Kilkenny's phantom planter warned to remove trees or they may be destroyed

A 'phantom tree planter' is being put on notice to halt their green-fingered activities due to the harm it may cause to local biodiversity.

Some tree saplings of a mixture of native and non-native have been planted and staked near the housing estate at Bishopsmeadows in Kilkenny City. The council is urging the phantom planter to remove them otherwise they are likely to be destroyed when the meadow is being cut.

Kilkenny County Council’s Biodiversity Officer Bernadette Moloney acknowledges that tree planting is a positive climate action but says it is also very important to plant the right trees in the right place. Kilkenny County Council is committed to developing a tree strategy for Kilkenny City under its Climate Action Plan and this will identify suitable areas for tree planting.
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"Bishopmeadows and Dukemeadows are unique grassland habitats and are unsuitable for tree planting and, we should appreciate this hugely important grassland habitat and manage it to ensure the meadow diversity is allowed to flourish as it acts as a great refuge for wildlife along the edges of Kilkenny City," she said.   

Households disposing of their green garden waste in Bishopmeadows are also being asked to reign in this behaviour. Some small scale dumping of garden waste has been recorded across the upper stretches of the meadows in close proximity to the houses. 

Green garden waste can potentially introduce disease and also create an opportunity for the introduction of invasive species into the meadow. In Bishopsmeadows, the council is already treating Japanese knotweed along the path by the river.  The dumping of green waste in the meadow grassland carries significant risks to the meadow’s biodiversity.  

“Kilkenny City is serviced with brown bins for green waste and all local recycling centres also accept green waste for low fees, there are plenty of outlets to dispose of green waste in Kilkenny City, dumping it on the meadows is not only building potential nesting sites for rodents but creating opportunities for invasive species to establish which could have massive consequences for the meadows biodiversity," said Biodiversity Officer Bernadette Moloney.

Meanwhile, Kilkenny City's two meadows along the River Nore are to be cut this month to avoid a repeat of last year's scenario where a very wet summer saw them unable to be cut by machinery in September.

The council, in consultation with its contractors, has decided to cut both meadows during the month of July, as a precaution. Cutting and removing the cut meadow grass will help meadow growth next summer.   

There are two substantial meadows in Kilkenny City managed by Kilkenny County Council, Dukesmeadows and Bishopsmeadows. Forming parts of the city’s linear parks, the two areas offer the city a wide expanse of grassland for everyone’s enjoyment.

These meadows are floodplains, allowing the River Nore to overspill when the volumes of water can no longer be contained within the normal river channel after intense rainfall and it is a function that has been provided to the city for hundreds of years.

By their nature, being beside the river, the meadows can be wetter underfoot when compared to other amenity grassland areas that occur elsewhere across the city. They are managed as meadows, leaving grass to grow tall over the summer and is cut once a year, replicating traditional hay meadows which were more common in Ireland prior to agricultural intensification.  Hay meadows were celebrated for its rich diversity of flowers, swaying in the breeze along with tall grasses.  

It is important for the city to retain these meadow areas and encourage the rich diversity of plant species which grow there, as meadows are now less frequent, these areas give a refuge for bees and other pollinators, creating somewhere to live and an abundance of food. However, their management does not come without problems.

While the council’s parks department manages the cutting of the meadows, Ms Moloney is asking residents and visitors to the meadows to help conservation efforts.

"It is important to celebrate the meadows of Kilkenny City, and annually on World Bee Day, Keep Kilkenny Beautiful volunteers have encouraged nature enthusiasts to join them on bumble bee identification walks as it’s a great location to see lots of different bumble bee species and for that very reason, Kilkenny County Council plans to continue to manage Bishopmeadows as a meadow."

Kilkenny County Council is currently in the drafting stages of a County Biodiversity Action Plan. The plan aims to record, conserve and restore habitats across the county. The draft plan will go to public consultation later this year and will include actions such as management of public lands, conservation, restoration efforts, education and training opportunities.