EVENT CANCELLED
We would like to inform you that this Fridays Western Forestry Co-op/Irish Timber Growers Association field day to Leitrim has been cancelled due to the storm warning and resulting health & safety concerns.
Western Forestry Co-op Field day to Crowes Sawmill and Cloone forest, Co. Leitrim in association with Irish Timber Growers Association (ITGA)
Date: Friday 12th October2018
Meeting Time: 10.15 am
Meeting Point: St. Patrick’s Church, Mohill, Co. Leitrim.
Directions
St. Patrick’s Church is located near the centre of Mohill, Co. Leitrim (GPS co-ordinates 53.920310, -7.869979) across from Cashins Garage and Canon Donohue Hall. Due to limited car parking space at the morning site we will need to double up in cars before travelling to the sawmill.
Participants are advised to bring suitable clothing and footwear
Itinerary
10.15 am Welcome to Crowes Sawmill, Mohill by Victor Barber Western Forestry Co-op & Alan Crowe
In the morning we will visit the family owned Crowes Sawmill which was established in 1907. The sawmill’s core business is sawmilling producing quality sawn timber, fencing and equestrian products in addition to garden furniture. The sawn timber is kiln dried and pressure treated with Osmose Naturewood. The sawmill utilises various Irish grown timbers including Larch, Scots pine, Douglas fir and Sitka spruce amongst smaller volumes of other species. The family are farm forest owners and have recently harvested their adjacent conifer woodland. We will discuss tree species utilised by the sawmill and the different features of the timbers used and the various products produced. We will also look at the recent reforestation site adjacent to the sawmill and discuss the reforestation operations undertaken by Western Forestry co-op.
Lunch
participants can bring a packed lunch or lunch is also available to purchase in Mohill from Beirne’s Bar & Restaurant, Marie’s Deli or the local Centra Shop
Afternoon Visit to Cloone Forest, Co. Leitrim.
This is a locally owned 22ha woodland planted in 1998 with Sitka spruce and 20% Larch, Norway spruce and a plot of Oak and Ash/Sycamore. The first thinning has been undertaken recently. We will discuss the thinning operations and the road approval process which included the requirement for a tarred and chipped entrance onto the public road, a new type of drainage channel at the forest entrance and the planning permission process involved for 400 metres of forest road. It is planned that a live demonstration will also take place on the day whereby the retained pulp will be chipped on site for transportation directly to the end user (Masonite) to reduce haulage and handling costs. The pros and cons of this process will be discussed on the day.
Western Forestry Co-op would like to thank the Crowe family, the Kelly Family and McCauley Wood Fuels for the kindness of the use of their sites and equipment and for ITGA for jointly hosting this field day.
