Guidance Note from National Trails Office

Bulls & Sucklar Cows along Waymarked Walking Trails in Ireland

A Guidance note from the National Trails Office / Irish Sports Council

Many waymarked walking trails around the country go through open fields and farming areas.  On some walking routes, walkers may on occasion come into contact with farm animals including bulls and suckler cows.

The National Trails Office would encourage all trail management groups to promote the following to trail users if there is a chance that they may come into contact with bulls and suckler cows on waymarked walking trails.

1. When walking through a field with animals always keep them in view. Don’t turn your back on them.
2. Do not bring dogs into fields where there are farm animals.
3. Carry a walking stick through fields with animals.
4. Be prepared for cattle to react, and, where possible, walk carefully and quietly around them - do not split up a clustered group and do not run.
5. Should a bull or cow come up very closely, turn round to face it. If necessary take a couple of steps towards it, waving your arms and shouting firmly.
6. Above all, do not put yourself at risk. If you feel threatened, find another way round, returning to the original path as soon as is possible.
7. Remember to leave gates as you find them (open or closed) when walking through fields containing livestock.
8. If you are attacked or suffer a frightening incident, report this to the landowner, trail management group/agency and the National Trails Office.

A walking route should not be routed through lands with unpredictable and threatening animals present. In a circumstance where there is a bull or suckler cows in a field where there is a waymarked walking trail, the National Trails Office recommend a warning notice be erected to notify trail users.

When the National Trails Office report the presence of a bull or suckle cow along a walking trail, as part of an annual inspection, it will report this as an important maintenance issue.  The recommended remedial action should be undertaken as quickly as possible by the agency responsible for the walking trail.

The National Trails Office recommends that all trail management group’s work in partnership with farmers and other stakeholders to ensure appropriate measures are taken to inform trail users of the presence of livestock.

Red Kite Community Talk - 14th April 2012 at 10.30am Woodenbridge Hotel

The Golden Eagle Trust Presents:

'Red Kites Return' a public talk on the reintroduction of the species to Wicklow.

Red Kites were extinct in Ireland for over 200 years. Between 2007 and 2011 the Golden Eagle Trust in partnership with National Parks & Wildlife Service and Welsh Kite Trust re-introduced 120 Red Kites to County Wicklow. The project has been funded and supported by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Coillte, Greenstar Ireland, KPMG and The Heritage Council.

The project team will give a presentation to share the highs and lows over the past five years.

This event is sponsored and supported by Wicklow County Council.

 

Conference on Forest Fires in Ireland

10th February 2012 - Conference on Forest Fires in Ireland, Irish Forestry and Forest Products Association (IFFPA)

Shane McEntee T.D. Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for forestry announced the publication of A Code of Practice for Prescribed Burning for Ireland at a recent conference on Forest Fires in Ireland organised by the Irish Forestry and Forest Products Association. The guide was produced in order to provide guidance to landowners who use controlled burning as a land management tool. The conference aimed to bring together the parties and stakeholders affected by forest fires and those engaged in prevention, emergency assistance and follow-up activities resulting from fire outbreak.

Wicklow Uplands Council Co-ordinator, Cara Doyle attended the conference and reports below on some of the key findings.

In the twenty years prior to 2010, it is estimated that an average of 250-300 hectares of forest, both public and private was destroyed annually by fire. During 2010 and 2011 the total loss due to fire amounted to 1500ha and 1465ha per annum respectively. In 2011, 865 ha of Coillte forest and approximately 600 ha of private forest was destroyed. Most of these fire incidents happened over one weekend in May.

Arising from the level of uncontrolled fires in 2010 and requests from the private and public sector, a Land and Forest Fires Working Group was established. The remit of the group is to make recommendations to tackle the problem of illegal and uncontrolled burning. Priority recommendations made by the working group include; changing the mind set and production of the guidelines.

There is an obligation on forest owners in receipt of forest grants to maintain their plantations for up to twenty years. This means there is an obligation to replant where a forest is damaged by fire. In the absence of reconstitution grants there is an emphasis on the need for adequate insurance cover. Insurance covers the cost of the timber lost but not the opportunity cost of the timber nor obligatory replanting costs.

It is estimated that the Donegal fires in 2011 caused €2.5 million worth of damage. Around the same period forest fires across Coillte estates destroyed 985 ha of forest with an estimated cost of €5 million. Estimated costs include fire fighting, replanting trees and timber revenue foregone.

Full conference presentations are available on www.iffpa.ie