Killykeen branded a ‘warzone’

Locals in the Killeshandra area and regulars to nearby Killykeen Forest Park have raised concern over the number of trees felled in the amenity.

As they voiced their concerns to The Anglo-Celt last week, a saw blade grinding against bark could be heard in the distance, then a sudden crack, and seconds later the thud as another tree hit the ground.

Although they could not see trees falling, they stood in the barren landscape already clear felled and listened intently to a similar happening just a short distance away.

Rewind back to July 10 when two felling notices were erected at the entrance to the park, both showing the intention to clearfell 5.28 HA and 5.08 HA of comercially ready trees in the Gartnanoul townland.

The description of work to be carried out was for “the felling of all trees on an area with replanting afterwards”.

Works on the larger felling was due to begin five days later and conclude July 31; while the slightly smaller cut was earmarked to begin July 30 and finish August 20.

From Ardlougher, Janette Waller says she felt “heartbroken” after she first came upon the knocked trees during one of her regular walks in the popular local forest.

The distinctive scent from freshly cut sitka spruce fills the air and above the distant sounds of sawing, Janette describes: “It’s not a warzone but it feels like a warzone.”

Her comment draw nods from the others present.

A path marker that lies damaged on the ground adds to the injury felt by the walkers.

A ‘Toxic’ sticker found amongst the foliage piques their concern for wildlife left behind.

Janette wonders what impact the clear felling will have on the environment and the wildlife.

“Yes the signs were up, yes we knew it was going to happen but it’s such a large area and also, that notice said they were stopping on the 20th of August and it’s still going on.”

With woodpeckers, red squirrels and other fauna making the forest home, Janette wants to know: “How is the forestry able to take the habitat in such big sways when there are endangered species?”

Acknowledging the clearfelling has happened, Janette asks how this can be “turned into a good news story”? She wants to know “where and how and what” will be replanted in its place?

She also wonders “Where is this wood going to?”, “Who’s using it?” and “who’s buying it?”.

“If there is a profit how can they reinvest?”

Originally from the Isle of Man but living in Ireland for the past 14 years, Janette claims that “tree care in Ireland is horrific.”

“The plantations are managed so that you don’t have huge takedown like here.”

Jeanette Finnman Dolan is a local pilates and fitness instructor from the area, who regularly walks in the park.

“It’s the amount that’s being shovelled down at the same time, that it’s not done in a better effort to keep the wildlife going” she fumes.

She suggests that “small areas” should be cut and replanted at any one time.

“This is planting for profit, nothing else, there is no concern for anything else in here.”

“Where is the wildlife going?” she asks too.

Fast forwarding, Jeanette says the scene makes her “concerned for the future.”

“It makes me heartbroken, I want to cry and it makes me really really angry that this is even allowed to happen.

“It also makes me really angry that there’s not more people out here thinking this is the wrong thing, I don’t know where we’re going to go if nobody opposes to anything.

“This is not okay,” she said, looking out at the tree-felled land.

Andrea Brady comes to the forest “nearly every other day” with her dog, and initially “didn’t have any problem with it [felling] because it was just a bit of mature forest that was coming down.”

“But we’re at the stage now where the wildlife has been pushed into the residential areas,” she claimed, giving the example of spotting more buzzards and squirrels “trying to survive in a place that isn’t a suitable habitat for them”.

She says “a lot of other areas in the vicinity” have been felled “in recent time” which further exacerbates the problem.

“If there has been replanting it’s very immature at the moment so the question is, why isn’t there a cap on the amount of tree cutting that’s allowed in a vicinity?”

Andrea asserts that more consideration needs to be given to the wildlife, naming red squirrels, pine martins, woodpeckers, buzzards, cuckoos, foxes, deer and others.

“There’s no habitat left here and this is supposed to be a State park,” she said.

“For kids too we’re trying to teach them to be climate responsible and environmentally responsible, taking care of nature,” Jeanette points out.

“And now they come out and see here, what kind of messages are we actually delivering to our children?

“Cutting down trees is the worst thing that you can actually do for the environment. We need trees and nature and forest.”

Ally Barrington who owns the Nanna Tilly’s B&B five minutes away from the park also raised concerns over drainage after flooding along the Killeshandra Loop Walk.

“The trees absorb the water, so they’ve just spent all that money to refurbish the Killeshandra loop and it’s not crossable at certain times of the year because it floods.”

She adds: “The wildlife may have left temporarily while there was noise and disturbance, but they would have come back. They’ve nowhere to come back to.”

Speaking to the Celt she also voiced concerns from a wellbeing point of view.

“Coming and seeing this is just devastating, people come here to feel good, to feel better.

“It’s unbelievable what they’ve done.”

Between 2020 and 2024, Coillte has felled and replanted approximately 614 hectares of forests on its lands in County Cavan.

Regarding wildlife concerns, a Coillte spokesperson said that tree felling and replanting in Ireland is “carried out under licence” by the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

They explained that a “key component” of the felling licence application process is the “inclusion of a detailed environmental assessment completed by professional ecologists.”

This ensures “tree felling and replanting operations are compatible with local wildlife and habitats in the area.”

The spokesperson said Killykeen Forest Park “is managed primarily as a recreational forest” however “parts of the forest park also contain areas planted with trees specifically to produce wood.”

“Coillte recently completed tree felling works under licence by DAFM in two separate areas.”

The response, which came on Monday, outlined that “felling operations are now complete.”

“These areas will be replanted in early 2025.”

Of the areas felled, the spokesperson said the trees were “fully mature and had reached felling age.”

They initially said the area will be replanted again with a mixture of Sitka spruce and oak trees by a local forestry contractor. Asked for a percentage breakdown of each tree planted they responded:

“The two areas that were recently felled are from wood producing areas of the forest and will be shortly replanted to start the forest cycle again. In one of the areas, 70% of the trees replanted will be Sitka spruce with a mix of 15% oak and 15% Scot’s pine, a native Irish conifer tree, making up the rest. In the other area, 80% will be replanted with Sitka, and oak and other native broadleaf trees will make up the remaining 20%.”

Referring to damaged signage in the park, they assured that “all recreational signage will be replaced following the forest operations in the park.”