Dr Declan Little, project manager, Woodlands of Ireland
My passion as a child was . . .an eclectic collection of wild and domesticated animals, birds and insects in the spare room. There were caterpillars, swifts with wings broken on the telegraph wires in Limerick's main street, an odd hedgehog that we eventually released, and breeding budgerigars, hamsters, and occasionally wild mice that we trapped (but which were quickly dispatched elsewhere as my mother objected strongly to the pungent smell emitted by the males to attract females). I wrote to Dublin Zoo looking for a job when I was about 13 or 14.
The way we teach children about trees is .. . by bringing them out to the forest to experience woodlands and how trees interact with each other. Children are quick to pick up on things like trees growing beside rivers because of the very wet conditions. Books are a poor substitute for the real thing, but are a useful aid.
Irish forests have become. . . more than just commercial entities. It's about managing our remaining native woodlands and providing outdoor recreational facilities in forests for people to use and enjoy. Commercial forestry focuses primarily on conifer production but there are a number of incentives and projects that focus on native broadleaf woodland conservation, recreational woodlands and hardwood production. If a pest or disease were to hit Sitka and Norway spruce, the majority of Ireland's commercial forest estate would be vulnerable and there could be catastrophic economic losses.
Our attitude towards our forests as a nation is . .. very difficult, due to our political history. Culturally we have lost our connection with forests and this is currently being slowly re-established through education and awareness. Most of Ireland was cleared of forest for agriculture, so that by the turn of the 19th century only 1 per cent of our native woodland remained. Most forests were not cleared by our colonial masters. And because many woodlands were on estates owned by the English aristocracy, an ambivalence toward woodlands became widespread. Woods were places where timber was stolen, as it was the landlord's property. Even today, wood is stolen for firewood, holly for Christmas, and ash for hurleys.
If I had to reinvent myself I'd .. . focus on how best to influence people to place more value on the environment. The knack or charisma that effortlessly encourages people to explore, value and appreciate their environment is a very rare gift.
When I relax I like to .. . fish in solitude in the wildest and quietest of places in the west of Ireland in pursuit of salmon and sea trout. Otherwise, I like to be immersed in a good session of traditional music.
My guilty pleasure is . . .salted peanuts, which are very addictive.
Ten years on from the millennium, people may not be able to hug their tree but .. . they can experience a real native woodland as the individual trees have now grown into a complex woodland community with all the associated plants and animals.
If I can't be in a forest I'd like to be. . . on the bank of a river in flood, hoping to see the swirl of a salmon as it makes its way to the spawning grounds.
See Coillteoutdoors.ie for hiking, cycling, fishing, picnic, canoeing and wildlife trails throughout Ireland
In conversation with
CATHERINE CLEARY