Welcome to the Dairygold Biodiversity Tree Project.

Please read the following information carefully and follow the instructions at the bottom of the page to begin an application for trees.

If at any stage you need help or advice on your application, please email to info@treesontheland.com and we will be happy to advise you.

How the Dairygold Biodiversity Tree Project Works:

Applications & Deadlines:

The project is open to all Dairygold Milk and Tillage Suppliers only.
The trees will be supplied at no charge - you will not need to pay for the trees.
Applications are accepted on a first come first served basis, numbers of trees are limited so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment.
Applications are limited to 100 trees per farm, please take care not to exceed this number when filling out the application form. If you are keen to plant more trees you can tick the box on the application form and we will let you know if we have any spare trees.
Applications will close on Monday 9th November 2026 at 6pm. If all of the trees are accounted for before the closing date, we will close the applications early.

Tree Details:

You will receive your trees over the winter between mid November 2026 and mid January 2027.
Your trees will be delivered to a Dairygold Co-op branch for you to collect. You will be able to select your closest participating Co-op branch on the application form. We will be in touch to let you know when your trees are ready to collect.
You will need to be ready to plant the trees yourself with help from family, friends or farm workers.
You will need to collect your trees as soon as possible and within a week of their being ready for you at the Co-op.
The trees should be planted within a day or two of collection or as soon as possible.
You must plant the trees on your own farm and not give them out to other locations.
The trees are all native Irish trees, grown from Irish provenance seed in Irish nurseries.
The trees are small forestry grade whips between 30cm and 60cm tall and sometimes a little larger. They are very tough and hardy at this size and tend to settle in and take off far more quickly than a larger tree even if they look like tiny twigs when first planted.
You will need to protect the trees carefully with fencing. We recommend simple barbed wire or electric fencing set back at least 1.5m from the trees so that cows cannot reach to eat trees over or through your fence.
Once your trees are well established you will be able to take down fences and allow cows to get in under the trees and browse the hedges and make full use of the shelter and shade provided.
Tree packs are made up of a mix of species carefully selected to grow well together and establish quickly and reliably. You can specify any special requirements on your application form and we will adjust the mixes accordingly, for example if you have very wet or exposed ground or if you wish to exclude any particular species.

ACRES and The Eco–Scheme:

Please note that these trees will NOT qualify for the ACRES program or as an Eco-Scheme Agricultural Practice (AP)!

Unfortunately, Dept. of Ag. Food and the Marine (DAFM) cannot provide funding through any CAP programs since under EU regulation these programs are only allowed to compensate on income foregone or cost incurred due to undertaking the planting. DAFM will only except tree planting undertaken where a receipt for trees purchased is available that will clearly demonstrate the cost incurred of the trees’ purchase by the farmer.

However, under the terms and conditions of the Eco-Scheme all trees planted under this program will contribute to the ‘Space for Nature’ of the farm. Where the Space for Nature on a farm is above 7%, then the farmer is deemed to satisfy the Standard option (i.e. Counts as 1 Eco-Scheme Agricultural Practice (AP). Where the Space for Nature on a farm is above 10%, then the farmer is deemed to satisfy the ‘Enhanced’ option (i.e. Counts as 2 Eco-Scheme Agricultural Practice (AP)).

Remember, where trees or hedgerows are planted, they need to be mapped and included in your BISS application 2027 to ensure that they contribute to your farms Space for Nature in 2027. Where linear hedgerows are planted they are multiplied and included in Space for Nature by a factor or 10 (5 for shared hedges/boundary hedges) e.g. if 10 meters of hedge is planted it is deemed to be 100 metres square equivalent area in Space for Nature). Where trees are planted, they are deemed to qualify as the area taken up by the planting area only. i.e. no multiplication factor is applied.

Please consult your agricultural advisor if you have any queries about your BISS application.

Tree Packs Available:

You will be able to order up to 100 trees in total and you can ask for a mixture of the following packs.
The smallest packs are 25 trees and up to 100 trees for the largest packs.

Woodland Packs:
Suitable for establishing small areas or pockets of woodland or coppice.
50 trees will cover approximately 1/20th of an acre set at 2m x 2m spacings.
Packs will include an appropriate mix of oak, birch, hazel, scots pine, alder, rowan and hawthorn.

Hedge Packs:
Suitable for planting a new length of hedge or for filling gaps in an old hedge.
50 trees will set 10 metres of hedgerow with 5 plants per metre on a staggered row.
Packs will include an appropriate mix of hawthorn, hazel, oak, birch and rowan, with other native species included if supplies permit.

Shelter Belt Packs:
Suitable for establishing rows and strips of shelter belt trees.
One pack of 50 trees will make approximately 50 metres of shelter belt with trees set at 2 metre intervals in two staggered rows 2 metres apart.
Packs will include an appropriate mix of alder, birch, oak, rowan, hawthorn and scots pine.

Scattered Parkland Tree Packs:
Suitable for setting individual trees or small groups of trees onto pasture in a parkland or wood-pasture style.
Trees can be widely spaced at random or with at least 15-20 metres between trees.
Packs will include an appropriate mix of oak, birch, alder, hawthorn and scots pine.
You may specify which species you would like on the application form in the special requirements box.

Water Quality Packs:
Suitable for setting small numbers of individual trees or scattered groups of trees close to ditches, drains and watercourses to protect ground from poaching and to interrupt excess surface water and nutrients.
Trees should be set so that there is an even balance of light and shade along waterways.
Packs will include an appropriate mix of alder, birch, willow, hawthorn and rowan.

Guidelines:

We take great care to ensure that our tree planting is beneficial and appropriate and that we don’t do any unintentional damage to important protected habitats or infrastructure. Please read the following guidelines carefully, they will help you to plan your tree planting work and avoid any mistakes in the planting.

Designated Land, Sensitive Sites and Maximum Areas:

You mustn’t plant trees on unenclosed land, moorland, wetland, heathland or bog. You should also avoid planting on unimproved or marginally improved pasture or meadow that has never been ploughed, seeded or improved.
You mustn’t plant on land falling within an SAC, SPA, NHA, pNHA or any other designated site.
Leave an unplanted buffer of 20 meters along pond edges, streams and rivers and other waterways. Trees can be planted in small numbers within this area as long as there is an even balance of light and shade so that the water is not more than 50% shaded along its length. Please ask us for advice if you are unsure or if you have a stream or river that is part of an SAC.
If you your land falls within any of the above sensitive or designated areas please phone or email to our team for advice and we will help you with your application and plans.
You must not clear scrub ground to plant trees. Scrub is important habitat and part of the natural progression of unused ground to weeds and shrubby plants to naturally regenerating trees and is better left alone.
You mustn’t plant more than 0.1 Ha or 1/4 Acre as one plot. You can plant several smaller plots of ground but they must each be less than 0.1 Ha or 1/4 Acre.

Setting Back:

It is really important that your trees don’t interfere with existing infrastructure or services, please plan your planting carefully and observe the following guidelines.
Keep back 5 metres from power lines and phone cables and don’t plant directly beneath them.
Keep back 6 metres from underground gas pipes, sewage pipes, electric cables, water pipes and land drains and do not plant trees over the top of them.
Avoid planting within 10-20 metres of inhabited buildings. Use common sense here, you can plant a little closer if you wish, but remember that tree roots spread widely under the ground and will interfere with foundations on barns, sheds, walls and concrete yards etc. Always give yourself plenty of room, you’ll be surprised how a tiny tree will spread out and fill the space you have given it and you don’t want to block access to maintain walls, rooves etc. when they need it.
You must set trees at least 20m away from any known archaeological or monument sites above or below ground.
Set back 3 - 5 metres from small roads and tracks and 10 meters from main roads. Even hedgerows will need this set back, they grow wider than you think as they establish.
Set back 2 - 10 metres from fence lines, walls and other boundaries. Young trees will quickly fill the gap and will interfere with fences and walls. Similarly livestock will reach easily up to 1.5m over or through a fence to eat trees, so always leave plenty of room.
Set back 3-5 metres from hedges and ditches so that you always have room to get at the hedge or ditch for maintenance as needed. If you are restocking or extending an existing hedge or planting a bank along a ditch, this does not apply.

A Guide to planning, planting, weeding and protecting your trees:

Please click on the link below to read lots more information on planning, planting and looking after your trees.
It includes useful details on protecting trees from rabbits, fencing for cattle, weeding and how to plant correctly.
We advise that you don’t start an application until you have read these notes carefully.
The Guide is HERE.

Click Here to Start Your Application