Makeover for the Dublin Mountains

TWO FORESTS along the Wicklow Way route are part of a new Coillte project which will see forests in the Dublin Mountains transition away from commercial forests to dedicated recreational purposes.

Coillte owns and manages around half of the forests in the Dublin Mountains, with the remainder managed by private forest owners.

Through the Dublin Mountains Makeover, an area of over 900 hectares across nine Coillte forests will transition away from the clearfell and replanting cycle towards a different model.

The nine forests involved include Ticknock and Kilmashogue, both located along the Wicklow Way. The other seven forests selected are Ballyedmonduff, Massy’s Wood, Hell Fire Club, Cruagh, Tibradden, Barnaslingab and Carrickgollogan

Multi-generational forests managed under ‘Continuous Cover Forestry’ (CCF) principles will maintain their green canopy on a permanent basis, and in areas where this isn’t possible, non-native Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine trees will be removed and replanted with native species such as Scots pine, birch, rowan, oak, holly and willow to provide habitat for nature and bring autumn colours to the hills.

CONSIDERED a kinder management approach, CCF eliminates the need for clear-felling operations by removing small clusters of trees over time and replacing them with seedlings to create a mosaic of species and a more multi-generational forest. WORK will start on the Dublin Mountains Makeover in June 2020 and will continue for many years, possibly decades. It will be a slow and careful process, conducted in a way that minimises disruption to local residents and visitors, while locking in benefits for nature, recreation and the landscape that will be enjoyed by generations to come.