Public meeting with Coillte representatives on woodland removal at Murvagh

People with an interest in the beach and woodlands at Murvagh are encouraged to attend a public meeting.
The meeting takes place at the small car park on Wednesday, July 26 at 6pm. Representatives from Coillte and the consultancy firm engaged to conduct the suitability report will be present to answer questions. 

A spokesperson for the Friends of Murvagh Beach said: “The area of the forestry / trees impacted by this proposed project will be marked out on the day of the meeting to provide context on the scope of the trees and areas impacted. 

“Please come along and have your say. This is your opportunity to put your point of view forward.”

Last month, Coillte’s public engagement officer Hedda Dick attended a meeting at the site, and it was clear that there were more questions than answers. While she took on board the concerns that were expressed, Ms Dick said she was not in a position to answer many of the questions raised. As a result, those present asked for a meeting with people who could provide answers. 

The plan by Coillte and the National Parks and Wildlife Service will see the removal of trees stretching back 100m from the beach road. It will end a short distance before the main car park. 

The idea is that by removing the old plantation conifers, the natural sand dune habitat would regenerate. The site in Murvagh is one of four nationally, three of which are in Donegal. 

Prior to the June meeting, it had been unclear how much of an area would actually be included. However, a map that was circulated at that meeting left people feeling troubled and shocked at the scale of the tree removal.

Ms Dick from Coillte outlined the project, explaining why tree removal was crucial to dune regeneration. 

“The conifer plantations are not natural habitats,” she said. 

“They were planted 60 or 70 years ago. We are looking at removing a section of those conifers and restoring the sand dunes. 

“There is a lot of other forestry there that won’t be removed. We will look at it again in a few years and see if it would be good to remove more of it or leave it as it is.”

Ms Dick explained that some topsoil might have to be removed to allow the dunes to regenerate. She added that special consideration was being given to protected species in the area.
Questions and concerns from those gathered included:

-Would it not be more beneficial to begin by protecting the dunes from the shore rather than by removing another habitat? 

-Removal of the deeper-rooted leading edge trees would leave the main shallow-rooted parts of the forest more vulnerable to strong winds.

-While initially a plantation forest, the habitat had evolved into more of a significant woodland ecosystem because of its age

-Fears that strong winds would blow the soil / sand away before the habitat had time to regenerate

-Frustration that not enough community engagement opportunities had taken place, and that these had not been adequately publicised

-Concern that reports on factors such as environmental impact were not publicly accessible.

It was also felt that many people were at work when the meeting took place, and it was requested that a more suitable time would be chosen for the next one. 

Wednesday’s meeting is a great opportunity to get information directly from the people behind the project.