Forests and Woodlands in Irish Mythology: Portals to Ancient Enchantment and Spiritual Connection   Introduction: In the rich tapestry of Irish mythology, forests and woodlands emerge as captivating settings that hold profound significance and symbolism. Enveloped in an air of mystery and magic, these ancient landscapes serve as...

What is the Giants Grove? It’s a lot more than you might think!   The Giants Grove project is a partnership between Crann – Trees for Ireland, and Birr Castle Estate. On the surface it’s basically an 8 hectare (20 acre) green-field afforestation project in the heart...

The Birr Castle Bee Management Project   How to Manage Forestry and Land for Bees The Birr Castle Bee Project began in 2019, at a time when few outside the Irish Beekeeping community were aware of the problems bees faced in Ireland. The Estate, as innovative as ever,...

Recording Forest Data for the Future at Giants Grove The worlds first forest management school was founded in the University of Giessen, the Holy Roman Empire, in 1778. For the majority of those almost 250 years the basic forest management tools were the humble pencil &...

Most Irish Oak Woodland Planted by Ecoplan   In April 2022 the Central Statistics Office published details of Irelands afforestation for the first time. Covering all afforestation’s between 2007 to 2021, the report had several interesting findings. What surprised me most though was that Ecoplan Forestry Limited,...

The Incredible Carbon Storage of Giants Grove The joint Crann – Trees for Ireland and Birr Castle Giants Grove Project at Birr, Co. Offaly is the largest Redwood Forest outside of the USA. Already in its fifth year, one thousand redwoods have been established amongst native...

Forest Biodiversity at the Giants Grove   Forest Biodiversity at the Giants Grove. While sequoias are the ‘stars’ of the Giants Grove, the project is about so much more than just the Redwoods. The Giants Grove is planted and managed for biodiversity, it is an ecosystem that...

What is Ecoforestry?   Ecoforestry is a forest management practice which emphasises sustainability and forest biodiversity rather than pure financial returns. The responsible way to manage forests is through a design that minimizes interference and aims to protect the ecosystem as a whole. The focus is on...

Native Woodlands in Ireland  Centuries of clearance and over-exploitation have reduced the once extensive native woodland of Ireland to the remnants we can now see. Instances of old native woodlands in Ireland continue to be found as little isolated stands. These are mainly in regions with...