Native Woodland and Nature Reserve
We have planted over native Irish 10,000 trees on site including our 8 acre native woodland
We have planted 10,000 trees on-site, including our 8 acres of woodland, planted under the native woodland establishment scheme, creating a nature reserve on-site. This is aimed at the restoration of existing native woodlands and the creation of new native woodlands and is a clear demonstration that the environment and its biodiversity are at the heart of everything we do at Goleen Harbour.
We are working with Forester Mark Donnelly, formally Head Forester for the National Trust in Wales, who has tremendous knowledge of Biodiversity to help ensure that everything we do in respect of our Woodland area, is enhancing the natural habitat.
Our native tree species include Oak, Alder, Hazel, Holly, Hawthorn, Birch, and Scotch Pine. Our Goleen Harbour loop walk extends through the woodland and we are planting an outdoor classroom area.
The remainder of our farmland is grassland of mixed quality. Approximately 6 acres are suitable for making hay, while approximately 17 acres of Special Area of Conservation land which was once very overgrown with gorse, is now being grazed by our horses and Connemara Ponies.
Through grazing the area, we have attracted back the beautiful native ‘Chough’, a sea bird that resembles a crow but with a vibrant orange beak. As a result of proactively grazing this land, our efforts have been a success, with lots of Chough birds spotted here in recent years.
