Clonbur Woodland, a woodland restored under joint Coillte and EU LIFE funding in recent years, has won the Biodiversity Category in the RDS Forest Service Irish Forestry Awards. The judging panel commended the woodland, and the RDS Committee of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Chairman, Tom Cannon, said that “Coillte is deserving of recognition for the professional manner in which the area has been studied in detail, the high quality restoration work, and the extent to which the area has been opened to the public.”
This rare woodland associated with limestone pavement on the shores of Lough Mask is just one of the environmental jewels on the Coillte estate. A lot of fine work has been undertaken by the company at Clonbur Woodland, and the site plays a very important role in the lives of the communities living around Clonbur and Cong. Coillte welcomes visitors to the woodland to see for themselves the richness and diversity of the plant and animal communities here, with its network of walking trails, seating, signage, historic features and fantastic views.
Forest Manager, Frank Flanagan of Clonbur, with Joe Fenton (previous Site Manager), accepted the Award on behalf of their local community, colleagues, forestry contractors and all those who contributed to the restoration of the woods at Clonbur.