Cloudforest Four Update
We're in love with CloudForest Four! In March, this decommissioned cattle farm in Ennistymon was planted with over 16,000 trees, mostly native Irish species including Alder, Hawthorn, Willow, Scots Pine, Birch, Rowan, Hazel and Oak.
In the meadow shown, in addition to the above we've also added spindle, elder, hornbeam, guelder rose, Blackthorn, Wild Cherry and Wild Privet - extending out the neighbour's sitka plantation's tree line with a more diverse mix that's already attracting the resident wildlife.
Throughout the site, extra care was taken to protect the existing hedgerows, established trees, and those secret areas where we've found special treats such as creeping willow, and where the badgers and otters play!
In the small area where we were only given permission for sitka spruce due to soil conditions, we've kept it to an absolute minimum, intermingling it with alder, and it will be managed to maximise its value for nature - not for harvest.
In April, we reseeded the front field with an appropriate native wildflower seed mix (Irish provenance), kindly supported by our CoolPartners Solar Clean Robotics Ltd. We'll be maintaining that area as a wildflower meadow, and encouraging the existing seed bank to come through as the land recovers from the heavy trampling it took from cattle over the years.
Come visit Cloudforest Four here and join us on our journey to plant forests for nature!
