The revised establishment element ofthe Native Woodland Scheme (NWS)will be more user friendly according to

Kevin Collins, forestry inspector with theForest Service. This grant and premiumpackage is designed for farmers and otherlandowners who are interested in creatingnative woodlands on greenfield sites.

Combined with the Afforestation Scheme,growers are provided with a number ofoptions to create a balanced forestryprogramme. Several issues have beenaddressed in the revised package as manygrowers felt the original scheme was toocumbersome. For example, the input of anecologist and the development of a detailednative woodland plan are no longer required.

The actual grant and premium rates are thesame as the standard Afforestation Grant and

Premium Scheme except the GPCs reflect thescheme’s focus on native species.

While the scheme places strong emphasis onbiodiversity it also aims to produce qualitycommercial hardwoods.

Irish ForesterT H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E S O C I E T Y O F I R I S H F O R E S T E R S WINTER 2011

Kevin Collins. Forest Service and member of the Societyof Irish Foresters.

THE

Message fromthe President

The Society of IrishForesters enjoyed ahugely successful yearin 2011. Weorganised four fielddays and two publiclectures, all of whichwere very wellattended. This yearwe also presented a workshop entitled‘Trees and the Law’ which attractedalmost 100 participants. We intend tocontinue the experiment in 2012 byorganising further workshops on topics,which are relevant to current,professional forestry practice.

The 2011 study tour visited Ontario,Canada. It was a wonderful opportunityfor participants to witness at first handthe many new and imaginative systemsof forest management practiced there.We rounded off the year with thepublication of ‘Irish Forestry’, Vol 68. Wealso produced a special edition of TheIrish Forester for the Irish Forestry,Woodland & Bio energy Show at BirrCastle Estate last May. Once again, ourtwo public lectures – Augustine Henryand Sean McBride were well supported.

We also cooperated with otherorganisations such as the Tree Councilof Ireland at the Abbeyleix Field Daywhen more than over 100 peopleattended. We also supported the WoodMarketing Federation at the ElectricPicnic where sustainable forestry waspromoted to 30,000 visitors at thisinternational event.

In addition, we have completed the firstphase of our ‘Scanning Project’ whichallows members, researchers, students,and the general public to view everyissue of Irish Forestry from 1943 to 2009on the ‘Publications’ page of our website.

We look forward to 2012, which will beour 70th anniversary. We intend to markthis significant milestone with severalspecial events including the publicationof a facsimile edition of Trees of GreatBritain and Ireland by Elwes & Henry,which was first published in eightvolumes between 1906 and 1913. Manyforesters are familiar with the title of thisbook but very few are fortunate enoughto possess a complete set as only 300were printed originally.

Finally, I would like to wish all ourmembers and their families a veryHappy Christmas and Good Health in2012.

JOHN Mc LOUGHLIN

Society members met with foresters Jeff Muzzi (front right) and Lacey Rose (third from the right back row) in Renfrew CountyForest, near Pembroke in the Ottawa Valley during the study tour in Ontario, Canada. Front row: Clodagh Duffy, TimO’Regan, Izabela Witkowska and Jeff Muzzi. Back row: John Guinan, Paddy O’Kelly Stephen Moore, Kieran Moloney,Kevin Kenny, Lacey Rose, Donal Magner and Richard Clear.

continued overleaf

Native Woodland Schemerelaunched and revised

1

The weather was kind to the Irish Forestry,Woodland and Bio energy Show in Birr lastMay. Almost 5,000 visitors attended theshow – an excellent turnout given theprevailing economic uncertainty.

The Society of Irish Foresters produced asouvenir edition of its newsletter The IrishForester for the show. The Association ofIrish Forestry Consultants (AIFC)represented the Society and the forestconsultancy profession at their stand duringthe two-day event

The Society, through AIFC, is representedon many strategic and policy-makingforestry forums including the Forest ServiceLiaison Group, the Forest Policy ReviewGroup and regular meetings with the ForestService and the Irish Forestry and ForestProducts Association, the forestry groupwithin IBEC.

Opening the Irish Forestry, Woodland andBio energy show Shane McEntee, Ministerof State with responsibility for forestry, saidthat the event was important in promotingthe forestry and bio energy sectors. Theshow featured a conference centre organisedby ITGA while scattered around the idealsite at Birr Castle Estate were standsrepresenting all the major forestrycompanies, sawmillers and wood energycompanies as well as harvesting and otherforestry machinery distributors.

The show organiser, David Wilkinson,deserves credit for his tireless efforts inmaking the event a success. He wasencouraged by the positive feedback fromthis year’s show and plans are already inhand for the next show in May 2013.

Forestry show a success

Implemented by the Forest Service inpartnership with Woodlands of Ireland, theNational Parks & Wildlife Service, and theHeritage Council, further information on the

scheme is available from registered foresters orthe Forest Service, Johnstown Castle Estate,Co. Wexford (lo-call 1890 200 223 or e-mail:forestservice@agriculture.gov.ie).

continued from page 1

John McLoughlin, President, Society of IrishForesters makes a presentation to Dr. JohnGilliland OBE at the Annual Sean McBrideForestry Lecture in UCD on 29 September. Dr.Gilliland’s excellent talk addressed the role ofwillows and woodland in solving our food andenergy problems.

Enda Coates WIT, Cathal Hennessy Coillte, andNick McCarthy WIT at the Coillte stand.

Paddy Murray (right) displays eased edged spruce,produced by the Murray Timber Group (MTG) withJohn Duane MTG and Seamus Whelan of FutureTraining.

The Green Belt Ltd team – Seamus Hagan, Seamus Gavigan and Maurice Ryan with John Mc Loughlin, President, Society of Irish Foresters

Joe Gowran demonstrates charcoal making at theBirr show. He is also one of the few experts incoppicing woodlands in Ireland. Recently he has beeninvolved in a number of projects including coppicingthe ecologically important native woodland St. John’sWood in Co. Roscommon.

Sean Lenihan, Kestrel Forestry Consultants (centre)with Agnes Hayes and Willie Joe Hayes, Rosscarbery,Co. Cork.

Table 1. Grant rates for Native Wood Land Scheme – Establishment (€/ha)Grant and premium category (GPC) 1st Grant 2nd Grant Total Additional Fencing (Alternative Fencing Total Availablerelevant under NWS Establishment Allocation IS436 Allocation Non-IS436) Funding

1-Unenclosed 1,500 500 2,000 400 350 2,4005-Broadleaves 3,600 1,100 4,700 500 450 5,200(Note, under NWS Establishment, this GPC refers to ash)

6-Oak 3,800 1,200 5,000 500 450 5,5008-Alder 2,400 800 3,200 500 450 3,700

Table 2. Premium rates for Native Woodland Scheme – Establishment (€/ha)GPCs relevant under NWS Establishment Farmer Non Farmer

1-Unenclosed 155 1265-Broadleaves 481 195(Note, under NWS Establishment, this GPC refers to ash)

6-Oak 515 1958-Alder 481 195

2

TEAK 21 continues to growGerhardt Gallagher reports that RayKeogh has completed his Coilltesponsored work for TEAK 21. This hasinvolved adding a teak archive to theTEAK21 website, preparing a pre-projectproposal for a community supportscheme with the Kilombero communityand the Kilombero Valley Teak Company(KVTC) in Tanzania as well ascommunities in Central America (e.g.Orotina and Nicoya) and the LatinAmerica Teak Organisation (OLAT) whichis based in Costa Rica. The project willexamine ways of achieving fair prices andcertified produce for community growersin Africa and Central America withpossible support from Irish andinternational development agencies.

The TEAK 21 website, www.teak21.org isattracting considerable interest withvisitors from over 20 countries eachmonth.

Society activitiesThe Society organised numerous events this year,which promoted forestry and forest productsthroughout Ireland. These included field days incounties Westmeath, Fermanagh, Laois andTipperary, forestry shows and wood promotionevents in counties Offaly and Laois andinternational events such as the ICF conference inBirmingham and our annual study tour to Ontario,Canada. We wish to thank the Forest Service,Coillte, the Northern Ireland Forest Service, the TreeCouncil of Ireland, the Irish Timber GrowersAssociation and the Wood Marketing Federation,which were involved in four of these events.

Society study tour to OntarioThis year’s study tour was a huge success. Seasonedparticipants rated it alongside the great tours suchas Oregon/Washington, South Africa and BritishColumbia. Our 2,770km tour of Ontario began in DufferinCounty Forest, north of Toronto, and then headedeast to the 7,653km2 Algonquin Provincial Park, andthe privately owned Haliburton Forest, a “working”forest which generates strong income flows fromrecreation. From Ottawa, we travelled up theOttawa Valley to Pembroke, North Bay, Sudburyand Parry Sound and then south to the University ofGuelph’s arboretum, followed by a fascinating tourof Brant and Norfolk County Forest managed bythe Grand River Water Conservation Authority.Here timber production cedes primacy to watermanagement. The tour ended at Niagara Falls – afitting climax. Overall, it was a hectic but hugely

interesting tour, which offered a memorable glimpseof Ontario’s forests and related industries.

Without exception, the foresters we met displayedgreat pride in their profession together with a deepknowledge of silviculture and the many issuescurrently affecting their forests. Their confidenceand professionalism were impressive.

Midlands field dayThis field day featured a very successful visit to theforest and arboretum of the de Vesci Estate, atAbbeyleix, Co. Laois. This event was organised bythe Tree Council of Ireland in association with theSociety of Irish Foresters and was extremely wellsupported.

Valuable mature teak trees in Indonesia

Study Tour to OntarioMembers of the 2011 Study Tour to Ontario.Back Row: Kieran Moloney, Ken Ellis, JohnMc Loughlin, Kevin Kenny, Dermot O’Brien,Izabela Witkowska, PJ Bruton, WillieMcKenna, Sean Galvin, Trevor Wilson,Michael Doyle, Bob Dagg, David Milton(tour leader).

Middle Row: Mark Hogan, Tony Mannion,Pat O’Sullivan, Stephen Moore, LiamMurphy, Gerhardt Gallagher, Jerry Fleming,Michael O’Brien, Tony Gallinagh, PacelliBreathnach.

Front Row: John Guinan, Frank Nugent,Tim O’Regan, Paddy O’Kelly, Richard Clear,Jim Crowley, George Hipwell, Clodagh Duffy,Denis O’Sullivan, Donal Magner.

Peter Feegan addresses some of the 104-strongattendance at the de Vesci Estate, Abbeyleix.

3

Forestry inFermanagh This year’s Ulster field day,organised by the Society of IrishForesters in association with theNorthern Ireland Forest Service,visited Lough Navar Forest, Co.Fermanagh, which is one ofNorthern Ireland’s largest tracts offorest, and the Marble Arch CavesGlobal Geopark.Right: Participants at the Ulsterfield day in Lough Navar Forest

‘A man who works in woods’– the story of Denis HayesDonal Magner

When Denis Hayes announced to his family in1935, that he was applying for the position oftrainee forester, his bemused aunt asked: “In thename of God, what will you be qualified to dowhen you complete this course?” Pointing to theadvertisement, 19 year old Denis replied: “It sayshere, that I’ll be a forester.” Nobody in the roomhad ever even heard the word ‘forester’, not unusualat the time when little more than 1% of thecountry was under forests. The family was little thewiser when his aunt read out the dictionarydefinition, which Denis still recalls as “a man whoworks in woods”.

Denis always had a love of trees and nature andwhile the advertisement had a strange attraction forhim, he was unsure of where it might lead him.Whatever it entailed, forestry presented him withan opportunity of working in Ireland at a timewhen emigration was rife. He was all too aware ofthe huge unemployment at a time when agriculturehad virtually collapsed during the Anglo-IrishTrade War or Economic War, which lasted from1932 to 1938.

What irked his aunt most was that her youngnephew had already secured a teaching post at aprivate secondary school in Dunmanway. But hispersuasive powers, which would serve him well inlater life, brought her around. She even suppliedthe necessary half crown (two shillings and sixpence or 16 cent in ‘today’s money’) required toaccompany the Civil Service application.

Denis was born in Glandore, Co. Cork on 22October 1916, the second eldest of four children ofBartholomew and Kate Hayes. His mother diedwhen he was only 12 years old, which is the reasonhis aunt and extended family crop up throughouthis recollections of his happy childhood, whichmoved between the family farm and the pub cumgrocery shop in the village of Glandore. Deniswent to the local national school before boarding inRochestown College where he completed hisMatriculation. This was followed by a year inBallyfin College, Co. Laois where he sat hisLeaving Certificate in 1934.

He successfully completed the interview andentrance exam for the position of trainee foresterand resigned his teaching position. Despitemisgivings, his father and aunt gave him theirblessings as he headed for Avondale Forestry Schoolon 5 February, 1936.

He quickly realised that the succinct dictionarydefinition of a forester was correct, as the words“man” (forestry would remain a male preserve fora further half century), “works” and “woods” rangtrue especially during his first gruelling day “fellinglarch thinnings along with my fellow students withaxes and cross cuts and broad backs to carry thetrimmed full length trees to the roadside”.

As they worked, the supervisor Danny McGlynnmingled with the students. When he came toDenis, the conversation turned from forestry toteaching as McGlynn had also spent some time asa teacher in the Donegal Gaeltacht. When itemerged during the course of conversation thatDenis had resigned his position as a teacherMcGlynn, who at that time regretted leaving his

teaching post, advised the incredulous student toreconsider his position and return to teaching.

Although Danny McGlynn’s belief in forestrynever wavered after the first few rocky years, he hadpainted such a pessimistic picture of the future lifeof a forester that Denis tendered his resignation thefollowing day. His resignation was accepted and hewaited for a day to arrange transport and to saygood-bye to his fellow students. Even in the shorttime he was in Avondale, he had already built upfriendships with the group to such a degree that onthe eve of his departure they convinced him thathe should stay.

He withdrew his resignation but the ForestryDivision, annoyed at his cavalier approach, madehim sweat it out for a few days before agreeing toreinstate him. And so, from this hesitant start,Denis’s 44-year career in forestry began.

Over the following months, under the tutelage ofAlistair Grant, he endured a hard training regimewhich included felling and extracting thinnings,planting, pruning and nursery work, before thestudents were transferred around the country ontheir ‘practical’ year. Denis spent a year working infour forests: Aughrim and the Glen of Imaal in Co.Wicklow followed by Cootehill, Co. Cavan. Hewould have liked to return to West Cork for hisfinal assignment, but the nearest he got wasCappoquin Forest, Co. Waterford.

The emphasis in the final year shifted from manualto academic as in-house lectures were provided byAlistair Grant. He also recounts visits to Avondaleby two directors of forestry in Ireland during thisperiod – the Scottish forester Mark LoudenAnderson and Otto Reinhardt a formerOberforstmeister in the Prussian Forest Service.

He also recalls the strict hierarchical structure andrelationships in forestry when trainees were seenand not heard, especially when they were in thepresence of foresters and inspectors. He observedthis during his period in ‘The Casino’ – the tinyforestry office near Avondale House where hecarried out some office duties as part of his training

Denis Hayes with Donal Magner. Denis celebrated his96th birthday in June and still maintains an activeinterest in forestry.

The Woodspace-Forest of Light exhibition at the ElectricPicnic site in Stradbally.

Society supportsElectric PicnicReaders will be familiar with the main timbersizes required to meet market demands. Theseusually fall into the following four categories:construction, pallet, stake and pulp. Recently,Society of Irish Foresters member and Coillteproduction manager Jim O’Dowd received arequest from the Wood Marketing Federation(WMF) to produce 100 eight metre longDouglas fir poles with an average mid diameterof 15cm. The poles would be used to build anexhibition at the Electric Picnic site.

Jim found suitable trees in a Coillte forest nearWoodenbridge, Co. Wicklow and Victor Robinsonand his team quickly and efficiently selected,felled and extracted the timber while Coillteorganised the transport to the Electric Picnicsite in Stradbally, Co. Laois.

At the end of August, the poles were erectedunder the supervision of Eugene Boyle ofWoodcollective, an organisation that specialisesin building outdoor wood exhibitions in Irelandand continental Europe. The exhibition –entitled Woodspace-Forest of Light – attractedhuge interest at Electric Picnic. GlennonBrothers supplied the timber for the sculpture‘Yggdrasil’ and ESB Electric Ireland provided thespectacular illumination of the installation.

Paul Harvey, chairman of the WMF thanked allinvolved including the Department ofAgriculture, Food and the Marine and COFORDfor part-funding the project. He praised theSociety of Irish Foresters and SmartPly Europefor sponsorship and the woodworkers in theforest and workshops for bringing the exhibitionto fruition. The Society part-funded a souvenirbooklet which was distributed free of charge tothe 30,000 visitors to the three-day event.

4continued overleaf

Jim O’Dowd (right) Coillte production manager withVictor Robinson, harvesting contractor in Bracken’s Wood,near Woodenbridge discussing the sourcing and extractingof poles for the Electric Picnic installation.

with the local forester Paddy Ryan, the districtinspector would enter with a cursory “MorningRyan” and pass by the Dickensian trainee in thecorner as if he didn’t exist.

After successfully completing the course inAvondale he began his life as a forester or forestryforeman in Athlone in July 1939 and within ayear he was transferred to Ballinasloe.

He was heavily involved in felling and extractingfirewood during World War II or the Emergency,as it was known. Forests were scoured for oak,beech, ash and birch as coal and oil were severelyrationed.

He recalls visits to the forests by various forestinspectors especially Anderson who had beenappointed director of forestry in 1940. Andersonappeared aloof and could be impatient but Denisalso recalls his humane side. Andersonrecommended a period in a forest closer to goodhospitals after Denis suffered from a period of illhealth and Anderson arranged a transfer toDonadea in September 1946. By now he hadsettled down to married life with Kathleen (neeMarsh) whom he met in Athlone and married in1943. They had two children: Catriona – or Renaas she is known – and Declan.

In November 1951, he was transferred toDurrow, Co Laois where he lived with his youngfamily in an isolated house deep in the forest.The house was in a very poor state of repair butthis did not surprise him as official residences(ORs) were often damp and badly built – areality he became all too well acquainted with inhis role as General Secretary of the State ForestersAssociation (SFA).

However, he quickly realised that the house inDurrow was the worst of a bad lot. One morningwhile he was doing some office work in a groundfloor room, which doubled as his office, he hearda loud crash upstairs. He ran upstairs to findKathleen rescuing their four-month old daughterfrom her cot. Both were covered in dust as theceiling had collapsed, scattering debris all overthe upstairs bedrooms. Fortunately, both escapedinjury.

As a member of the SFA he was often angered bythe negative responses of the Department tovarious submissions made on behalf of forestersin relation to pay and living accommodation. Forexample, when he reported the collapse of theceiling to the Department, he received thelaughably terse reply: “Please occupy the groundfloor until further notice.”

At the time, foresters were frequently transferredacross the country at a whim and despiterepeated promises they had failed to secureEstablished Civil Service status. Infuriated, hestepped up his work with the SFA and on apersonal basis, demanded a new house which wasduly built, not deep in the forest as theDepartment at first insisted, but closer to thepublic road where his children could meet andplay with local children and where Kathleenwouldn’t feel isolated during Denis’s trips aroundthe forest.

The work of the SFA began to bear fruit duringthe 1950s when foresters were eventually grantedEstablished status. From the late 1940s theylobbied Government party members incessantly,including Ministers in the Inter-PartyGovernment (1948-‘51) beginning with theMinister for Lands, Joseph Blowick and laterSean McBride who was Minister for ExternalAffairs. Both men were in opposition by the timethe Department of Lands (Establishment ofForesters) Bill, 1952 was debated in the Dail andSeanad and finally enacted in May 1953.

“We were now established Civil Servants whichensured that we had full pensionability and ourfamilies would be cared for if anything happenedto us,” he says. “It is difficult to imagine it now,but achieving Established status made a hugedifference to the morale and financial standingof foresters, in addition to granting a new-foundstatus to our profession.”

Transfers became less frequent and opportunitiesfor promotion improved. In 1961, Denis wasappointed Assistant District Inspector inKilkenny. He moved house for the last time toKilkenny with his family. His final appointment as District Inspector in Kilkenny, was a role he

thoroughly enjoyed.

In this position he helped shape forest policy fora district that included the forests of Callan,Castlecomer, Graiguenamanagh, Knocktopher,Piltown, Mullinavat, Thomastown and hisformer stomping ground of Durrow. “The aimwas to recreate a forest resource and for the mostpart that was virtually total conifer afforestation,”he says. “Kilkenny had its fair share of goodsheltered sites and we always insisted on at least10% broadleaves and often surpassed this target,while not losing sight of the commercialobjectives.”

A founder member of the Society of IrishForesters, Denis took an interest in many aspectsof forestry. Foresters who worked with him talkof his commitment, dedication and vision. Heencouraged foresters to voice their opinions andexplore a wide range of interests. On oneoccasion I remember a field day he hosted inSouth Kilkenny in October 1978 when thegroup visited a number of forests but ended up atthe National Ploughing Championships (NPC)in Knocktopher on his suggestion. Althoughprivate planting was only 170 hectares that year,Denis realised the huge potential of farm forestry.He wished to discuss forestry with farmers as wellas observing new techniques in agriculture at thePloughing. Forestry and the NPC have madegreat strides since 1978.

Denis retired in 1980 but even now, aged 96, hisinterest and enthusiasm for forestry have notdiminished. He is delighted to see private andState forestry thriving but is trenchantly opposedto any privatisation of Ireland’s State forests. Hehas campaigned in the press against privatisationand in a recently published letter, he wrote: “Wehave now reached the stage where large tracts offorests have reached maturity and are beingharvested, yielding a reasonable financial return.It is inconceivable to contemplate that anygovernment would consider selling such avaluable asset for short-term financial gain.”

Denis Hayes has more than played his part increating this valuable asset.

5

BOOK REVIEWS

Planet Dancing by Pat McCuskerOpen Gate Press (Paperback 160 pages; £7.99)

Pat McCusker is well known to many of our readers. A former editor of theSociety’s Journal Irish Forestry, he served as a forester with the Forest Servicebefore joining the National Parks and Wildlife Service. He was guest lecturer innature conservation and forest landscape management at University CollegeDublin for a number of years and now lectures on biodiversity to postgraduatestudents His interest in nature goes back many years and he was a strongproponent of amenity forestry as it was known then. In a letter to Irish Forestry in

1977, he outlined his reasons for supporting greater access for the public: “On the matter of forests andthe general public the answer is unguardedly simple – the public are looking for ‘Beauty’. We come toplay. We come seeking the opportunity to be raised above our ordinary existence and to swirl aroundourselves the great evolutionary tapestry at least for a few hours.” Clearly his enthusiasm hasn’tdiminished over the years.

His interest in global environmental issues has taken him beyond these shores and has shaped hisexperiences of nature in his extensive travels especially during his early years when he worked inCanada. He is still swirling around and in the aptly titled Planet Dancing, he – metaphorically at least –jives with jellyfish, waltzes with whirligigs, floats with frogs andends up calling for ‘A World Dance Day for Nature’ where the childrenof the world would dance ‘for the sheer delight in existence’.

Planet Dancing is a series of stories, parables, observations andconservation proposals. Some are whimsical, some thoughtprovoking and some serious, reflecting his view on the wildernessand the need to protect the biodiversity of our planet.

He hasn’t left the forest in this crusade. There are some delightful

essays on the forest and what it means to him: “not a forest of trees alone but the breath of deer, themovement of beetles under bark, the eyes of hawks staring downwards…”.

He offers global solutions and the role that children can play in conservation. He enlists the help of theUN, the ‘super rich’ and religious leaders as a step towards creating a world conservation ethic for nature.

McCusker has no time for cynics. He is an optimist and he rounds off the book with two poets dreamingof what might be. They pick 2020 as the year “when the people of the world [will] come together toplan a number of spectacular events to celebrate all life”. No doubt Pat McCusker will be in the thick of it.

Trees of Britain and Ireland by Edward Milner. Natural History Museum (Hardback 224 pages; £20.00)

Trees of Britain and Ireland is a celebration of the trees of these islands withportraits of all the major species, their history and ecology, and our relationshipwith them. It is not to be confused with the eight volume Trees of Great Britainand Ireland by Elwes and Henry which the Society plans to publish next year tocelebrate its 70th anniversary.

Edward Milner is an ecologist who previously published The Tree Book based on a Channel 4 series theSpirit of Trees which was presented by Dick Warner in 1992. This book, published in association with theTree Council in the UK, contains all the essential facts about native trees, including where the differenttrees grow naturally, the insects, fungi and animals that are associated with them. The traditional craftbeliefs associated with them, how they are managed and what products are obtained from them are alldiscussed in full.

This book brings together recent research on managing trees by scientists and historians to help build anup-to-date account of what we know and understand about Britain and Ireland’s native trees. Anyoneinterested in, and concerned about, trees will treasure this beautiful book, which is lavishly illustrated infull colour throughout.

continued from page 4

EDITORIAL: Donal MagnerPat O’Sullivan

John McLoughlinDenis Hayes

Gerhardt Gallagher

PHOTOGRAPHY: Donal MagnerNeville Dukes

Kevin HutchinsonPacelli Breathnach

Society of Irish ForestersGlenealy, Co. Wicklow

E: sif@eircom.netW: www.societyofirishforesters.ie

The Society of Irish Foresters is planning to publish a facsimile edition of The Trees of Great Britain andIreland by Henry John Elwes and Augustine Henry to mark its 70th anniversary next year. Trees of GreatBritain and Ireland was privately published in eight volumes including index between 1906 and 1913. Itwas subsidised by a number of patrons. Now almost one hundred years later the Society plans to take a sim-ilar approach to fund this major publishing event. The publication will contain close to 3,000 pages in-cluding 2,080 body text pages, 850 pages of photographic plates, seven colour titles, five colour frontispieces,one photographic portrait frontispiece along with lists of patrons, foreword, acknowledgements and intro-duction. Further details will be issued shortly.

New membersWe welcome the following new members

to the Society of Irish Foresters:

AssociateNiall Armstrong,

Colm O’Callaghan,TJ O’Sullivan.

StudentGearóid Burke,Edwin Corrigan,Leighton Hoban.

TechnicalPaddy Barry,

Adrian Carroll,Michael Lally,

Christopher Loughrey,Thomas O’Dwyer,

Hugh Peters.

Society plans to publish facsimile edition of ‘The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland’

Frontispiece and title page of Volume I of The Trees of GreatBritain and Ireland by Henry John Elwes and Augustine Henry

Augustine Henry andHenry John Elwes

6

To all Society members,thanks for your supportduring the year

Nollaig shona is gach sonasi gcomhair na h-athbhliana

Happy Christmas and aprosperous New Year

Joe O’Carroll Managing Director, Imperative Energy Ltd (second from left) accepts the “Best in Bio energy” award from Pat RabbitteMinister of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, with Frank Ryan CEO, Enterprise Ireland and Tony Boyle CEO, The GreenWay, Ireland’s Cleantech Cluster. Imperative Energy Ltd, owned by Joe O’Carroll and Green Belt Ltd, Ireland’s largest private forestrycompany, is a leading player in the sector in the UK and Ireland.

The unveiling of the Society memorial to Augustine Henry in Avondale in February 1951, which includes Augustine Henry’s widow Alice(far right), Dr. Thomas Walsh, Thomas O’Carroll (sixth from right) and OV Mooney (far left). Can any of our readers identify the others inthe photograph, please?