Forestry on the wild Atlantic: Kerry farmer looks to cash in on 35-year project

By Alastair Tibbs, The Kerryman

After 35 years of watching his forest grow in one of the wildest places in Ireland, the time will soon come for Tomàs o Bruic to harvest his crop.

Over 30,000 trees, spanning 10 acres, huddle together in the increasingly turbulent autumn weather, none the less providing a peaceful setting below the forest canopy.

While Dingle Farm in Ballyganneen is known locally for its bottled milk and award-winning cream cheese, Tommy’s venture into forestry has been equally entrepreneurial.

Perhaps another five years will help mature the trees, but there’s cash to be made when cutting time comes.

With timber prices remaining high in Ireland, forests like Tomàs’ should earn over €19,000 per hectare, according to forestry consultants, Deel Forestry, in addition to the annual payments he’s received over the years.

Of course, Tomàs couldn’t have predicted the markets when he bought the farm in 1982 and he maintains that it was his love of the trees that drove his desire to cultivate a forest in the hectic Atlantic winds of West Kerry.

“I was always interested in trees and shrubs...especially native varieties,” said Tommy.

“When I got the farm, first thing I did was pick out the good spots that could be turned into good ground and in the worst parts, I decided to plant forestry.”

“I settled on only planting the worst sections, because once you go into trees, the land is zoned for forestry after that.”

With the area selected, Tommy hired a registered forester make sure his plan was sound, before preparing the ground himself.

With a small excavator he dug mounds for the saplings, and trenches for drainage, across the substantial 10-acre site.

“The machine was doing the work for me, you know, I wouldn’t call it hard work,” said Tommy.

“The hardest part was planting over 30,000 trees. I got neighbours, friends and other guys to help me do it.”

“The days on your own were very long and boring, and you didn’t see any progress whereas when you had neighbours you had a bit of craic and you were doing the work as well.”

Aside from a four-year check-up from the department, accompanied with the spreading of fertiliser, the forest required little to no maintenance over its lifespan.

The density of the plantation continues to repel the ocean-borne elements, with few trees collapsing since they were planted.

“They [the department] told me not to tin them out because we’re so open back here like the wind,” said Tommy.

“When we get wind and rain off the Atlantic it can be fairly wild, you know…we stick out of the Atlantic so we get everything.”

While the project has so far proved successful, Tommy wishes he had more native trees in his woodland.

He explained, that when he first received a government grant to plant the forest, they encouraged the vast proportion to be Sitka spruce.

Now, having learnt more about forestry and seeing some of the other trees on his land succumb to ash die-back, he feels strongly about planting more native species.

“I’d put in more native trees if I was to do it again,” said Tommy.

“I suppose this country was always covered forestry going back in time and we’re really behind other places.”

“If I get my way, I think the mountains should be covered in trees as well, like other countries…it’s good for the environment, it’s good for stopping flooding, it’s good for everything.”

Dingle-based councillor Robert Brosnan is always looking for ways of diversifying the peninsula’s jobs away from tourism.

The seasonal work that tourism provides has been transformative for the local economy but it often means a quiet winter for the area.

He praised Tommy’s business as ‘very positive’, highlighting that someone can create a lot of value across multiple industries.

“The forestry on a small scale like that, it’s a no-brainer,” said Cllr Brosnan.

“If they want to save for their own pensions, young farmers, they should be thinking about allocating marginal land in their farm to plant and to provide a nest egg for them when they get older.

“Building materials and timber, the price of them has only been going one way over the last 20 years, and it’s up and up.”

New draft planning guidelines for rural and Gaeltacht housing were released in June and Cllr Brosnan believes they could present a big opportunity.

Currently in Gaeltacht areas, a housing applicant usually has to live within 3km of the site as well as living there for 10 years.

The new guidelines propose that this requirement will be just five years for people who speak Irish.

“There is a lot of use for timber in the building industry, that’s what I’m trying to get at,” said Cllr Brosnan.

“There is a fierce opportunity for Údarás na Gaeltachta to set the lead there as part of their criteria and establish timber industry where there is forestry in places like Dingle.

“Their goal is to create jobs locally in the Gaeltacht areas and this could create a little industry there for people that might be availing of these opportunities.”