‘the local project’

‘The local project’ formed as an opportunity for people in a rural Irish setting to act at a local level in addressing issues about international deforestation amidst Ireland’s almost total dependence on imported tropical woods.

In March 2005, I initiated a proposal which was jointly supported by Crann (an Irish Tree Non-Governmental Organisation – NGO) and The Dock (County Leitrim ’s Art Centre). In this project and exhibition I brought together the voices and images of local people who volunteered to plant broadleaf woodlands 10-12 years ago in an innovative Crann Project in South Leitrim, Ireland.

The film and photographs documented the beginnings of a new local wood culture in Leitrim; an inspiring, sustainable and valuable model – suitable for transferring to other areas in Ireland.

The exhibition in 2006 also celebrated the 20th anniversary of Crann by showing material from the Crann archive. It also presented the work of local crafts-people and artists who were associated with Crann and a former Crann woodland craft initiative in Mohill, Leitrim. Jan Alexander, Crann founder also took this opportunity to step down from Crann, to concentrate her forestry efforts with ProSilva Ireland (a leading EU sustainable forestry organisation). Jan is now President of this organisation and her considerable involvement and training with leading European forestors has increased her knowledge of how to manage forests sustainably, maximising both local ecomomic and ecological returns. As Jan frequently reminds me ‘the forest that pays, stays!’

Since the exhibition: Renewed interest from ‘the local project’ woodland participants, some who had never seen each other’s forests until the film, spurred the creation of an independant Leitrim Directory in 2007, of local growers, timber users, woodland craftspeople etc. A sharing of woodland management knowledge and the first thinnings of these young woodlands appears to be the start of a valuable, sustainable woodland community. More info on this Directory here

The 2006 Exhibition Press Release:

A special event in Leitrim was planned for September 2006, to mark Crann’s 20th anniversary. Crann was launched by Jan Alexander on 5th June, World Environment Day as an NGO (Non Govern

mental Organisation) whose focus was to redress the imbalance in the ratio of broadleaved trees being grown for forestry purposes in this country.

“While in many ways Crann has achieved it’s aim of putting broadleaved trees back on the forestry agenda here, Crann has largely failed to reach the general public on the related issue of hardwood timber imports into Ireland,” Jan says.

“Tropical timbers are still being imported here and used for furniture manufacture, doors, etc. Most people still are not aware that their choice in the furniture shop is a political one. Making a purchase of products made from iroko, mahogany or teak, for example from West Africa over native ash or American oak, has a long reaching effect on the local and global

environment, social structure and economy. Crann has failed to get this underlying message across,” she says.

Back in 1993, Jan initiated the Crann ‘ Local Project’ in the south Leitrim area, which was 80% funded by the Forest Service. It’s aim was to link local timber users with the locally grown resource and so create the beginnings of a sustainable forest culture. To this end, 16 land owners in the area grew a variety of hardwood species on

their land, and timber users were surveyed to find out what they were using in the meantime. Now, 13 years later, the first thinnings of those forests are reaching a marketable dimension.

Contrary to the establishment‘s view of the soils and conditions in Co. Leitrim for growing s

pecies like oak, ash, beech for example. the indications at this early stage of the pilot ‘Local Project’ are that these species are performing extremely well – the old myth that broadleaves would not grow in Co Leitrim is being dispelled by their very presence.

The canopy is closing over in many of the young mixed species woodlands in Leitrim: many woodland owners were surprised how fast trees have grown. Not surprising really as Ireland does have some of the best tree growing conditions in Europe.

In May 2006 , Jan Alexander and artist Cathy Fitzgerald visited the sites to both interview the people involved in the Local Project and to record and monitor the growth of the trees. Already, the growth of these young broadleaf woodlands at these sites is impressive and is seen to be the first step in re-introducing a wood culture back into Leitrim and surrounding areas.

Their work culminated in an public exhibition ‘the local project:revisited 2006′ and a seminar, ‘Wood Culture Be an Issue?’ Held in association with The Dock Arts Centre, Carrick-on-Shannon on 8-23 September, 2006.

The Crann South Leitrim Project, known as the ‘local project’, was launched in 1993 to involve communities in broadleaf tree planting and in producing hardwood timber for local use- many reports were written and published in the Crann magazine over the years, which give an indication to the amount of work involved.

A early report from 2000:

Project managers, Noel Kiernan, a local forester and farmer, and Fionnuala Lyons divided up the tasks, Fionnuala looking after the education and awareness aspects by organising seminars and giving talks in schools and liasing with timber end-users and surveying their preferred choices of raw material.

Noel took on the development work, facilitating the planting of broadleaves under the Forest Service grant scheme and experimenting with new species and mixtures. The project was fully funded by the Forest Service for three and a half years, during which 300 acres were planted, distributed between 20 holdings.

Quality timber grown in the Crann ‘local project’

The trees were mainly oak, though a total of 18 tree species (including some conifers) were planted in various mixtures. The project also launched trials on poplar and ‘basket’ willow (for osiers). The plantings are doing well and maintenance grants should be forthcoming from the Forest Service following inspection this year.

The most difficult talks was to develop the existing local resource – mainly of poor quality hardwoods from unmanaged woodland and scrub – and to mill and dry it for the use of craftspeople and other end users.

A small saw-milling operation was set up with the assistance from the project. The operator, Paul Reynolds, is about to install new machinery, including a mobile sawmill, and will continue to meet the needs of the projects end-users. There are plans to expand the project into biomass production, coppicing, native tree nurseries and eco-housing.

There is evidence to suggest that oak and some other species grow as well in Leitrim as in other parts of Ireland

- and better than in some parts.

Noel Kiernan, Forestor, MSIF (Tech) 2000