, due to location, ground conditions, lack of access etc. That is why they are forestry sites. Do bear in mind that foest establishment is itself regarded in law as a form of development, and while you do not need planning permission to establish a plantation, it is gewnerally necessary to obtain advance approval from the state Forest Service. A significant proportion of approval applications are refused, most typically for environmental reasons.
 
PGD1 said:
Anywhere except the most remote places (kerry and donegal basically!).

Minimum would be 5 acres. I would prefer more but I would accept 5 acres over a larger site if it was particularly scenic... or had a river etc etc or was closer to Dublin. I mean, it wouldn't be nice to own 15 acres of woodland if it was beside a meat processing plant!!

Obviously budget comes into it too.

beaky, I understand and I am a member of Coillte.... but there are a number of projects we would like to undertake with the kids, including beekeeping, bird boxes, bat boxes etc etc.

Could also be used for camping/campfires etc.

Willow appears to be very fast growing (couple of meters per year) and can be harvested every year for use in our wood burning stove. I'm talking small scale here.

Also want to just own some land and doing something useful with it and stop it from being used for development.
Click to expand...

What about that 8acres of land for sale in kilkenny (i think) through Greenbelt
- just about the right size....
 
PGD1 said:
Anywhere except the most remote places (kerry and donegal basically!).

Minimum would be 5 acres. I would prefer more but I would accept 5 acres over a larger site if it was particularly scenic... or had a river etc etc or was closer to Dublin. I mean, it wouldn't be nice to own 15 acres of woodland if it was beside a meat processing plant!!

Obviously budget comes into it too.

beaky, I understand and I am a member of Coillte.... but there are a number of projects we would like to undertake with the kids, including beekeeping, bird boxes, bat boxes etc etc.

Could also be used for camping/campfires etc.

Willow appears to be very fast growing (couple of meters per year) and can be harvested every year for use in our wood burning stove. I'm talking small scale here.

Also want to just own some land and doing something useful with it and stop it from being used for development.
Click to expand...

It sounds as if you want to buy a farm of about 30 acres with variable land on which you can plant coppices and an area of woodland where you would live and bring up children in this preferred environment (which would also supplement your fuel-supply). Have you tried contacting auctioneers in the part of the country you wish to live in with your requirements? Farms of this size come up regularly for sale or auction.
 
ubiquitous,

I'm not interested in "farming forest" i.e. sitka spruce. I would prefer native woodland. i.e. it would already have to be established. I'm not interetested in harvesting ANY wood. But if the site has some clear space I would probably try to grow willow on it, small scale.

annamac1, yes I'm looking at that one.

Marie, ideally we would like what you suggest but it's not feasible at the moment. Kids are settled in school and there is an income to think of.... which unfortunately is Dublin based.
 
Why not buy some agricultural land and establish your own native forest keeping whatever area you like for a willow 'experiment/hobby'. That way you will end up with exactly what you want, possibly in a more convienent location, at a better price. You can then educate the kids on the management needed for the woods, and watch it become colonised over the years and hand it to them with your last breath as they can with theirs. Its a long term solution but would make a unique family heirloom and as you know, time passes all too quickly. The native wood will be half mature in 40 years time and they can be proud of their creation and it will have contributed to extra native habital rather than maintenance of an existing one.
 
beaky, it is something worth considering alright.

We do like the though of having something "ready made" though!
Also, not many people want overgrown woodland, that example above is about €7k/acre whereas agricultural land is about €15k/acre...... plus I would have to buy €€€s worth of saplings!!!!!!!!!
 
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