In the garden: A workshop on creating woodlands

As we continue to get those seasonal autumn jobs done as the garden is winding down for the winter, it is time to consider planting in the months ahead.

Now is the ideal time for tree and hedge planting as many, particularly deciduous types, are dormant and it is a less stressful time to get them into the ground and settled before the growth begins once more next spring.

With this in mind, I headed to Ennistymon in Co. Clare to attend a woodland creation workshop with Hometree.

The headquarters of this project is 16.5 acres in size and there is a mixture of established hedgerows, wildflower meadow, wetlands, and exposed rock with elevated areas giving great views down onto the Inagh river as it enters the sea at Lahinch.

The site is evolving and there are demonstration areas planted to create educational resources onsite all of the time.

Hometree began as a small community garden in 2014 and it has grown into an established charity with three main branches. Education, afforestation and conservation are at the heart of what this organisation is all about, and they want to get the community involved and proactive in getting more trees planted.

The project is focused on bringing people with them on the journey to establish and restore woodlands across the island of Ireland.

Hometree is a nature restoration charity, based in the west of Ireland. “We work to establish and restore resilient habitats, focusing on native temperate rainforests,” said a spokesperson.

“Our approach integrates community, culture, science and natural systems. Through afforestation, conservation, restoration and education, we hope to nourish the landscape and create new ways for communities to relate to nature.”

Currently, Ireland has approximately 12% tree cover and much of this (70%) is commercial forestry like sitka spruce and douglas fir. It is estimated that only about 1.5% of our tree cover is native Irish woodland and these areas are not without their own challenges associated with overgrazing and alien plant invasion.

Rhododendron ponticum poses some problems with the ongoing health and management of valuable native ecosystems in many parts of Ireland.

Ray and Seamus were our guides for a morning of interactive information exchange on a very interesting and thought-provoking cloudy but dry morning in County Clare.

The workshop focused on different schemes which are grant-aided by the government to support landowners to plant particularly native trees, creating habitats and increasing tree cover.

Agroforestry was explained and demonstrated at the headquarters of Hometree, located close to Ennistymon town.

The idea of agroforestry is to allow farming and woodlands to work together, with alleys of trees planted between blocks of grassland - grazing can continue as the fenced off newly planted trees become established. It is a less intensive way of farming.

The native woodlands scheme was explained and again demonstrated on-site with whips planted two metres apart on a grid system.

The Native Tree Area Scheme allows for a maximum of 1-2 hectares to be planted with native trees.

There was lots of practical information provided and some interesting folklore about trees like ‘the thorn is the mother of the oak’, as blackthorn and whitethorn have a habit of suckering around the base of the original plant, forming a little cluster of thorny stems which will not be grazed by animals making them an ideal location for an acorn to land, germinate and eventually establish as an oak tree.

We have five evergreen native trees in Ireland - yew, scots pine, holly, strawberry tree and juniper.

Lots of information was imparted throughout the morning which left me curious about further workshops and events happening at this location.

There is a wealth of advice and information provided on the Hometree website with events happening throughout the year. Volunteer days take place on the first and third Saturday of each month as well as week-long experiences, the next one being held in April, 2025.

Restoration memberships costs €30 per month and incorporates native tree planting, membership day, discounts on products, project updates, and membership certificate, and is a great way of supporting this worthwhile project. Check out www.hometree.ie for more details.

There is a tree nursery located on-site (the only organic tree nursery in Ireland) and some areas which have been planted with native trees to demonstrate the different ways in which woodlands can be planted.

The tree nursery currently comprises two polytunnels with plans for expansion, and some outdoor beds adjacent where whips are transplanted.

Seed is collected from native trees from all over the country, with the native origins of plant material being a priority.

The polytunnels were full of young trees grown from seed and it is heartening to see work like this being done at a scale, with further expansion plans for the future.

This is positive work and it is heartening to see an optimistic message being spread and action being taken by a growing community of young and old working together to create more native woodland for the future.

While not everybody has large areas of land which they can plant to create a woodland, we all have an opportunity to make our contribution, large or small. It may be volunteering on a tree planting project, planting a native hedge in our own garden or planting a native tree in a hedgerow boundary.

We have many native smaller trees to consider for the garden: birch, mountain ash, holly, hazel, guelder rose and whitethorn all have attractive attributes to offer, in addition to providing food and habitat for our flora and fauna. Something worth considering this dormant planting season.

Happy planning and planting!