Native Woodland Project
As a valued Irish Examiner subscriber a tree will be planted on your behalf at this site in the Black Valley on the MacGillycuddy Reeks, Kerry (Ireland) by one of our volunteers. The trees will be protected with a Tubex treeguard and live out their natural life.
Native woodlands are stands of trees formed primarily of native tree and shrub species, i.e. species that made their way to Ireland by natural processes over thousands of years following the last Ice Age. Most of our native woodlands consist of oak, ash, alder, birch and hazel with a variety of other species also present such as holly.
As part of your subscription a donation will be used for the conservation management and restoration project in Curraghmore - right next to Carrauntoohil - and will be directed towards the core purpose of encouraging biodiversity and land regeneration.
All woodlands created by Curraghmore Farm will be planted and managed according to the best available advice provided by our ecological advisors.
The Planting Area
Curraghmore Farm is a 1200 acre mixed family farm and is found in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Kerry nestled beneath Ireland's highest mountain, Carrauntoohill. The farm is one of the last in Ireland to be connected to the electricity grid (in 1978) due to its isolated location, in the Black Valley, on the edge of the Killarney National Park.
In 1997, we set to work with the help of friends to nurture the land back to health after deforestration and years of intensive sheep grazing. Our aim is to provide people with the finest quality food, produced honestly and naturally with animal welfare at its heart. We set to plant native broadleaf woodlands, reinstate miles of hedgerows, lay fencing and re-introduce rare (native) breeds such as the Kerry cow.
Over time, we hope that natural flora will begin to flourish, and wildlife to return to the area, with bees, birds, and deer being regularly sighted.
Project Updates
November 2023 - Preparation
We lay out stakes for the tree guards and drive them into the ground before we start planting. Each sapling gets its own tree guard.
December 2023 - Start of the season
The planting season officially starts in December when it’s cold and the trees are dormant. That’s when we get our wet gear out and get our hands dirty.
January 2024 - Planting season continues
Harsh weather conditions prolong the planting period and we’ll potentially plant until February to make sure that we get all trees into the ground before the season ends in March.
January 2024 - Protecting the young trees
Tubex tree shelters offer a great protection tube that guards against damage from sheep, deer and pests.
