Mr. Paddy Purser:

Ideally with continuous cover forestry, the best way to start is at the establishment stage, in terms of the design and the diversity of species planted. Obviously, as Coillte has said, it is important to plant the right trees in the right place, with the right management. That is the best time to set out compatible species that are suitable for the site. Most of the work we are doing in Pro Silva and in continuous cover forestry in Ireland is in transforming even-aged monocultural crops and that starts at the time of first thinning which is somewhere between 15 and 20 years of age. Early thinnings in that process are very similar to what one might do under a conventional system but things change over time.

There is an emphasis on timber quality and forest retention. There are specific techniques we use. In the transformation period, the first few thinnings do not differ significantly from a conventional management approach.