Almost 500 landowners recently availed of the opportunity to have a confidential, independent and objective appointment with an experienced Teagasc forestry adviser by attending a one-to-one clinic.

The initial schedule of 36 clinic days was increased to 70 clinics in order to accommodate the very high level of demand from farmers, landowners and existing forest owners.

The large attendance clearly demonstrated that many landowners are interested in planting, Teagasc said.

This nationwide series of Teagasc forestry clinics placed a strong focus on forest creation opportunities under the new Forestry Programme 2023-2027.

Informative

The clinics facilitated awareness raising and informed decisionmaking on forest creation options.

Queries addressed included land types and forest project eligibility, interactions of forestry with farm enterprises and schemes, discussion on the range of forest types available under the new forestry programme and options under the Native Tree Area Scheme.

Promotion around this clinic series also prompted many additional email and phone enquiries beyond the actual clinics.

Many landowners attending the clinics showed a strong interest in the Native Tree Area Scheme.

The clinics also made landowners aware of the main eligibility criteria for planting.

Factors such as soil type (peat soils over 30cm depth), protected bird areas (eg breeding waders), site elevation and current ACRES involvement impact on the options open to the landowner.

Teagasc forestry development officer Frances McHugh said that “the clinics gave landowners an opportunity to discuss forestry in the context of the suitability of a specific land parcel and planting trees in the context of their whole farm”.

Frances explained that “while landowners were attracted by the financial supports for forestry, the decision to plant is a permanent land use change, so it is important for landowners to discuss every aspect of planting and be informed prior to proceeding with an application”.

Support

Teagasc forestry staff are available to provide ongoing advice and to support decisionmaking on new forest creation options for landowners and on sustainable management options for existing forest owners.

A countrywide series of forest walks exploring the importance and benefits of active forest management is now under way and will run up to 17 May - all are welcome to attend.