Photo competition to highlight benefits of trees and forests
Teagasc and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) have launched a photo competition aiming to showcase the benefits provided by trees and forests.
The 'Trees in our Lives' photo competition is open to all ages with both junior and adult categories.
The competition provides an opportunity for non-professional photographers and photo enthusiasts to get snapping while being in with a chance to win prizes.
According to Teagasc, trees and forests provide multiple services for people, ranging from carbon storage and protection of water quality to increased income and employment opportunities, many in rural areas.
'The right trees, established in the right places, enhance the landscape, improve biodiversity, provide shelter and generate additional income,' the authority said.
Jake Byrne from Kilkenny, was the overall junior winner in the previous competition
The 'Trees in our lives' competition focuses on three consecutive forest themes running from May 19 to 5:00p.m on July 14, 2025.
Over this period, participants can submit one image for each of the following themes.
Trees and Water : The first theme covers images that capture and reflect the beauty of trees and water in combination.
: The first theme covers images that capture and reflect the beauty of trees and water in combination. Trees on the Farm : The second theme can apply to images of all aspects of trees on the farm. Images may include how forests and trees can complement other farming activities and enhance the overall landscape; how trees provide shelter from wind and sun for farm animals and crops and how overall farm sustainability is enhanced by suitably planted trees.
: The second theme can apply to images of all aspects of trees on the farm. Images may include how forests and trees can complement other farming activities and enhance the overall landscape; how trees provide shelter from wind and sun for farm animals and crops and how overall farm sustainability is enhanced by suitably planted trees. Trees and Biodiversity: The third theme invites participants to capture images of the wealth of animal and plant life in and around forests. As well as captivating tree species, forest habitats can sustain a vast range of birds, insects, fungi as well as flowering and fruit bearing plants.
Each theme will have a prize, sponsored by DAFM, of €300 for an adult category winner and €150 for a junior category winner.
This year there will be runners-up in each category and in each theme. Runners-up prizes include €100 per adult runner-up and €50 per junior runner-up.
The overall winners will be presented with their prizes by the Minister of State for Forestry Michael Healy-Rae at the National Ploughing Championships in mid-September.
The six winning photos will be displayed at the National Ploughing Championships at the Teagasc and Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine stand.
Speaking at the launch of the photo competition, Tom Houlihan, acting head of the Teagasc Forestry Development Department, said:
'Our forests provide a wide range of benefits and, as with other years, we invite and encourage participants of all ages to submit good quality and attractive digital images that highlight some of these multiple benefits'.
Further information on how to enter the competition can be found on the Teagasc website.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Agriland
12 hours ago
- Agriland
Cow flow and avoiding congestion on roadways during breeding
As the breeding season progresses and oestrus activity hopefully begins to settle down, farmers should look at cow flow and congestion points on roadways. Things are still quite hectic in farmyards at this time of the year due to cows getting handled and served, grass quality proving hard to manage, and many farmers trying to wrap up their first-cut silage. However, having good roadways and ensuring good cow flow in and out of paddocks and to the parlour is crucial for keeping lameness issues at bay, along with high levels of grass utilisation, cow performance, and farm efficiency. Having good cow flow through the grazing infrastructure does make for easier grassland management, as the grazing rotation is easier to implement, leading to a better utilisation of grass, reduced costs, and more milk solids produced. A lot of dairy farms have insufficient roadways in place, which hinders cow flow and affects the herd's movement between paddocks and the milking parlour. As cows are now into their peak milk production and farmers are looking to hold that peak, it is important to have roadways in good condition to limit lameness and maximise production. Around the breeding season, when there is more mounting activity, jumping and mounting on tight and poor condition roadways can lead to lameness or injury which can affect milk production but also impact the cow's chances of going back in-calf. Cow flow A Teagasc study on farm roadway featured 55 farms with herd sizes ranging from 30 to 760 cows. with the participating farms selected based on herd size and geographical location. A roadway quality metric was developed to evaluate the condition of farm roadway, based on the following three variable assessed on each section: Roadway width; Surface condition score (ranging from one, which was inadequate for animal movement, to five, which was optimal); The presence of a congestion point on a roadway. All of this information was compiled to use as an estimate of mean cow flow on each farm, defined as cows moved per minute (CPM). The information gathered can be used to emphasise the importance of farm roadway infrastructure for efficient farm management and animal welfare. The on-farm survey results were as follows: Herd size (cows) <100 100-149 150-199 200-249 >250 Number of herds 11 18 8 5 13 Sample size of roadways (m) 130 260 124 87 292 Length of sections examined (m) 87 129 114 157 185 Mean roadway width (m) 2.97 2.94 3.3 3.6 3.89 Range roadway width (m) 1.7-6 1.2-5 1.8-7.7 2.5-5.3 1.9-10 Roadway width relative to herd size 0.76 0.7 0.69 0.74 0.62 Mean surface condition score 2.46 2.75 2.81 2.64 3.06 Public crossings 10 20 20 4 41 Mean total farm CPM 35.6 36.6 41 43.7 55.4 Results In total, 893 roadway sections on the selected 55 farms were assessed, with many roadway widths being suboptimal for the number of cows on the farm. The study outlined a standard width of 3.5m for a 50-cow herd, with another 0.5m allowed for every additional 50 cows thereafter. The results showed that, on average, roadways were 70% of the recommended width relative to the herd, with only 4% of the roadways being an optimal width for the herd size. Roadway width and surface condition were found to significantly affect the CPM rate, and the common denominator was better cow flow when roadways width and surface were of a good standard. Measured CPM with varying roadway width and surface, with a surface condition index (SCI) ranging from one to five, were as follows: Width (m) SCI 1 SCI 2 SCI 3 SCI 4 SCI 5 1 12.4 13.8 15.2 16.6 21.3 1.5 13.4 15.6 21.5 25.1 32.1 2 14.4 17.4 27.8 33.6 42.9 2.5 15.5 21.2 34 42.2 53.6 3 16.5 25 40.3 50.7 64.4 3.5 17.5 28.8 46.6 59.3 75.2 4 18.5 32.6 52.8 67.8 86 4.5 19.6 36.4 59.1 76.3 96.8 5 20.6 40.2 65.4 84.9 107.6 Public road crossings had a significant negative impact on cow flow, as it was found to reduce CPM by 32.7% on average, whereas congestion points did not have a major impact. The study found that only 14.2% of farm roadways were in an optimal surface condition to allow for sufficient cow movement, with 24.4% being completely inadequate. A number of factors affected surface conditions, including roadway width, congestion points, and the presence of a grass verge. Overall, the study found that roadway infrastructure has not adapted to meet increased herd demands on dairy farms across the country. This is not surprising as since many herds increased in size since the abolishment of quotas in 2015, grazing infrastructure, paddock sizes, and even water troughs did not increase in the same vein. According to the study, it is important that farmers re-assess such factors. It is essential for a farmer to ensure that their roadways are of adequate width, with a good surface condition and fewer congestion points to allow for increased cow throughput. This is particularly important to consider in the coming days and weeks as, more than likely, stock bulls are going to be let out to mop up any repeats or cows yet to be served, and if roadways and cow flow is poor, injuries and costs may sky-rocket.
Agriland
2 days ago
- Agriland
Scorecards for ACRES 2025 payments sent to advisors
Scorecards for lands for results-based payments under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) have been sent out to ACRES advisors this week. The department has also provided an updated version of the ACRES scorecard guidance document, which provides information to advisors on the way in which the lands concerned should be surveyed, and on the completion of the relevant scorecards. Advisors are being reminded that, for the scores submitted to be deemed valid and used in the determination of ACRES payments for 2025, they must be submitted by an approved ACRES advisor who has completed mandatory in-field scorecard training in 2025. Courses to provide this training are currently being provided, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine said. There is also a specific introductory, basic scorecard training course being provided for those advisors who did not attend a mandatory ACRES scorecard training course in 2024 (for example, where an ACRES advisor has only been approved as such since summer 2024). When completing the Scrub/Woodland scorecard on the AgriSnap photo app, advisors should only select either section A1-S (Scrub) or A1-W (Woodland), depending on the habitat type present. Advisors should also ensure that only the relevant section is completed. Entering information in both sections A1-S (Scrub) and A1-W (Woodland) will result in an inaccurate score and subsequently a delay in payments to farmers. All scorecards – both Co-operation Project (CP) results-based scorecards and scorecards for general actions – for each holding must be submitted within 14 days of initiating the first scorecard. The last day for submission of all scorecards to the department is August 31 each year, according to the specifications of the ACRES programme. Once an ACRES scorecard has been submitted in full, it will not be possible to make further changes to the scorecard and it cannot subsequently be amended. Advisors are being told that it is therefore essential that they are 'fully satisfied' that scorecards are correct at the time of submission.
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
Minister Healy-Rae claims he ‘personally championed' new planning exemptions
The review forms part of the Implementation Plan for the Planning and Development Act 2024 with Minister Browne saying the changes create an ability to expand and improve existing planning exemptions to allow for the appropriate adaptation of dwellings to changing needs is a key consideration. The minister explained the new changes would take many applications out of the system that don't need to be there, freeing up local authority planners' time and allowing more resources to be focused on larger projects. Minister Browne explained that public submissions will be 'extremely important' as it is recognised, especially in urban areas, that some exempted developments may have unintended impacts on neighbouring properties. A public consultation process will run for four weeks over the summer period. Following a review of all submissions, updated Exempted Development Regulations will be finalised as quickly as possible. 'Therefore, any proposed exemptions in relation to housing can only be improved by having full public consultation and I would encourage anyone with something to say to engage with the process when it opens up for contributions,' Minister Browne said. Welcoming the announcement, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Healy-Rae said the proposal is practical and long-overdue and one he 'personally championed' during pre-government policy talks. 'This is something I've been pushing for over many years, in policy discussions before entering government and throughout my time in politics,' Minister Healy-Rae said. "I've consistently called for more flexibility and clarity around planning exemptions, because these are the real-life issues that come up in every county and every parish. It's great to now see these proposals taking shape,' he added. Minister Healy-Rae stated that too often people are caught up in red tape trying to do something as simple as converting a roof space or putting in a modular home for a family member. He feels the review will cut through this and help people to move faster, adding that local authorities, especially in rural areas, will see direct benefits from the move. 'This change will ease a massive administrative burden on councils, particularly in rural counties like Kerry. It's about using common sense to improve housing delivery whether it's for an older parent, an adult child, or a family trying to make their home work better for their needs,' he said. Minister Healy-Rae urged Minister Browne to 'move quickly' and complete the process. Once the regulations are finalised, he said it would bring clarity that is important for families, for planners, and for the overall efficiency of the housing system.
