New Three-Hectare Native Woodland Planted at Letterbane, Scotch Corner, Near Castleblayney
Monaghan County Council and Coillte have created a three-hectare native woodland beside the Scotch Corner Recycling Centre near Castleblayney, planted with birch, rowan, oak, hazel and alder.
By the Monaghan Brief staff·Edited by Seamus McKenna·Published · 2 min read
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Market House, Castleblayney. Archive location photograph; not a photo of the events in this story. Deadstar · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and colour-graded; cropped in layout.
A new three-hectare native woodland has been established at Letterbane, Scotch Corner, near Castleblayney, on council-owned land beside the Scotch Corner Recycling Centre, Monaghan County Council and Coillte have announced.
The site has been planted with a mix of native Irish trees, birch, rowan, oak, hazel and alder, while willow is regenerating naturally across it, according to both organisations. Coillte said pupils from Annyalla National School and Clontibret National School helped plant specimen trees to mark the completion of the project, alongside council horticulturist Michael Carroll and council staff Sinead McKinley and Ruairi Duffy.
How it was funded
The woodland was delivered through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's Planting on Public Lands initiative, which helps councils, State agencies and other public bodies bring suitable publicly owned land into new woodland under the Forestry Programme 2023–2027. It was established under the Afforestation Scheme's Forest Type 3 (FT3), Forest Creation on Public Lands.
The council describes it as an early example of the two bodies working together, under a Memorandum of Understanding that also aims to explore future recreation and community uses. It is separate from the Annaghmakerrig Lake Walk agreement Coillte signed with the council and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre.
What they said
Minister of State for Forestry Niall Collins called it "a strong example of what the Planting on Public Lands initiative is designed to achieve". Coillte's Midlands Regional Manager Stephen Lynch said the partnership showed how "under-utilised public lands" could become "valuable natural assets". Council Chief Executive Robert Burns said it was "a tangible example" of the council using public land to support biodiversity recovery and climate action.
No public opening date or access arrangements for walkers were given in the announcements.
Sources
This article is an original summary based on the following reporting. We encourage readers to visit the original sources for full coverage.
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