Ministers Heydon and Healy-Rae announce funding of €1.5 million for Forestry Promotion in 2025/2026
- Published on: 23 June 2025
- Last updated on: 23 June 2025
Minister Martin Heydon and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Healy-Rae, today announced the results of the 2025/2026 Open Call for Proposals for Forestry Promotion Projects.
Minister Heydon said:
"There was an excellent response to the call, with 48 projects selected for funding in the amount of €1.53 million over two years."
Minister Healy-Rae said:
“I welcome this collaboration between the department and our many stakeholders in promoting the benefits of the 2023-2027 Forestry Programme. I am also glad to note that many of the projects involve collaboration between organisations and groups, and cover a wide range of topics, including afforestation, sustainable forest management, timber in construction, agroforestry, continuous cover forestry and the promotion of careers in forestry. I am happy to say that there is a good nationwide spread of projects.”
The projects selected will promote many aspects of forestry in a variety of ways. These include support for a forestry village at the national ploughing championships, promotion of agroforestry and continuous cover forestry, forestry as a career option, a year-long promotional campaign ‘there is a forestry project for you’, a continuous professional development model on the use of timber in construction, exploring barriers to women’s participation in forestry, and forest and timber certification.
Minister Healy-Rae added:
“I am convinced of the benefits of our attractive forestry programme to farmers and other landowners, and that these projects will help to address gaps in the communication of our programme. Peer-led projects promoting the mutual benefits of forestry to landowners and farmers, as well as the sharing of information and good practice, will be of immense benefit in achieving our sustainable forestry targets. They will also bring great benefits to rural communities and to our environment and help to achieve climate change mitigation."
Notes
The Call for Proposals for Forestry Promotion Projects 2025/2026 covered three themes as follows:
- Afforestation promotion schemes with a particular focus on engaging with farmers, existing forest owners and other landowners.
- Promotion of the benefits of increased use of timber products in construction and design, in the context of climate action and the bioeconomy.
- Sustainable forest management schemes and climate resilience building that promotes the multi-functional benefits of trees and forests including for eco-system services, bioenergy, forestry career opportunities, forest for people and general wellness.
Details of the successful projects approved under the Call are set out in the table below.
|
Name of Group |
Project |
Location |
Total Budget |
|
Irish Agroforestry Forum |
Agroforestry Promotion: Promoting Agroforestry Practices and Sharing Expertise |
Nationwide |
€ 74,405.00 |
|
Mike Carswell |
Coppice Silviculture Best Practise |
Nationwide |
€ 7,100.00 |
|
Mna na Coille |
Mná Na Coille (Women of the Woods) |
Kilkenny/Athlone/Sligo |
€ 17,819.00 |
|
People for Trees (Ireland) CLG t/a Crann (Crann – Trees for Ireland |
Crann Projects - promoting the multifunctional benefits of trees and forests |
Nationwide |
€ 67,250.00 |
|
Society of Irish Foresters |
Forests for Everyone |
Nationwide |
€ 28,900.00 |
|
Commercial Forestry Services Ltd |
Support for Forest Certification and Sustainable Forest Management through maintaining the Group Certification website groupcertification.ie and creation of a series of short topical Certification Fact Sheets and FAQ Webpage |
Nationwide |
€ 18,400.00 |
|
Coillte |
Forestry career opportunities: Updates to Our Forests, Our Future Project and Forestry Careers Portal Page |
Nationwide |
€ 24,216.24 |
|
Forestry Services Ltd |
Trees for Livelihoods: Promoting Farmer Uptake of Agroforestry with Organics and Native Tree Areas |
Nationwide |
€ 44,267.70 |
|
Pro Silva |
Expanding the CCF toolbox |
Nationwide |
€ 26,825.00 |
|
Pro Silva |
Planting Forests for the Future: Building Resilience with CCF |
Nationwide |
€ 29,624.80 |
|
Irish Forest Owners |
Certification Clinics for Private Forest Owners, Forest Managers and forestry Operators |
Nationwide |
€ 41,915.00 |
|
North East Forestry Group |
Guild of Irish Woodland Sawmillers |
Nationwide |
€ 58,721.00 |
|
Forest Industries Ireland (FII) |
Forest Learning 2025/2026 - MMC/Build more with timber |
Nationwide |
€ 30,197.00 |
|
Magner Communications |
Stopping by Woods: A Guide to the Forests and Woodlands of Ireland |
Nationwide |
€ 42,010.00 |
|
UCD Forestry |
What Forestry is - Communicating at Peer-to-Peer Level |
Nationwide |
€ 20,850.00 |
|
Forest Industries Ireland (FII) |
Undergraduate Timber Training |
Nationwide |
€ 28,321.00 |
|
Forestry Services Ltd |
Biodiversity in Action: Forestry days and learning resources |
Nationwide |
€ 40,398.00 |
|
LEAF Ireland, an Taisce |
Learning about Forests and Products – Wood for Timber |
Nationwide |
€ 38,000.00 |
|
Mike Carswell |
Commercial management of coppiced woodland for sustainable materials |
Nationwide |
€ 20,500.00 |
|
Irish Wood Producers and Society of Irish Foresters |
Exploring woodland management options |
Wexford |
€ 20,000.00 |
|
Forest Industries Ireland (FII) |
Forest Learning 2025/2026 - Good Sitka |
Nationwide |
€ 36,839.00 |
|
Irish Agroforestry Forum |
The Agroforestry Exchange: Agroforestry and Quality Timber |
Nationwide |
€ 17,760.00 |
|
Irish Wood Producers and Society of Irish Foresters |
Ireland’s Woodland Show |
Carlow |
€ 42,753.00 |
|
Native Events Ltd |
The Acorn Gathering: A National Outdoor Interactive Education Programme on Native Woodlands and Biodiversity |
Nationwide |
€ 36,887.00 |
|
Forest Industries Ireland (FII) |
Irish Forestry and Forest Products - Debunking the Myths |
Nationwide |
€ 29,914.00 |
|
River Blackwater Catchment Trust RBCT |
Riverside Trees - The Riparian Woodland Network |
Monaghan |
€ 12,000.00 |
|
Silva Nua |
Farm Forestry in Action Video series: Learning and growing together |
Nationwide |
€ 20,000.00 |
|
Allied Woodlands Ltd |
Bio Thin, Using whole-tree Biomass chipping to thin Broadleaf Forests |
Cavan/Monaghan |
€ 10,215.00 |
|
Irish Timber Growers Association |
ITGA Information Projects (multi-part proposal) to increase participation in DAFM Afforestation Schemes, the wider Forestry Programme, and to raise the profile of forestry as a public good and a commercially viable enterprise, including engagement with EU Institutions |
Nationwide |
€ 115,878.00 |
|
Hometree CLG |
Woodland Creation Support |
Nationwide |
€ 45,124.00 |
|
Western Forestry Co-Op |
Climate Resilience Reforestation Open day |
Mayo |
€ 15,000.00 |
|
Euroforest Timber Ireland Ltd |
Timber in the Mart: Bringing Forestry to the Heart of Farming |
Nationwide |
€ 50,000.00 |
|
ODYSEA Design, Ray O Foghlu & SeaWater Media |
Farm Forest Series 3 |
Nationwide |
€ 35,000.00 |
|
See the Light Productions |
EARTHWORKS - Stories of land, change, and resilience in a time of transformation |
Nationwide |
€ 19,335.00 |
|
Crann - Trees for Ireland - Easy Treesie Project |
Easy Treesie – Crann, Trees for Ireland Community Woodland Project |
Nationwide |
€ 25,000.00 |
|
Irish Forest Owners |
Walking with Trees |
Nationwide |
€ 41,273.00 |
|
The Acorn Project |
Fite Fuaite: Interwoven Landscapes |
Kilkenny/Tipperary/Laois |
€ 23,263.50 |
|
Allied Woodlands Ltd |
More Trees Please: Afforestation Promotion Campaign |
Cavan/Monaghan |
€ 18,160.00 |
|
Friends of Little woods |
Wealth, Wellbeing and the Wonder of Woodland |
Nationwide |
€ 8,543.69 |
|
Hometree CLG |
Hometree - Empowering Action for Woodlands |
Clare |
€ 55,085.80 |
|
SEEFA |
Forestry Village @ National Ploughing Championships 2025 |
Nationwide |
€ 85,000.00 |
|
The Forestry Company |
There’s a Forestry Project for You” – 12-month Farmer & Land-Owner Outreach |
Nationwide |
€ 28,000.00 |
|
The Woodland League |
Farms and Forestry: Striking the balance for nature and enterprise with Agroforestry and continuous Cover Forestry |
Clare |
€ 12,400.00 |
|
North East Foresty Group |
Next Generation Forestry Foundation Programme |
Nationwide |
€ 32,455.00 |
|
Western Forestry Co-Op |
Agroforestry Demonstration days |
Roscommon |
€ 15,000.00 |
|
Cloon River |
The Healing Forest at Furnace |
Nationwide |
€ 5,000.00 |
|
Farm TV |
Production of Audio Visual content for the promotion of Forestry in Ireland |
Nationwide |
€ 16,662.00 |
|
Sheep Shepherd |
Digital Roots for a Green Future |
Nationwide |
€ 6,000.00 |
|
|
|
Total |
€ 1,538,267.73 |