The Irish Forestry Woodland and Bio Energy Show (www.ifwshow.ie) will be held on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th May 2013 at Stradbally Hall, Co Laois.

The Irish Treecare Association will be running the Irish National Tree Climbing championships here. This will take the form of 5 disciplines: throw line, speed climb, foot lock, work climb and aerial rescue which are timed and scored by judges on day one. The five highest-scoring competitors then go through to the Masters Competition on day two. This could lead to competing in the European Tree Climbing championships held every year. For more information on tree climbing championships, go to www.isa-arbor.com.

As well as bringing together all those involved in the forestry and arboricultural industry to compare notes, it is a lively social weekend; there is camping in the grounds and with a lot of old and new friends getting together the nights are long and the craic is mighty!