The Department believes that forests can create a rich living legacy for future generations of farmers while enhancing the financial sustainability of their farming operations.
To highlight the potential benefits of agroforestry for farmers, DAFM, in collaboration with Agrilandwe publish Let Trees Work for You – Meet our Forest Ambassador Series
In this episode of the series, we meet Forest Ambassador Gerard Deegan, an organic beef farmer from Co. Westmeath.
What first sparked your interest in forestry and made you decide to plant trees on your land?
In 2012, there were a lot of issues and a certain amount of health issues. I was 55 years old at the time.
Suddenly I realized that life goes by very quickly. I have no successor. What will I do if I can’t milk tomorrow, the next day, or in a year? Where am I going? Who will take care of me?
The options then were either to sell the place or go to the forests. And I really had a passion for wood and timber and tree planting.
I wasn’t giving up the ghost at that age. I was still looking for another 20 years, I think, or more.
So with the forest here, I can still get out and take care of the trees and be active.
What specific benefits were you hoping to achieve by adding forests to your farm?
The benefits of adding forests to my farm are many.
Let’s start with nature, the ecology, the ecology, the amount of carbon that is sequestered, the amount of carbon cycling that occurs, the more water is purified, all the things we need to survive and live, the benefits to me, my health, both physically and mentally, to the community around me.
I do some social farming here. It is an integral part of my day working with them and for the wider community.
There are many people who come for walks, do different tours around the forest, and above all, it provides me with a secure income for the future.
What challenges did you face when first starting your forestry app, and what kind of support did you receive?
Actually, the challenges weren’t too bad. I met my advisor in Teagasc first, he gave me great advice on where to go, and put me in touch with various foresters, one of whom I later hired, and he was a gem.
He took care of all the paperwork, all the requests I would have on my mind. It saved me all this trouble.
He was also a brilliant guy, someone who actually listened to my ideas and told me what would work and what wouldn’t.
We came up with a very diverse plan, which is what I really wanted at the end of the day. So I started that side of things off pretty well.
Then I had 20% of the forest covered in ash, and I got ash dieback, and it was a nightmare.
It was more than four years before I finished it before I could start replanting.
Once I was able to move forward with the rebuilding plan, some weight was lifted off my shoulders.
I wanted variety, so I came back with oak, beech, sycamore, a little sweet chestnut and a little birch. So, everything spreads through it. This builds diversity, and builds the ability to control diseases and pests.
I’m a pro-forest, pro-forest guy. In this system, it is important to intervene early, little, and often.
You are constantly monitoring what is happening, and constantly improving your forest.
Illness is a challenge and will be a challenge. So, no one should be under the illusion that it is a golden egg.
It’s like any other agricultural venture, but there is an opportunity to generate a good income at the end of the day; But you have to work at it.
Looking to the future, how do you see forestry supporting the long-term sustainability and value of your farm for the next generation?
In the long term, I see the forests supporting the farm. I think it’s an important part of the whole cycle. Everything is interconnected. I’m interested in regenerative grazing as well. Therefore, it is an important part of the entire farming scheme.
Here we take care of nature. It all starts underground with soil biology. We start with bacteria and fungi. They are the ones that will actually get to work and help nourish the plant, whether it is a tree or a grass.
I need nature to function optimally. So all the insects and birds hatch here, and they jump over the fence.
You will see them scratching cow pads. The more life I saw there, the more birds, the more species I saw there, the healthier I knew my soil would be.
The healthier the soil, the healthier the plant. The healthier the plant, the healthier the animal. The healthier the animals and plants are, the healthier you and I will be.
What advice would you give to another farmer thinking about adding forestry to their farm?
If there’s anyone out there thinking about forestry, I’d definitely say go ahead. If they have an interest, there is a seed already in their head.
Will it succeed or won’t it work? You have to give some corner, whether it’s an acre or two acres, whatever you want. But the benefits of this to the rest of your organization are unreal.
We have to stay away from synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides. Nature will take care of it.
We are being robbed left, right and center with all the inputs we use. Why? For production.
Production has reached the highest levels in my life. Where did the income go? Straight line.
It is time to take back control of our lives and put money in our pockets and not for big corporations, not to feed multinational corporations and big corporate groups.
Forests are a crucial part of that.
The Let Trees Work for You – Meet Our Forest Ambassadors series is a collaboration between Agriland and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
