Documentary film about planting trees, hope and love

The Forest Midwife is a short cinematic documentary, following a journey of the writer and social entrepreneur Catherine Cleary who bought a barren farm in Corry, Co. Roscommon, Ireland, and started to create a natural reservoir.

HOW TO BUILD A FOREST

by Catherine Cleary

Published in the Irish Times, 23.9.2023

It's a tentative start. We crack open wet soil, slot the roots of a small birch tree into the gap and firm it in. The blessings of mother earth on you, little tree. The birch is a bare slip of a thing barely anchored in the ground. One down 21,999 to go.

I'm in a field in Roscommon and this is the hardest work I have ever done. We straighten aching backs and squint to make out the rows of brown saplings bent by the wind in this rain streaked place. It's one of many "how the heck did we get here?" moments…. continue reading

The story and views expressed are personal views and do not necessarily reflect the policy of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

PRACTICAL GUIDE On HOW TO START A FOREST

1. Find a registered forester in your area

2. Ask them to visit the land to assess it for potential as a woodland. Not everywhere is suitable for woodland. In areas of special habitat what is already there may be doing a better job for climate and biodiversity than any forest can.

3. If the land is suitable the forester will apply for the licence on your behalf. You will sign lots of paperwork

4. If the licence is granted you can work with the forester to plant part or all of it yourself or they will source and plant it for you. The establishment costs of fencing, trees and planting are covered by a grant from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. You can plant a number of forest types. If your interest is climate and biodiversity one of the best options is continuous cover native woodlands. If you want to farm the land, plant agroforestry, wide-spaced protected trees which will improve soil, provide habitat for wildlife, shelter and potential fodder for farm animals and create a beautiful biodiverse farm.

5. Watch and enjoy the wildlife. If you build it they will come.