Environmental protection
Coillte take pride in our leadership position amongst wind farm developers in Ireland. We work hard to ensure that we are best in class and that our developments reflect this. Environmental protection including biodiversity are at the core of our sustainable business processes from commercial forestry through to wind farm development. We ensure that our projects conform to or exceed all statutory requirements and best practice guidelines in relation to environmental protection.
Within the Carlow County Development Plan 2015-2021, the study area is partially classified as open to consideration for wind development. No Natural Heritage Areas (NHA’s) occur within a 15km radius of the study area boundary. The following European Designated sites lie with a 15km radius:
- Blackstairs Mountains SAC (0.5km)
- River Slaney SAC (1.6km)
- River Barrow and Nore SAC (6.7km)
Hydrological connectivity exists between the western part of the study area boundary and the Slaney River Valley SAC.
A copy of the project EIAR Scoping Report can be found here.
Coillte and Climate Change
As Ireland’s largest landowner with more than 440,000 hectares under their management, Coillte have a large part to play in the Ireland’s journey toward carbon neutrality. To learn more about our management practices, see the articles linked below;
Coillte champions Biodiversity: https://www.coillte.ie/our-forests/public-goods/biodiversity/
Coillte champions native woodland: https://www.coillte.ie/coillte-announces-investment-in-native-woodland-restoration-in-sligo/
Coillte Biodiversity Seminar: https://www.coillte.ie/coillte-host-biodiversity-breakfast-seminar/
Coillte forest and activities: https://www.coillte.ie/our-forests/explore/activities/
Benefits from Coillte forests: https://www.coillte.ie/our-forests/public-goods/
Coillte’s and climate change: https://www.coillte.ie/our-forests/public-goods/climate-change/
Coillte supports national Tree week 2019: https://www.coillte.ie/coillte-encourage-ireland-to-get-behind-national-tree-week-2019/
Tree council of Ireland & Coillte: https://treecouncil.ie/testt/