Cavan Community Forest Initiative
Cavan Community Forest Initiative is a FREE hands-on training, materials and trees to create your own small community forest.
Cavan County Local Development (CCLD) is organising a community forest training course to assist communities across the county to create their own small native forest.
Where: 3 separate training programmes distributed across participating communities
When: April 2025 - June 2026 (includes four training sessions)
Who: Up to 30 interested community groups across Cavan
This initiative is being designed and delivered by foresters, education specialists, and ecologists from Earthbound Ireland and RD Consulting.
Groups will participate in one classroom-based session, three practical, hands-on training sessions, and a site visit to a mature forest, focused on how to create, manage, and maximize the benefits of your own community forest.
The training programme will be split across 3 separate locations in Cavan (exact locations to be confirmed). All materials and trees will be provided to plant and manage your own area up 25m². The initiative also includes 1:1 support for groups to choose the best location for their forest, with each group required to seek and confirm landowner permission themselves.
Community and voluntary organisations are encouraged to come along to join an online information session on Monday, 31st March at 8.30pm via CCFOnline.eventbrite.com to find out more and discuss eligibility. Interested participants will then be invited to fill in an expression of interest form, which will be emailed to information session attendees or can be requested directly from Róisín Grimes rgrimes02@outlook.com.
The Cavan Community Forests Initiative is funded by the Irish Government under the LEADER programme 2023-2027, with the support of the County Cavan Local Community Development Committee (LCDC), Cavan County Council, Breffni Integrated CLG T/A Cavan County Local Development, the Department of Rural and Community Development, the EU, and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).