You might recognise this tree from a previous cache location, unfortunately that cache kept falling out of the tree and eventually broke. This one is more securely fixed and should stay put. The tree is very easy to climb, like a ladder really, but it is quite high at about 9m up. You should be able to see it from the ground if you stand back a bit.
These woods are owned by Coilté who have recently cropped all the trees here. The crop trees took about 60 years to grow to the size of the trees that have been left around the perimeter, including this tree, and were mainly used for pallets. The felling has left this fabulous view, they replanted with Pedunculate Oak, Birch, Norway spruce and Scots Pine with a few pockets of Guelder rose. The area is 10 acres and it took a team of 10 one day to plant 10,000 new saplings. Coilté will weed around the trees and replant any casualties for 4 years, after that they're on their own and should take about 10 years to grow tall enough to block the view again, these new trees are here for life and won't be used as crop trees.
Coillte advocates ‘Leave No Trace’ as their user behaviour code while visiting their forests. Leave No Trace is an educational approach to visitor behaviour and is endorsed by all major public landowners and practically all representative user groups in Ireland. Its principle is that everyone takes responsibility for their actions while visiting our forests, thereby ensuring the protection of their forests and natural environment while being mindful of the enjoyment of others.