Work is to begin next year on transforming a commercial forest back into natural oak woodland under plans for the restoration of newly purchased State lands in Co Wicklow.
The 100 acres of land will become an extension of the Glen of the Downs nature reserve, expanding the special conservation area by two-thirds to almost 250 acres in total.
Under a management plan to be published shortly, commercially planted Sitka spruce and invasive cherry laurel, which has taken over large parts of the site, will be cleared and replaced with saplings grown from seed from the surviving oaks in the reserve and other native trees.
While the news has been greeted with delight by local groups who campaigned for the land to be bought when it came on the market last year, they have been warned the changes will be slow.
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“This is on woodland time,” said Wesley Atkinson, regional manager with the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
“We’re looking at a timeline of 50 years to 100 years for the process to be completed but that’s how it needs to be if it’s going to develop naturally and if it’s going to last.”
Minister for Nature Christopher O’Sullivan recalled as a child seeing the Glen of the Downs on television during a long stand-off between environmental defenders and construction crews taking down trees for the widening of the N11 roadway.
“For many it was the start of their venture into being an eco-warrior, which I think was a good thing,” he said.
“I hope those who campaigned at the time see some element of justice in the fact that now we’re expanding the nature reserve.”
The existing reserve has one of the last remaining pristine clusters of sessile oak in the country and is home to the struggling red squirrel, the resurgent great spotted woodpecker and the rare wood warbler, as well as some seldom found plants.
Mr O’Sullivan said it was no wonder local people treasured it and he paid tribute to Rewild Wicklow as well as national organisations such as An Taisce and the Irish Wildlife Trust, and his opposite number, Wicklow Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore, for campaigning hard for the purchase of the additional lands.
“It’s also important from the State’s point of view in our ambition to lead on nature restoration on state-owned lands,” he said.
“This will be a flagship project to demonstrate how we can convert old commercial woodland that’s no longer viable back into natural woodland.”
The land was partly State-owned at one point but later came into private hands and had planning permission for a golf course – plans later abandoned.
The price paid for it has not been disclosed.
