UCD Pruning Management Plan- Bird Nesting Season

UCD Estate Services is committed to promoting a healthy, sustainable and living campus for all of our community and further details of some of our current and planned initiatives can be found at the following links: (UCD-Campus-Pollinator-Plan; UCD Estates Sustainability; UCD Green Campus; UCD Environmental Review)

Over the past number of years in particular, there has been a much greater awareness in Ireland of the importance of protecting and enhancing our biodiversity. UCD is fortunate in having as it’s home the 330 acre Belfield Campus, which supports a rich array of flora and fauna including over 50,000 trees, 26 species of birds and over 9km of woodland walks. (UCD- The Natural Environment).

The following document outlines UCD Estate Service’s Management plan for any works to hedges, trees or shrubs during Bird Nesting Season (1stMarch – 31st August). Section 40 Wildlife Act- Revised

Belfield campus is framed by it’s woodland, much of which was first planted around our original Estate houses during the 1800`s and which has been consciously strengthened and developed over the years. During the 1970`s and `80`s there was a clear distinction between the very formal planting style in the centre of campus and what were, at the time, ageing areas of woodland around the perimeter, with very little interaction between both.

Over the past 30 plus years, there has been a concentrated effort to re-introduce biodiversity to the central core of campus, as evidenced by sections of link woodland providing wildlife corridors, woodland walks providing opportunities for the community to interact with nature, and infrastructure such as the Upper lake, a water attenuation feature designed as a natural habitat.

Large areas of the campus, such as the woodlands, are managed with minimal intervention, e.g. health and safety tree surgery, to provide the best possible opportunity for all types of biodiversity to thrive. Many hedges and hedgerows are only pruned once every number of years, simply to keep them within bounds and to maintain the balance of species in the area. Other hedges or planted areas require more attention, being located along heavily used roads and footpaths in the central core of campus, or within the curtilage of our period houses.

Where possible, planned tree surgery and hedge trimming works, particularly formative pruning, are planned and carried out between the 1st of September and the 28th of February each year. Any works arising in the course of managing vegetation on campus during the restricted season, are risk-assessed in advance, with due consideration to both the current legal framework, (NPWS), our partners, (DLRCC, the National Biodiversity Data Centre) and our own values as outlined above.

Summary details of the management process are contained in the table below.