The winners of the RDS Irish Forest and Woodland Awards were announced at the RDS in Dublin today (April 10).

Awards were presented to winners in four categories: the 2025 Silvicultural Excellence Award, the 2025 Teagasc Farm Forestry Award, the 2025 Community Woodland Award, and the 2025 Native Woodland Conservation Award.

The winners of the 2025 Silvicultural Excellence Award were John Normanly and Maria McDonnell, Co. Sligo 

John, Maria, and their daughter, Cho, enjoy living beside their mainly broadleaf forest.

They said: “We enjoy spending time in the forest environment, be it working or leisure, among the trees our hands planted and tended, and we are now using the thinnings as the sole energy source to heat our home.” 

Brian Flanagan from Co. Roscommon won the 2025 Teagasc Farm Forestry Award.

Brian is a part-time beef farmer with approximately 28 acres of woodland / forestry that was planted between 2010 and 2015. He lives on the farm in Ballintubber, Co. Roscommon, with his wife and two children and also works off farm as an engineer.  

The 2025 Community Woodland Award winner was Crough Wood from Co. Waterford 

Formed in 1996, the Comeragh Community Development group is a volunteer-run organisation based in Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford. It has developed the Crough Wood Walk for locals and visitors alike to enjoy the thriving natural environment. 

The 2025 Native Woodland Conservation Award was won by Hazelwood in Co. Sligo.

Coillte’s Hazelwood Forest in Co. Sligo is a beautiful, rare alluvial woodland where extensive restoration works have been undertaken over the last five years with the goals of maintaining the native habitat, enhancing biodiversity value, controlling invasive species, and monitoring the impact of the restoration measures.