Irish Forestry

Forests in Ireland have a great variation spanning from native woodlands, to big commercial plantations to trees and woodlands in more urban areas. There are 5 main types of Irish forests you could visit on the Forestry Tours of Ireland: Amentity forests; farm forests; upland and peatland forests; native woodlands; and urban forests. Irish forests provide a broad resource not just the basic timber produce you'd expect but includes bio diversity, wildlife conservation, carbon sequestrian, environmental protection as well as rural development, employment, amenity and recreation and tourism.

Farm Forests

The practice of farm forestry in Ireland has seen a big increase in recent years. This is largely due to the payment of grants and annual premiums to farmers from both the forest service and the EU. This was implemented to help incentivise farmers while making a long investment. Historically, farmers planted trees such as hedgerows to protect livestock and their property from bad weather. Unlike today however, in the past incentives from the EU led farmers to use as much of their land as possible for agriculture production, which led to woodland areas being the last resort and only used in the most infertile areas that weren't suitable for any other use. Thanks to the reform measures under the Common Agricultural policy, farmers began to look at other uses for areas of their land, and thus farmed forestry became more prominent. There is now an increase in the availability of fertile lowlands for farm forests.

Farm Forestry and Production

Farmed forestry also has a key role in rural development, providing an alternative source of income for farmers and enabling them to stay on their farms full-time. This is in addition to providing high quality timber. There are other benefits from the planting of broadleaves. The production of hardwood timber from broadleaves which leads to high value end products such as furniture and craftwork. Biodiversity is another benefit. On the forestry tours of Ireland we can arrange for you to see the vast green woodlands and open fields, a landscape which is largely shaped by farm forests. We can also arrange for you to meet with farmers and forestry consultants, forest service inspectors and contractors working on the farm forests.

Farmed Forestry and Fertile Lowlands

There is now an increase in the availability of fertile lowlands for farm forests. Farmed forestry has also led to an increased opportunity to increase the variation in Ireland's forests. Species that require fertile land and shelter to survive are being planted such as Broadleaf species. Equally conifers such as Douglas fir and larch that are site-demanding are now being planted.

Designed Around Your Interests

Your itinerary will be designed entirely around the needs and interests of your group.

Multi Discipline Tours

We can arrange farm Tours of Ireland to cover a wide range of industrial segments. Do let us know the different disciplines that interest your group and we can suggest visits to cover the range of industries they would like to experience.

Highly Specialist Tours

Our unrivalled range of agricultural contacts means we can provide highly specialist tours. If you would like your time in Ireland to focus entirely on one or a few segments, we can design an itinerary to give you the best insider experiences of Irish agricultural practices in your field.

Agricultural, Horticultural & Aquaculture

Below is a list of some of our specialist areas, but it is by no means an exhaustive list so no matter what your specialism just get in touch to let us provide a quote for your tour.

• Dairy Farm Tours
• Beef Farm Tours
• Sheep Farm Tours
• Pig Farm Tours
• Chicken & Poultry Farm Tours
• Arable & Tillage Farm Tours
• Horticulture & Nursery Stock Tours
• Equine Tours
• Forestry Tours
• Marine & Aquaculture Tours

Whilst you are here...

No visit to Ireland is complete without taking the opportunity to soak in the atmosphere of Irish City and Country life. With our years of experience we have honed our tours to ensure you see the best of real Ireland while you are here.

Amongst the Farms and Forests of Ireland, there are Ancient Stones and Crosses, Magnificent Castles and Monasteries; the sheep graze along mountain trails and the farmer enjoys live music and a pint in the local pub. Agri Tours are happy to provide these authentic Irish experiences while you visiting Irish Farms.

Your Tour Your Way

Just let us know the perfect balance for your tour and we will create a unique itinerary to match. Some groups would just like a few pointers for a great Irish pub to enjoy a drink at the end of the day, and other groups would like a much larger bias on the sightseeing aspects, spending a significant part of their time experiencing all of Ireland's magnificent history and culture.

As part of the Discover Ireland tours group, our knowledge extends far beyond the agricultural sectors of Ireland. So if you would also like to discover some of Ireland's history, experience its vibrant culture and get amongst its friendly people, we would be only too happy to incorporate these aspects into your Irish Tour.