ProSilva plays important role to help implement clear-felling alternative within European agenda

December 16 2013 06:06 PM

ProSilva Ireland is the Irish branch of the wider European ProSilva movement. It was founded in 2000 in order to develop and promote an alternative to clear-felling in Irish forestry.

PROSILVA IRELAND

Large-scale clear-fell is becoming increasingly unacceptable for environmental and landscape reasons, and the growing emphasis across Europe is for continuous cover silvicultural systems.

ProSilva Ireland has an important role to play in helping us all to understand and implement this system.

The organisation organises field trips and demonstrations to woodlands where the owners have started the process of conversion, at least in part, to continuous cover forestry.

These field trips visit both Coillte and private forests.

ProSilva is also committed to developing an Irish market for large-dimensioned timber, both hardwood and softwood.

It should be remembered that our sawmills have adapted over time to handling smaller logs simply because small-dimensioned timber is what was typically available.

It has often been said that if there was an increase in supply of larger logs the sawmills would again adapt to handle them.