The Wild Atlantic Rainforest Project is a unique opportunity to create healthy ecosystems, build climate resilience and repair our connection with nature. In December, 2022, the crew of Ear to the Ground, RTE One, visited us to learn more about our work and The Wild Atlantic Rainforest Project launched early in November, 2022.
Read MoreSpruce is an incredible tree, but when planted so dense they can be detrimental to local wildlife. Having seen Illuan switch from a dark, blank canvas to now a luminescent and light filled coniferous haven, it is possible to see the potential. It already feels like the forests doors are open to all the surrounding wildlife.
Read MoreEarly this November Hometree Charity received European recognition SIMA Farming award for Environmental Innovation in Paris. This was a huge moment for us! We received this award for our Farm-Forest Project. This project aims to preserve the environment, connect and help farmers introduce tree systems onto their productive farms as part of a European Program funded by the Department of Agriculture.
Read MoreWhen the word ‘rainforest’ is mentioned, it immediately conjures up an image of humid tropical jungles far from home, burgeoning with a dizzying abundance of life in all its forms and with an air of danger and otherness. In a temperate north-western European context, our peatlands have sometimes been referred to as the miniature, northern, version of the rainforest, but in fact Ireland is home to a habitat that ticks most of the boxes to be called a genuine rainforest.
Read MoreThe purpose of the Autumn Experience Week, same as it was for the Spring Experience Week, was to find a way to bring people into the fold of Hometree in a physical way, to get hands on experience but also have time with the staff and each other. It has been said we know exactly what we need to do to protect the environment, but for some reasons it is not happening.
Read MoreThis report will provide the first follow-up assessment to the initial baseline survey carried out in 2021, which documented the ecological condition of the spruce plantation known as the Illaun Farm-Forest (Costigan 2021). The Biodiversity Metric 3.1 was used to score the site as it allowed for the rapid assessment of biodiversity indicators.
Read MoreIn a world with so many complex systems and information available in so many forms, I feel blessed to do my work; it keeps me grounded in action. I see a lot of positive impacts, both on the human community where we have sites but so much impact on the lands that we work in and own.
Read MoreOur Farm-Forest EIP has a large community engagement, so we are thrilled to announce that throughout the months of June and July we will be hosting Illaun Farm-Forest EIP Community and Farm Talk Series.
Read MoreHometree’s EIP is the Illaun Farm-Forest Alliance, and it will foster an alliance between landowners committed to enhancing on-farm biodiversity throughout the Glendine Valley in County Clare. In this video Matt Smith, general manager and co-founder of Hometree, talks about the benefits these woodlands will offer to the farmlands taking part in the Illaun Farm-Forest Alliance project.
Read MoreHometree’s Engagement and Education officer Ray Ó Foghlú runs the farmer engagement side of the Illaun Farm-Forest Alliance. Hometree is working to support farmers in ways that benefit their farm, but also the broader environment. The idea was built around a complex of small oakwoods near Miltown Malbay.
Read MoreEarlier this Spring, March 14 - 21, Hometree hosted the Spring Volunteer Retreat Week. This week was a lovely example that showed the dedication of Irish people to engage and learn about the environment and how to protect and regenerate it. Volunteers and Hometree staff met on Monday morning; we had some time to get to know each other, learn about why we are all there and what we hoped to get out of the week.
Read MoreApril is the Earth Month, and for the past eight years we have invited people to connect with nature throughout the year, and we continue to do so every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month at our Ennistymon headquarter site.
Read MoreThe last six weeks have been an absolute blast! Our headquarters site is developing and becoming more beautiful and biodiverse each day. With a small bit of funding from Clare County Council, we put in our first pond, and we have planted many little pathways and walkways with shrubs and bushes.
Read MoreAt the end of February we started the first thinning of sitka spruce. The first step is to fell one in every six rows of conifers. We will also free up any native trees we come across, by thining the spruce around them.
Read MoreLast September we broke ground on our new Headquarters facility at Ardnaculla, County Clare. The new facility partially replaces the old farm sheds that were there when we established ourselves here earlier this year. It features indoor space perfect for gathering to learn about trees while sheltering from the rain on one of our busy tree planting and maintenance days!
Read More2021 was the most impactful year we had, celebrating a new headquarters and a site in Wicklow, a huge year, have a look back through these field reports for a month by month run down. Moving forward to 2022, what's on! What we will definatly do is plant over 50,000 native trees across our three sites, we'll work with Farmers for the EIP in Miltown Malbay and we know we will deliver over 100 tree-related workshops, our team have all settled in together and we are clear on the plan.
Read MoreAs part of the Woodland Forestry Support funding we have 10,000 native tree saplings to give away to Co Clare landowners.
Read MoreHometree has completed a survey of hedgerows at our Illuan Farm-Forest site, and the results are inspiring! Two of the hedgerows are ancient townland boundaries that date to the 8th century. These man-made structures have high embankments and deep ditches and support significant biodiversity.
Read MoreWe had heard of Continuous Cover Forestry, which would allow some Spruce to be removed while leaving the rest in place to provide a protective canopy for new saplings. But introducing a massive disturbance like this to an ecosystem is bound to have both positive and negative effects on biodiversity. So we needed a way to measure these effects over time, in order to ensure our actions are as restorative and healing as possible.
Read MoreLast autumn we got the fantastic news that Hometree has been approved by the Department of Agriculture to receive funding for a year-long European Innovation Partnership (EIP). Hometree’s EIP will be known as the Illuan Farm-Forest Alliance and will foster an alliance between landowners committed to enhancing on-farm biodiversity throughout the Glendine Valley in County Clare.
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