The Manch Project
The Manch Estate is a private woodland estate of 320 acres in County Cork, Ireland. The INFF leased Manch from 2006 when it became the base for all operations for the INFF and Green Economy Foundation until 2021.
During that time Manch was home to all aspects of the work of our organisation
- The Office and headquarters.
- The education centre and classroom, focusing on primary, secondary and third level education programmes
- The restoration of the Victorian walled garden as a biodiversity garden with living willow sculptures, aged fruit trees and many species of flora and fauna.
- The management and restoration of approximately 100 acres of old mixed woodland.
- Extensive hedgerow establishment, restoration and management.
- Establishment of approximately 100 acres of forestry trials including our woodland establishment trials and oak provenance and progency trials.
- 25 kilometers of pathways comprising woodland and riparian walks.
- Hazel and willow coppice
- Natural regeneration trials
- Timber extraction and processing
- Community education, open days, guided walks, family events, community groups
- Corporate educational events
- Research students and post-graduate internships
The Manch Project showcases many different aspects of land management providing a platform for discussion with a wide variety of participants including farmers, landowners, NGO’s, environmental groups, private businesses and the Forest Service to inform broad and fair debate on sustainable development in forestry and other related industries. Woodland establishment, maintenance & research.
Specific projects at Manch are based around monitoring and maintenance of the woodland and tree-cover on the estate.
- Areas of existing mature woodland are being restored and re-structured using systems and timescales that allow
for minimal disturbance and give flora and fauna the best possible chance of adapting to any changes. - With many old hedgerows already on the estate, we have worked at restoring and managing overgrown hedges,
establishing new hedgerows and adding demonstrations of different hedge-laying techniques at appropriate
places. - Areas that were previously under tillage or grassland have been planted using techniques that INFF wished to investigate and promote. Two such regimes are the ‘Shelter Well System’ and ‘Matrix Planting’.
- Trials of different planting techniques and species mix for riparian zone management.
- Coppice establishment for short and longer rotations for sustainable sources firewood, small diameter timber and other materials.
- Oak provenance and progeny trials: Manch is the location of one of three national oak trials put in place in 2006.