I talk to John Sherlock (forest owner and member of the North East Forest Group) about how his search for a new revenue stream to integrate into his warehousing business led him to develop a thriving firewood processing enterprise. John explains how it works and how he scaled the business upwards while avoiding bottlenecks. John quickly recognised quality logs among the loads of "pulp" and "rescue timber" that he was processing for firewood and so expanded into sawmilling which he explains in depth - he also discusses his craft timber enterprise where he offers custom made post and beam products (from Irish grown Douglas Fir predominantly) as well as making a range of other bespoke wood products to order. Finally John discusses the growth of small scale sawmilling across Ireland and moves towards forming a Guild. All of this is good news for forest owners who want to maximize revenue from their broadleaf and diverse conifers trees. It's also good news for wood manufacturers and users who want more Irish grown timber in high end products.

Note: this is the second part of my interview with John Sherlock - in the first interview we discussed how he manages his own forest outside Navan in Co Meath and the excellent work being carried out on behalf of forest owners by the North East Forestry Group.

Topics Covered:

• Setting and scaling up his firewood business, avoiding bottlenecks and achieving synergies with his warehousing enterprise.
• Certifying firewood under the Wood Fuel Quality Assurance scheme - refusing money for firewood - sticking to a quality ethos.
• Kiln dried firewood, saw dust and bark residues?
• Expansion into small scale sawmilling and how demand for at-home-Shebeens during COVID turned into demand for timber.
• Post and beam training and douglas fir processing. Preparing cants, finishing to order and conversion rates.
• A guild of small scale irish sawmillers? 170 small sawmillers in Ireland! Certified home grown timber in the future?
• The strength of peer to peer learning and site visits - how a small amount of Government funding can accelerate industry expansion and cohesion.
• A ready made market in Irish schools and bespoke furniture as well as post and beam buildings?
• A bright future for Irish forest owners and timber users.

Links

John Sherlock on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-sherlock-6a0a14236/
RDS Forestry Award 2020: https://www.forestry.ie/images/MiscDocs/2021YearbookArticles/2021YB-RDSForestryAwards.pdf
North East Forestry Group: https://northeastforestrygroup.ie/
Sherlogs Firewood: https://sherlogscrafttimber.ie/

Sherlogs Craft Timber: https://sherlogs.ie/
Guide to Small Scale Sawmilling: https://irishforestowners.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IFO-Sawmilling-Handbook-2025.pdf

https://forestrynow.eu/

Today I speak with John Sherlock. As well as managing a 49 acre forest, John and his wife Evelyn own Sherlogs Firewood and Craft Timber based outside Navan in Co Meath. The business supplies firewood in the midlands and also mills timber for resale as well as offering a bespoke timber manufacturing service. If that wasn't enough John is very active in the North East Forestry Group and in a new initiative to bring small scale sawmillers across Ireland together.

So there's a lot to talk about which is why I've split the interview in two parts. In this episode we talk about what's happening in his forest right now (he had windblow in January 25 and ash dieback prior to that). Then we take a deep dive into the activities of the North East Forestry Group where John's a former Chair and current secretary. John explains how their members are thriving through participation and peer to peer learning - their activities all prove the point that a small amount of targeted Government funding can accelerate the growth and cohesion of the industry.

In the second episode (scheduled for release in two weeks) we'll discuss Johns firewood, his sawmilling business and the custom timber products he offers including post and beam from Douglas Fir. Then we move on to talk about the growing number of small scale sawmills across Ireland which can only be good news for forest owners who want to maximize revenue from broadleaf timber and diverse conifers.

Topics in this Episode:

• Johns forest, ash dieback and replanting to suit the land, windblow devastation and CCF going forward.
• Growth of the North East Forestry Group, especially since Storm Eowyn.
• Group Forest Certification (including the 12 Apostles) and expanding the number of forests certified. Learning from Certification.
• The Schools Project to bring kids into the forests.
• Supporting Future Forest Owners with bespoke learning initiatives.
• Knowledge Transfer Groups and the strength of forest owners groups - with examples including an application to fund a group owned forwarding machine.

Links

John Sherlock on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-sherlock-6a0a14236/
RDS Forestry Award 2020: https://www.forestry.ie/images/MiscDocs/2021YearbookArticles/2021YB-RDSForestryAwards.pdf
North East Forestry Group: https://northeastforestrygroup.ie/
Sherlogs Firewood: https://sherlogscrafttimber.ie/

Sherlogs Craft Timber: https://sherlogs.ie/
Guide to Small Scale Sawmilling: https://irishforestowners.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IFO-Sawmilling-Handbook-2025.pdf

https://forestrynow.eu/

In this interview I speak with Alan McCabe who is the Manager at Glaslough Tyholland Group Water Scheme in North Co Monaghan. We briefly discuss how Alan manages his own forest and his role as Co Monaghan representative on the IFA Forestry Committee including challenges surrounding ESB corridors in existing forests. Then we discuss the River Blackwater Catchment Trust who have a project to remove self seeded conifers off the heather boglands of Sliabh Beagh (which is in Monaghan, Tyrone and Fermanagh): we explore how they do this and why it matters.

Alan McCabe on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-mccabe-0485b7162/

The Blackwater River Catchment Trust: https://blackwatercatchmenttrust.org/

Glaslough Tyholland Group Water Scheme: https://gtgws.ie/
The IFA Forestry Committee: https://www.ifa.ie/sector-committees/forestry-committee/

National Park and Wildlife Service (NPWS) https://www.npws.ie/peatlands-and-turf-cutting/protected-raised-bog-restoration-incentive-scheme-prbris

forestrynow.eu

[0:00:01] Introduction & Alan McCabe’s Forest Management

[0:07:25] Joining the IFA Forestry Committee: Roles and Activities

[0:10:54] Committee Advocacy: Wind Blow, Timber Prices, and Owner Support

[0:14:00] ESB Access and Powerline Corridor Management

[0:19:25] Licensing Objections and Ministry Liaison

[0:20:49] River Blackwater Catchment Trust: Overview and Goals

[0:27:06] Peatland Site Description: Species, Geography, Significance

[0:29:50] Invasive Self-Seeded Conifers: Project and Impact

[0:34:06] Other Invasives and Habitat Challenges

[0:35:13] Physical Removal, Drone Use, and Safety Considerations

[0:37:30] Native Species Self-Seeding: Habitat Change Drivers

[0:39:27] Peat Extraction History and Bog Restoration Plans

[0:40:18] Advice and Priorities for Forest Owners