Owners of Wicklow castle honoured to be RDS Forest Awards finalist

The RDS Awards are Ireland’s National forestry awards and reward those who are at the forefront of the economic, environmental and community development of the forestry sector in Ireland.

The RDS Spring Agricultural and Forestry awards ceremony was held on May 2 in the RDS with a sit-down lunch and an address by the Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity Pippa Hackett. Altidore Castle was one of four finalists nominated in the Native Woodland Conservation award for their excellence in maintenance of native forests in a way that is beneficial to biodiversity.

“The work we do in our woodlands is an essential part of keeping Altidore looking to the future while restoring the nature we have lost in the past” said owner Philip Emmet. “We were very happy to be nominated and to have that work recognised”.

“It's vital that private land as well as public land is used in an environmental way,” said Thomas Emmet. “I’m happy to see private landowners being recognised as well as state funded public bodies. It’s so important that private owners are encouraged and get equal opportunities of funding. The nomination has really energised us to continue to make native woodlands a priority”.