Granamore farmers showcase benefits of controlled burning
UNDER favourable weather conditions, the farmers on Granamore Commonage in west Wicklow carried out the controlled burning of heather last week.
This commonage is one of the sites participating in the SUAS Pilot Project and the controlled burning activity is part of the agreed habitat management plan for their commonage area.
The SUAS Pilot Project was developed using a bottom-up approach with the support of local upland farmers. The five-year pilot project successfully received funding of €1.95 million from the Department of Agriculture under the new European Innovation Partnership for Agriculture Productivity and Sustainability (EIP AGRI) initiative.
The project aims to address
the agricultural, environmental and socio-economic issues associated with upland farming in the Wicklow/Dublin uplands.
The controlled burning event in Granamore was well planned and coordinated, with all nec
essary permissions and notifications sent to all parties in advance. With the use of best practice, appropriate equipment and expert guidance, the low-intensity fire was under control at all times. The event was an example of how controlled burning is an effective method to appropriately and safely manage vegetation and is distinctly different from the wildfires that are all too commonplace in Ireland’s uplands.