Sillahertane Estate

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A view from Sillahertane House, where in May you will hear the Cuckcoo bird (Cuculus canorus)

Farming

The view above shows the view West over the 1992 plantation. From August till October you can hear the male Sika Deer 'scream' to attract hinds.

Wildlife Management

Deer stalking, woodcock and snipe shooting as well as salmon fishing are available to guest of Sillahertane House.

Wildlife management is the care and control of wild animals. These include Hares, Woodcock, Snipe, Grouse, Sika Deer, the Lesser Horseshoe Bat and many more. In the case of most wild animals found on the estate that cause little or no damage and measures have been taken to maintain and improve their habitats.

Hunting dogs play an important role in tracking deer There is however one species that has already caused considerable damage to both the native woodland on the estate and to the plantation established in 1992. The damage caused by the Sika Deer is browsing of buds and tree shoots, by removing bark to clean their antlers of felt and by eating the bark of young trees. At present the 1992 plantation is the single biggest asset on the estate and so deer numbers have needed to be culled.

Sika deer are found on the entire property. A deer management plan has been prepared. Along with other measures such as a pellet counts carried out each Spring. Based on the pellet counts it has been possible to calculate that between 150 and 200 Sika deer are on the property. This figure is used to set our cull target, which was 30 females for the 2005/2006 season. To check out the openning and closing dates for the season click here. You can see one of the high seats used at Sillahertane here, which has been further improved with a roof.

Deer fences have been used on smaller areas, but these will only work in conjunction with culling. If the numbers of deer are allowed to keep increasing fencing will not protect saplings or older trees.

Fishing
The estate holds fishing rights over stretches of the Roughy and Slaheny rivers. Salmon use both of these rivers for spawning and Brown Trout are also to be found. For the last number of years the fishing rights have been annually leased out to the Kilgarvan Roughty Anglers, but is available to guest of Sillahertane House.

Both rivers offer excellent fishing, although fly-fishing is very challenging due to the amount of trees and other vegetation along the banks of the rivers.

Farming
The estate was once stocked with up to 1400 sheep, but now the numbers are well reduced. Up to 1999 the estates grazing was rented out to a local farmer. Since that time the area he has been renting has been reduced and the owners purchased their own small flock of 75 in 2000.

The owners decided to enter into the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REP's), that monetarily compensates farmers to encourage them to discontinue environmentally harmful practices while supporting practices that are environmentally friendly. This has provided the estate with the resources to improve fencing, but more importantly to eradicate Rhododendron ponticum from areas outside of the woodlands.

Forestry
1894 plantation of Scots Pine and pre 1840's mixed woodlands
Rhododendron ponticum These stands occupy around 47 ha and have not been managed for at least 40 years. Any activity within the stands has been confined to selective harvesting of the best trees. Although the area of Scots Pine was afforestation, much of the area predates the 1841-42 OS map, which is presently the earliest map available. At that time as is the case now, the stand was made up of both broadleaf and conifer species.

Rhododendron clearing and chipping The stands have been invaded by Rhododendron ponticum, which now occupies the entire area, generally as a thick 3 m to 8 m understorey. Any management of the stands requires the control or eradication of Rhododendron ponticum. Small areas of woodland have already been cleared of this weed, with impressive results. An application to our Forest Service under the Native Woodland Scheme has received preliminary approval. This is a scheme, which Morgan was involved in advising on through the organisation Pro Silva Ireland.

Sika deer are a considerable problem to the forestry and their control will allow the implementation of further Pro Silva Principles. Sheep freely grazed this area up to 3 years ago, after which time they have been absent or much reduced.

The objective for these woods are:
- Restore sustainable Forest Ecosystem
- Encourage Local Species/Provenance
- Manage adhering to Pro Silva Principles
- Restore Paths, Viewpoints and improve infrastructure

Oak/Scots pine/European Larch; afforested in 2001 and 2002
Both of these 1.2 ha sites have been afforested inline with Forest Service guidelines. The Fencing and Rhododendron clearing resulted in the overall costs of the afforestation exceeding the grant. The added costs have been justified on the basis that this was the most cost-effective way to control the Rhododendron on this area and improve the site value.

The second area of 1.2 ha was afforested in 2002 with Oak/European Larch. On this site a different design of deer fence has been used, which reduced costs and should improve protection from the Sika deer. Ongoing control of Rhododendron ponticum with the herbicide Roundup and additive Mixture B is necessary on both sites.

Sitka spruce; planted 1992
A total area of 200 ha of which 17-20 ha was left unplanted, makes this one of the biggest single private afforestation sites in Ireland. Sitka spruce is planted in the overwhelming majority of the site, but Lodgepole Pine, Western Red Cedar and Larch were also planted. The soil type is blanket peat and elevation is between 330 and 460 meters. Exposure is moderate to high and access is at present poor.

Sika deer are found on the entire property and have caused considerable damage within this plantation. Control of deer numbers is vital to ensuring the quality of timber produced and an extension to the hunting season has been approved by Dúchas (Irish Wildlife & National Parks Service). A deer management plan has also been prepared. Along with other measures a pellet count was carried out last Spring. It was possible to calculate that between 150 and 200 Sika deer are on the property. These figures were used to set our cull target, which was 30 females for the 2002/2003 season. Unfortunately we were unable to fulfill this target, only shooting half as many. A number of changes will be made to our Deer Management Plan to improve the effectiveness of the time spent stalking Sika deer

The Sitka Spruce was planted in many areas with a mixture of two provenance's (wash. And QCI) and in other areas, a proportion of selected 'Elite' provenance were used.

Although some areas have continued to show slow growth and signs of nutrient deficiency, most areas recovered from initial periods of poor health and the plantation is now well established. Infrastructure to and within the plantation is still poor and road building will be necessary to allow proper management. First thinnings were carried out during the Winter of 2003-2004.

Power Production
Planned Wind Power
The management of the estate are working with Alpha Wind Energy Ltd to obtain planning permission for ten 1mW turbines at Sillahertane. Thanks to the nature of the site the turbines will not be visible from 85% of the surrounding area in a 20km square. Even then houses, hedges, trees, etc will often hide the turbines, as is the case in this photo montage. This is one of the best sites in Ireland in regard to low visibility from public roads. The Kerry County Council adopted a Renewable Energy Policy on November 18, 2002.

Planning permission has been granted for this project and we are awaiting a Grid Connection Offer. The project will fit well into the overall management plan for Sillahertane. Improvement of the internal road required to bring the turbines to their sites at Sillahertane is also essential to access within the 200 ha 1992 afforestation. This will make it possible to manage the plantation under Pro Silva Principles. The added revenue from the proposed Wind Farm will partly be invested in combating the highly invasive Rhododendron ponticum, which has taken over the native woodlands at Sillahertane. In addition to this we are confident that the turbines will be more of an attraction for tourists than a detraction.

Water Power
One of a number of waterfalls on the Estate The Armstrong's (who owned Sillahertane from 1938 till 1998) built a reservoir in order to provide sufficient flow of water to a water wheel and later a hydro turbine. They harnessed this power to drive a circular saw. This was used during the Second World War up to the 60's, although by that time the sawmill was being powered by a diesel engine, that also provided the first electricity to Sillahertane House, where the Armstrong's lived. Today this is the main house on the property.

The damaged dam has been restored and the 315mm-diameter pipe replaced. The micro-hydro turbine unit for the project was built by Willot J.L.A. in Belgium and has been supplying the estate with up to 15kW of electricity since the 29th of July, 2002.

When preparing to rebuild the scheme regular weir readings were taken to find out the volume of water flowing through the river from June 2000 until April 2001. The original turbine house has been replaced with a timber house made from Scots Pine felled and sawn on the property. The frame of the turbine house was built using classic timber frame techniques. Gerry Cunnane of Wind Water Solar Energy Systems Ltd has been our consultant for this project.

Sillahertane Bog
Turf cutting on the Estate The upland raised bog is presently a proposed National Heritage Area, but this status is in the process of review and soon the Bog will be more comprehensively protected by legislation. The Bog has an area of around 261 ha. Small areas have been manually cut for turf and at present only one family remain that continue this long tradition.

In 1994 the site was surveyed by Mike Wyse Jackson of Dúchas and the following is his report:

Sillahertane Bog is located approximately 12 km east of the town of Kilgarvan, towards the southern end of the Derrynasaggart mountains. The Cork/Kerry border forms the south-eastern boundary of the site. The site is underlain by Old Red Sandstone and is at an altitude of 310-480 m.

Although not recently surveyed, the site has been described as comprising a flat valley surrounding a tributary of the Roughty River. The site is, for the most part, flushed, as indicated by the predominance of Purple Moor-grass (Molinia caerulea). This appears to be a function of the shallow covering of peat on the site.

The site includes a variety of vegetation types. Heath occurs on the north-eastern side and comprises Viviparous Fescue (Festuca vivipara), Heath Rush (Juncus squarrosus), Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), wavy Hair-grass (Deschampsia flexuosa) and Great Wood-rush (Luzula sylvatica). Hillside slopes are dominated by Purple Moor-grass with an understory of Bog Moss (Sphagnum capillifolium), Cross-leaved Heath (Erica tetralix) and Tormentil (Potentilla erecta). Close to the headwaters of the stream a large flush dominated by Greater Tussock-sedge (Carex paniculata), Bottle Sedge (Carex rostrata), Bog-sedge (Carex limosa), Common Sedge (Carex nigra), Sharp-flowered Rush (Juncus acutiflorus) and Bog Moss (Sphagnum recurvum) occurs. On flatter ground communities of Hare's-tail Cottongrass (triophorum vaginatum) and Heather (Calluna vulgaris) or Deergrass (Scirpus cespitosus), Purple Moor-grass and Cross-leaved Heath predominate.

Overall, this site is very intact, with little damage from drains and peat-cutting apparent. It is a large, natural site with an extensive area of intact peat, some well-developed flushes at the stream headwaters and some lenses of deeper peat which show features of lowland peatland sites.


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	Wildlife Management Fishing Farming Forestry Power Production Sillahertane Bog	The view above shows the view West over the 1992 plantation. From August till October you can hear the male Sika Deer 'scream' to attract hinds. Wildlife Management Deer stalking, woodcock and snipe shooting as well as salmon fishing are available to guest of Sillahertane House. Wildlife management is the care and control of wild animals. These include Hares, Woodcock, Snipe, Grouse, Sika Deer, the Lesser Horseshoe Bat and many more. In the case of most wild animals found on the estate that cause little or no damage and measures have been taken to maintain and improve their habitats. There is however one species that has already caused considerable damage to both the native woodland on the estate and to the plantation established in 1992. The damage caused by the Sika Deer is browsing of buds and tree shoots, by removing bark to clean their antlers of felt and by eating the bark of young trees. At present the 1992 plantation is the single biggest asset on the estate and so deer numbers have needed to be culled. Sika deer are found on the entire property. A deer management plan has been prepared. Along with other measures such as a pellet counts carried out each Spring. Based on the pellet counts it has been possible to calculate that between 150 and 200 Sika deer are on the property. This figure is used to set our cull target, which was 30 females for the 2005/2006 season. To check out the openning and closing dates for the season click here. You can see one of the high seats used at Sillahertane here, which has been further improved with a roof. Deer fences have been used on smaller areas, but these will only work in conjunction with culling. If the numbers of deer are allowed to keep increasing fencing will not protect saplings or older trees. Fishing The estate holds fishing rights over stretches of the Roughy and Slaheny rivers. Salmon use both of these rivers for spawning and Brown Trout are also to be found. For the last number of years the fishing rights have been annually leased out to the Kilgarvan Roughty Anglers, but is available to guest of Sillahertane House. Both rivers offer excellent fishing, although fly-fishing is very challenging due to the amount of trees and other vegetation along the banks of the rivers. Farming The estate was once stocked with up to 1400 sheep, but now the numbers are well reduced. Up to 1999 the estates grazing was rented out to a local farmer. Since that time the area he has been renting has been reduced and the owners purchased their own small flock of 75 in 2000. The owners decided to enter into the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REP's), that monetarily compensates farmers to encourage them to discontinue environmentally harmful practices while supporting practices that are environmentally friendly. This has provided the estate with the resources to improve fencing, but more importantly to eradicate Rhododendron ponticum from areas outside of the woodlands. Forestry 1894 plantation of Scots Pine and pre 1840's mixed woodlands These stands occupy around 47 ha and have not been managed for at least 40 years. Any activity within the stands has been confined to selective harvesting of the best trees. Although the area of Scots Pine was afforestation, much of the area predates the 1841-42 OS map, which is presently the earliest map available. At that time as is the case now, the stand was made up of both broadleaf and conifer species. The stands have been invaded by Rhododendron ponticum, which now occupies the entire area, generally as a thick 3 m to 8 m understorey. Any management of the stands requires the control or eradication of Rhododendron ponticum. Small areas of woodland have already been cleared of this weed, with impressive results. An application to our Forest Service under the Native Woodland Scheme has received preliminary approval. This is a scheme, which Morgan was involved in advising on through the organisation Pro Silva Ireland. Sika deer are a considerable problem to the forestry and their control will allow the implementation of further Pro Silva Principles. Sheep freely grazed this area up to 3 years ago, after which time they have been absent or much reduced. The objective for these woods are: - Restore sustainable Forest Ecosystem - Encourage Local Species/Provenance - Manage adhering to Pro Silva Principles - Restore Paths, Viewpoints and improve infrastructure Oak/Scots pine/European Larch; afforested in 2001 and 2002 Both of these 1.2 ha sites have been afforested inline with Forest Service guidelines. The Fencing and Rhododendron clearing resulted in the overall costs of the afforestation exceeding the grant. The added costs have been justified on the basis that this was the most cost-effective way to control the Rhododendron on this area and improve the site value. The second area of 1.2 ha was afforested in 2002 with Oak/European Larch. On this site a different design of deer fence has been used, which reduced costs and should improve protection from the Sika deer. Ongoing control of Rhododendron ponticum with the herbicide Roundup and additive Mixture B is necessary on both sites. Sitka spruce; planted 1992 A total area of 200 ha of which 17-20 ha was left unplanted, makes this one of the biggest single private afforestation sites in Ireland. Sitka spruce is planted in the overwhelming majority of the site, but Lodgepole Pine, Western Red Cedar and Larch were also planted. The soil type is blanket peat and elevation is between 330 and 460 meters. Exposure is moderate to high and access is at present poor. Sika deer are found on the entire property and have caused considerable damage within this plantation. Control of deer numbers is vital to ensuring the quality of timber produced and an extension to the hunting season has been approved by Dúchas (Irish Wildlife & National Parks Service). A deer management plan has also been prepared. Along with other measures a pellet count was carried out last Spring. It was possible to calculate that between 150 and 200 Sika deer are on the property. These figures were used to set our cull target, which was 30 females for the 2002/2003 season. Unfortunately we were unable to fulfill this target, only shooting half as many. A number of changes will be made to our Deer Management Plan to improve the effectiveness of the time spent stalking Sika deer The Sitka Spruce was planted in many areas with a mixture of two provenance's (wash. And QCI) and in other areas, a proportion of selected 'Elite' provenance were used. Although some areas have continued to show slow growth and signs of nutrient deficiency, most areas recovered from initial periods of poor health and the plantation is now well established. Infrastructure to and within the plantation is still poor and road building will be necessary to allow proper management. First thinnings were carried out during the Winter of 2003-2004. Power Production Planned Wind Power The management of the estate are working with Alpha Wind Energy Ltd to obtain planning permission for ten 1mW turbines at Sillahertane. Thanks to the nature of the site the turbines will not be visible from 85% of the surrounding area in a 20km square. Even then houses, hedges, trees, etc will often hide the turbines, as is the case in this photo montage. This is one of the best sites in Ireland in regard to low visibility from public roads. The Kerry County Council adopted a Renewable Energy Policy on November 18, 2002. Planning permission has been granted for this project and we are awaiting a Grid Connection Offer. The project will fit well into the overall management plan for Sillahertane. Improvement of the internal road required to bring the turbines to their sites at Sillahertane is also essential to access within the 200 ha 1992 afforestation. This will make it possible to manage the plantation under Pro Silva Principles. The added revenue from the proposed Wind Farm will partly be invested in combating the highly invasive Rhododendron ponticum, which has taken over the native woodlands at Sillahertane. In addition to this we are confident that the turbines will be more of an attraction for tourists than a detraction. Water Power The Armstrong's (who owned Sillahertane from 1938 till 1998) built a reservoir in order to provide sufficient flow of water to a water wheel and later a hydro turbine. They harnessed this power to drive a circular saw. This was used during the Second World War up to the 60's, although by that time the sawmill was being powered by a diesel engine, that also provided the first electricity to Sillahertane House, where the Armstrong's lived. Today this is the main house on the property. The damaged dam has been restored and the 315mm-diameter pipe replaced. The micro-hydro turbine unit for the project was built by Willot J.L.A. in Belgium and has been supplying the estate with up to 15kW of electricity since the 29th of July, 2002. When preparing to rebuild the scheme regular weir readings were taken to find out the volume of water flowing through the river from June 2000 until April 2001. The original turbine house has been replaced with a timber house made from Scots Pine felled and sawn on the property. The frame of the turbine house was built using classic timber frame techniques. Gerry Cunnane of Wind Water Solar Energy Systems Ltd has been our consultant for this project. Sillahertane Bog The upland raised bog is presently a proposed National Heritage Area, but this status is in the process of review and soon the Bog will be more comprehensively protected by legislation. The Bog has an area of around 261 ha. Small areas have been manually cut for turf and at present only one family remain that continue this long tradition. In 1994 the site was surveyed by Mike Wyse Jackson of Dúchas and the following is his report: Sillahertane Bog is located approximately 12 km east of the town of Kilgarvan, towards the southern end of the Derrynasaggart mountains. The Cork/Kerry border forms the south-eastern boundary of the site. The site is underlain by Old Red Sandstone and is at an altitude of 310-480 m. Although not recently surveyed, the site has been described as comprising a flat valley surrounding a tributary of the Roughty River. The site is, for the most part, flushed, as indicated by the predominance of Purple Moor-grass (Molinia caerulea). This appears to be a function of the shallow covering of peat on the site. The site includes a variety of vegetation types. Heath occurs on the north-eastern side and comprises Viviparous Fescue (Festuca vivipara), Heath Rush (Juncus squarrosus), Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), wavy Hair-grass (Deschampsia flexuosa) and Great Wood-rush (Luzula sylvatica). Hillside slopes are dominated by Purple Moor-grass with an understory of Bog Moss (Sphagnum capillifolium), Cross-leaved Heath (Erica tetralix) and Tormentil (Potentilla erecta). Close to the headwaters of the stream a large flush dominated by Greater Tussock-sedge (Carex paniculata), Bottle Sedge (Carex rostrata), Bog-sedge (Carex limosa), Common Sedge (Carex nigra), Sharp-flowered Rush (Juncus acutiflorus) and Bog Moss (Sphagnum recurvum) occurs. On flatter ground communities of Hare's-tail Cottongrass (triophorum vaginatum) and Heather (Calluna vulgaris) or Deergrass (Scirpus cespitosus), Purple Moor-grass and Cross-leaved Heath predominate. Overall, this site is very intact, with little damage from drains and peat-cutting apparent. It is a large, natural site with an extensive area of intact peat, some well-developed flushes at the stream headwaters and some lenses of deeper peat which show features of lowland peatland sites.



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