Minister Healy-Rae visits Teagasc ‘Woodland for Water’ planting measures at Moorepark
- Foilsithe: 8 Iúil 2025
- An t-eolas is déanaí: 8 Iúil 2025
The Minister with special responsibility for Forestry, Farm Safety and Horticulture, Michael Healy-Rae, last week visited the Teagasc ‘Woodland for Water’ planting measures at Moorepark Campus.
These measures comprise three hectares of native woodland established under the department’s Forestry Programme, and combine woodland planting with an adjoining undisturbed water setback along the Funshion River in Moorepark.
Speaking at Moorepark, Minister Healy-Rae said:
“I very much welcome this Teagasc initiative to promote farm sustainability. I believe that the right tree in the right place, and managed sustainably, has the potential to contribute significantly to delivering the multiple environmental objectives that need to be achieved on all our farms. Forestry is a highly effective on-farm water protection measure, and the display here at Teagasc Moorepark is an excellent example of how forestry can help achieve water protection goals on farms.”
As the woodland is developing, it serves as an effective measure to break potential nutrient pathways (for example, phosphates) between the adjoining agricultural land use and the river itself. It also provides many co-benefits for Teagasc Moorepark, including biodiversity, landscape, aquatic and habitat connectivity services.
Minister Healy-Rae said:
“This is an example of what can be achieved under the Forestry Programme. I would particularly urge farmers and other landowners to look at the Native Tree Area Scheme. This supports the creation of small native forests, as well as native riparian forests for water protection. This small-scale planting can be undertaken without the requirement for an afforestation licence and receives an attractive premium of over €22,000 per hectare over 10 years.”
Notes
The Native Tree Area Scheme provides for two different interventions of not less than 0.1 hectare or greater than one hectare of native tree species only.