The Ancient Woodlands Ireland project aims to better understand and protect Irelands woodlands. These are areas that have been wooded since at least 1660 and are important for biodiversity, carbon storage, and cultural significance. Ancient woodlands in Ireland are rare and fragmented, and existing lists of these woodlands are incomplete and the project wants to fill in these gaps in knowledge.

The project will use a mix of traditional and new methods, including historical maps, satellite imagery, and ecological data. By combining information from various sources, they aim to create a comprehensive inventory of ancient woodlands across the entire island.

Researchers will use historical maps and texts to understand how woodland cover in Ireland has changed over the past 400 years. They will also create new maps that accurately show the location and extent of ancient woodlands, while utilising a large database of species diversity information (plants and animals) to identify indicator species associated with ancient woodlands.

It is hoped the project's findings will provide valuable data for better protecting and restoring ancient woodlands in Ireland. This information can be used to prioritise conservation efforts and ensure the long-term health of these important ecosystems.

Making the funding announcement, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D said,

“I am delighted to announce funding of over €24 million for 20 research projects arising from the 2023 Thematic Research Call. The work funded under our research calls is essential to equip farmers, foresters, and the wider agri-food sector with the tools needed to improve their economic, environmental, and social sustainability in the years ahead. It is also pivotal to developing the next generation of cutting-edge technologies and innovations that will ensure we are globally attractive and competitive as a food island.’’

The Minister went on to say that: ‘‘I am impressed at the breadth of areas being funded, ranging from climate mitigation, water quality improvement and biodiversity restoration to animal health and welfare, food safety, and food health and nutrition, among others.

“I am also heartened to see that the projects will involve the education and training of over 40 postgraduate students and over 60 contract researchers, thus ensuring a continuous stream of highly skilled scientific talent coming through to our industry.”

Dr Annaleigh Margey, Head of Department of Humanities in DkIT attended the funding announcement launch at DAFM Backweston Campus recently.  Dr Margey will lead a work package as part of no 14. Ancient Woodlands Ireland in collaboration with the project coordinator John Devaney, National University of Ireland Maynooth. The package is for a PhD researcher to undertake a project on determining woodland antiquity through assessment of historical map and documentary evidence.

The PHD researcher will assess the archival and cartographic record to determine evidence of woodland in Ireland from 1500 to 1800. The purpose of this research will be to build upon previous work on Ireland’s environmental history to provide a broad, working survey of the available historical sources and an all-island analysis of the course of Irish forestry from 1500 until 1800.