Minister Andrew Doyle has announced his intention to commission an external review of his Department’s forestry approvals process. The Minister of State made the announcement at a recent meeting of the Forestry Programme Implementation Group. The group, established by the minister last year, comprises a wide range of stakeholders from the forestry sector.

Mackinnon report

Minister Doyle confirmed that he has commissioned “Jim Mackinnon CBE, former chief planner with the Scottish Government, to analyse the process undertaken by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in the approval of forestry planting applications”.

It is expected that the review will be completed by the end of 2019. “There will be an opportunity for all stakeholders to input to the review when it gets underway,” maintained Minister Doyle.

“I have seen a similar analysis carried out by Mackinnon for the Scottish Government on the approval process in Scotland, the results of which appeared to assist in terms of increased afforestation levels,” he said. “I believe that it will be useful for an external party to conduct this review so that we can ensure our process is efficient and effective and continues to meet the expectations of all stakeholders.”

Scotland’s cabinet secretary Fergus Ewing accepted, in principle, all the recommendations from Mackinnon’s report, “Analysis of Current Arrangements for the Consideration and Approval of Forestry Planting Proposals”.

Spokespersons for Forest Industries Ireland (FII) and the IFA welcomed the minister’s announcement and the opportunity to work with Mackinnon during the consultation process.

Climate, CCF and KTGs

An outline of the Government’s Climate Action Plan, was also presented to the implementation group, with particular reference to the 22 specific actions relating to forestry including an 8,000ha planting programme.

The group received updates on the implementation of the Forestry Programme. In particular, the Minister was encouraged by the uptake of the Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) initiative launched in January 2019, and the interest in the forestry Knowledge Transfer Group (KTG) scheme which closed for applications in June 2019.

The CCF initiative, which had been made available on a pilot basis “was fully subscribed with 30 applications received across 12 counties,” said Minister Doyle, while “40 groups have been approved for the KTG scheme, an increase on the 33 groups funded under the comparable scheme in 2018”.

Oireachtas committee hears from woodland owners with ash dieback

Limerick and Tipperary growers outline options to deal with the fallout of the disease while Minister Doyle announces that results of the ash dieback review will be published shortly

At a recent sitting of the Joint Committee for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Minister Doyle provided an outline of progress in the current forestry programme including climate change mitigation, wood production and farm forestry. He also addressed challenges such as afforestation levels and Chalara ash dieback caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus.

He provided background information on ash dieback which was first detected in Ireland in 2012. A reconstitution scheme was introduced shortly after but this was suspended in April 2018 “to allow for a comprehensive review,” he said. Submissions to the review are being assessed by Minister Doyle’s officials.

He told members of the joint committee that findings will be issued “shortly”.

In the meantime, forest owners have been managing their ash crops availing of broadleaf and tending schemes as well as woodland improvement grants. However, the disease continues to spread and forest owners with infected crops are now faced with major losses – up to €800m – as outlined to the joint committee by members of the Limerick and Tipperary Woodland Owners (LTWO).

LTWO member and forest owner Mary McCormack told the committee “the disease was endemic and only one in five trees were salvageable” in her forest.

To compound the disaster, “Tipperary County Council is insisting on an environmental impact report to replant [my] dead forest,” she said.

Forest owner John O’Connell said that ash growers “had been dealt an unfair hand and that the national afforestation had dropped back because of how owners were treated”.

Colum Walsh, LTWO chair, said that farmers with infected ash forests bear “no responsibility for the importation of the disease”. He outlined a number of options “that should be made available to forest owners affected by the disease”. These include:

  • Full compensation for loss of earnings due to ash dieback.
  • Allow the diseased woodland to enter into a new scheme with 15-year annual premiums.
  • Allow the diseased woodland to change into continuous cover, conifer, agroforestry or other relevant scheme.
  • Return the forest to grassland.
  • Allow forest owners to continue managing infected plantation and pay them to remove infected trees, which could, over time , create a possible genetic pool of resistant ash trees.
  • Introduce TAMS measure for the grant aiding of small-scale forestry machinery, so that forest owners can actively manage and mobilise hardwood timber from their forests.
  • He said that forest owners who avail of a new scheme to replace ash “should not be subject to bundling of contract numbers, which may bring them over the 10ha threshold, making them subject to EIAs”.

    Forestry and sustainable living at Tullamore

    The forestry village at the Tullamore Show on Sunday includes 21 stands covering forest management, forestry and agriculture, timber marketing, sales and wood energy. “Teagasc will be present to discuss opportunities provided by farm forestry enterprises to enhance family farm income particularly through new tree planting, forestry thinning and wood energy,” Liam Kelly, Teagasc forestry development officer, says.

    Forestry and sustainable living is this year’s theme, so there will be strong emphasis on renewable energy and climate change, according to Liam.

    “This year, the show will be well served by companies displaying solar panels, boiler systems and efficient firewood stoves. This is an ideal opportunity to avail of comprehensive and up-to-date information on forestry and renewable energy, as well as picking up free forestry information.”

    Free

    In addition, he says there will be “competitions for children and adults at the stand so the event is a great family day out”. For further information contact Liam Kelly at 087-909 0495 or visit www. teagasc.ie/forestry.