Short, Ian

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I'm a broadleaf silviculture researcher in Ireland.
I'm a broadleaf silviculture researcher in Ireland. My interests are the management of broadleaf forests from establishment through to final harvest. Work includes investigations on establishment spacing, mixture configuration, thinning and remedial silvicultural systems for poorly performing pole-stage stands. This includes underplanting and coppice-with-standards. I also have an interest in temperate agroforestry and transformation of Sitka spruce plantations to continuous cover forestry.

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 36
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Short rotation forestry – The interface between agricultural production and conventional forestry
    (Dawn Media, 2022) Tobin, Brian; Foreman, Susie; O'Reilly, Conor; Farrelly, Niall; Short, Ian; Byrne, Ken; Clancy, Mike; Xiao, Liwen; O'Connor, Mark; Kent, Tom; de Miguel Munoz, Ana; Coates, Enda; Cronin, Brian; Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
    Short rotation forestry (SRF) is a form of forest management designed to maximise woody biomass production on single stems over rotation lengths much shorter than the 40+ years of conventional forestry. The objective of the Irish “Forestry for Fibre” scheme is to address a forecasted shortfall in the supply of fibre for the energy and wood products sectors by incentivising the establishment of Italian alder, hybrid aspen, poplar, and eucalyptus plantations. To date there has been little take-up. ShortFor (2013 to 2018) was a recent research project funded by DAFM to examine the potential for SRF in Ireland. In addition to reviewing candidate species the project evaluated likely establishment practice and silviculture specifically suited to SRF. The project also set up field trials to assess the impact of stocking density on growth and yield. Further work also assessed the quality and calorific value of biomass produced by key species and the sustainability of suitable management / production systems.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Silvicultural Guidelines for the Tending and Thinning of Broadleaves
    (Teagasc, Oak Park, Carlow, Ireland & Coford, Ireland, 2008-12) Short, Ian; Radford, Toddy; COFORD
    This publication provides guidelines for the tending and thinning of ash, alder, sycamore, Norway maple, oak and beech. Some silvicultural procedures to follow during these operations are also provided.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    The Hardwood Focus Group: Exploring utilisation potential of Irish broadleaf forests
    (Dawn Media Ltd,, 2020) Spazzi, Jonathan; O'Connell, John; Sykes, Jonathan; Short, Ian; Garvey, Seán; Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
    Jonathan Spazzi of Teagasc Forestry outlines the work of the Hardwood Focus Group and lessons learned from a recent exploratory trip to counterparts in Wales.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    COST E42 Growing Valuable Broadleaves Silviculture Matrix: An Irish example
    (Teagasc, Oak Park, Carlow, Ireland & Coford, Ireland, 2008) Short, Ian; Bulfin, Michael; Radford, Toddy; European Co-Operation in Science and Technology; COFORD
    The purpose of developing the silvicultural matrix in COST E 42 was to provide a vehicle whereby information on silviculture of valuable broadleaved species could be gathered from as many participating countries as possible. The aim of this matrix is to determine what are considered the optimum silvicultural treatments for each of our target species in countries across Europe. In many cases only one or two countries will have experience of a particular species. Also it must be realised that, for many of the larger countries in Europe, there are different climatic regimes and no single matrix can encapsulate the recommendations for that country. In this case a number of climatic regional matrices would be preferable. For this reason, not all countries felt in a position to contribute a matrix and preferred to provide a narrative discussion on various species. As an illustration of how the matrix can provide a guideline for farmers wishing to plant, the example of ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) in Ireland is taken. Based on the research we carried out, we developed a set of guidelines to assist farmers in making critical decisions. These guidelines now form the basis for government support to farmers.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Comparison of three inventory protocols for use in privately-owned plantations under transformation to Continuous Cover Forestry
    (Society of Irish Foresters, 2019) Spazzi, Jonathan; O Tuama, Padraig; Wilson, Edward R.; Short, Ian
    Interest is growing in Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) as a management approach among private forest owners in Ireland. Developments in forest policy are directed at promoting CCF as a means of enhancing forest resilience, sustaining forest production and delivering diverse ecosystem services. In 2019 the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) introduced a new pilot funding measure to support the adoption of CCF management in suitable private forests. Currently the area of forest under CCF management is relatively small (estimated at around 1% of the total forest area) and several barriers to wider adoption have been identified. These include the lack of a simple template for the transformation of planted forests to CCF and a monitoring protocol with known inventory costs and outputs. In this study three inventory protocols were compared in terms of their ease of use, the types of data outputs and cost effectiveness in a forest stand at an early stage of transformation to CCF. These protocols were compared to a complete enumeration approach. The inventory protocols being tested were developed by the UK Forestry Commission (FCIN45), a group of French and Belgian researchers (VISUAL) and the Irregular Silviculture Network (ISN). Results indicate that by using modern technology and careful design, a cost-effective inventory protocol can be implemented to collect information of sufficient accuracy to inform management decisions. Advantages and limitations of each protocol are discussed. The ultimate outcome would be the development and adoption of a common inventory and monitoring approach to enable private owners to critically compare stand management and performance. This is essential to support and guide forest managers and forest owners during the transformation process.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Increasing tree cover on Irish dairy and drystock farms: The main attitudes, influential bodies and barriers that affect agroforestry uptake
    (Elsevier, 2023-08) Irwin, Rachel; Short, Ian; Mohammadrezaei, Mohammad; Ní Dhubháin, Áine
    Agroforestry has been cited as a means to increase sustainability and biodiversity at a farm level while allowing farming to continue on the same parcel of land. However, even with profitable financial incentives currently in place to promote agroforestry uptake, uptake remains low in Ireland. This highlights that farmer decision-making regarding the adoption of agri-environmental measures do not follow the assumed economic rationality. To better understand the factors that influence farmer decision-making with respect to tree planting on farms, this study used an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to identify the main attitudes, influencers and intentions of Irish dairy and drystock farmers to planting trees on their land. The barriers to these farmers adopting agroforestry were also investigated. An online cross-sectional survey using a semi-structured questionnaire was administered to a nationally representative sample of the farmers in Ireland. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to assess the direct and indirect effects of TPB constructs on intention towards adopting agroforestry. According to the SEM analysis, the TPB constructs explained 74% of the variance in intention to plant trees. The results demonstrate that these farmers are mainly driven by their attitude and moral norms which in turn are shaped through the views of their influential people such as advisors and local farmers. The current method of increasing agroforestry uptake is mainly top-down driven and focused on the economic incentives currently in place. New methods to increase agroforestry should focus on encouraging people of influential status within the farming community to promote agroforestry, and through promoting co-design and co-creative systems.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    The impact of shade on photosynthetic characteristics in Fagus sylvatica and Quercus robur seedlings
    (Teagasc, 10/03/2014) Sevillano, Ignacio; Short, Ian; O'Reilly, Conor
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Increasing Tree Cover on Irish Dairy and Drystock Farms
    (Dawn Media, 2022) Irwin, Rachel; Short, Ian; Ní Dhubháin, Áine
    What are the main barriers and perceptions that impede agroforestry uptake?
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    PublicationOpen Access
    An outline of achievements in selected areas of forest research in Ireland 1960–2021
    (Teagasc, 2022-03-01) Farrelly, Niall; Nemesio Gorriz, Miguel; Short, Ian; Ní Dhubháin, Á.; Tobin, B.; O’Hanlon, R.; Earl, R.; McCullagh, A.; O’Donoghue, C.; Ryan, M.
    In this paper, we provide an overview of achievements in forest research in Ireland carried out by various agencies over the past 60 yr. Many of the outcomes of the research have ensured that policy and practice are well-founded, and many of the research results form the basis of current forest standards and practice. Forest research has, and will continue to have, a significant role in national policy development and international reporting commitments. The achievement of future goals and targets is increasingly dependent on the maintenance of the goods and services that forests provide; these can be enhanced through the establishment of new forests and by appropriate management of the resource (e.g. The EU Green Deal and EU Forest Strategy). We outline the current state of knowledge which can be used to inform afforestation goals and the importance of tree improvement, forest management and forest protection to improve competitiveness and sustainability. Research into forestry and carbon provides a focus on the opportunities and challenges of climate change to Irish forestry. Future efforts will involve longer-term monitoring of environmental change commensurate with the forest rotation to reduce the uncertainties associated with climate change. Research into forestry economics, attitudinal surveys and behavioural studies may help inform the achievement of future policy goals. Reducing the impacts of biotic attack through efficient surveying, disease monitoring and assessing future risk is likely to be the focus of future research effort.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Why Dairy Farming And Silvopastoral Agroforestry Could Be The Perfect Match
    (Irish Farm Business, 2020) Irish Agroforestry Forum; Short, Ian; Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
    Could we be missing a trick here? Could silvopasture be a design solution to the environmental challenges facing farming? Can it be the ideal mechanism to combine agriculture, forestry and ecology with very positive outcomes for farmers? Well -designed silvopasture can help increase profits and productivity, animal, and soil health, diversify the farm business, buffer against increasingly variable weather, drought and flood risks while benefiting the environment, the water cycle and the carbon cycle.