Scale is one aspect of forestry development that has changed dramatically in Ireland over the past 30 years, especially since private forest owners took over the afforestation programme in the early 1990s.
The large-scale state afforestation programmes, in areas such as the Wicklow Mountains, Slieve Blooms, Ballyhoura, and Cloosh Valley, are unlikely to ever be repeated.
Even the largest block of Irish forests are miniscule compared to European forests
Ireland is not alone in having large tracts of forests. Even the largest block of Irish forests are miniscule compared to European forests such as the Bialowieza, which traverses Poland and Belarus, the Black Forest in Germany and the Landes forest in France, which is almost double the size of the total forest estate in Ireland.
Forest size
The most significant aspects of Ireland’s afforestation programme in recent years has been the change from State to private – mainly farmer – ownership and the reduction in the size of new forests.
Despite public perception, afforestation sites have now decreased to an average of 7ha.
Many of these new forests are now part of a farm enterprise
As forest units decrease in size, the approach to design changes.
Many of these new forests are now part of a farm enterprise, so owners are – or should be – conscious of how forests blend in with their own land use and their impact on adjoining land, buildings and other features.
While most forest design in the past was concerned with the impact of large-scale forests in the wider landscape (invariably uplands), design now deals with a more intimate, local landscape.
New forests are not only smaller in scale, but are also situated in different locations, as afforestation has shifted from the uplands to the lowlands.
Setback
The word “setback” now features prominently in current forest design. A setback is the distance from a forest edge to a natural, historic or man-made feature. The distance of the setback depends on the status of the feature (Table 1) but it is usually in the 10m-30m range.
Setback should not be viewed as a forestless or treeless area, but provides opportunities to plant a lower density of trees and shrubs that form a natural blend between rivers, houses, roads and other unplanted areas and the forest. This avoids the “wall effect” that has bedevilled some forest planning, resulting in straight line boundaries. Instead, an irregular woodland edge is designed so that even the main crop – conifers or broadleaves – can also feature as part of the forest edge.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Environmental Regulations and Environmental Requirements for Afforestation outline the treatment of setbacks and distinguishes between forest edge planting and environmental setback planting.
Forest edge planting refers to the planting of native species along the edge of conifer plots. “Such forest edge planting is mandatory within conifer plots adjoining utilised building setbacks created for dwellings and public road setbacks, where the strip 10m to 20m from the road must be planted with broadleaf trees,” according to DAFM regulations.
Environmental setback planting refers to the planting of native species, which requires agreement in advance, as “such planting in water setbacks has to be obtained from Inland Fisheries and (where relevant) the NPWS”.
This has a positive impact on forest design and the enhancement of landscape and related value
These setbacks play a role “in strategic planting” as “water setbacks may help to deliver direct in-stream ecosystem services such as bank stabilisation, cooling/shading, and food drop into the aquatic ecosystem.”
The forest owner is now required to provide setback in parts of the forest – up to 15% – as well as featuring a minimum of 15% broadleaves, which is required for the most popular Grant Premium Category (GPC) 3 afforestation scheme.
This has a positive impact on forest design and the enhancement of landscape and related values, but requires the owner to manage 30% of the forest area without any return on investment in his or her lifetime.
However DAFM outlines that “for the purposes of the Afforestation Scheme, at least 85% of the site submitted eligible for grant aid must be planted with trees” which means the forest owners is paid an annual premium for the total forest including the 15% unplanted area and an increase premium for the broadleaf crop. However, when the premium period ceases after 15 years, the owner relies on the remainder of the forest for income, usually productive conifers, which can ensure a return – albeit lower – on investment.
Department forest design guidelines
DAFM’s Forestry and the Landscape Guidelines acknowledge the need for flexibility in forest planning and design, including aspects relating to “land ownership pattern, location and other set factors”. The guidelines are designed to provide “overall positive results and avoidance of damage” with the following objectives:
To ensure a positive relationship between the forest and the character of a given landscape as a whole, to achieve balance of landcover.To optimise aesthetic effect through the integration of forests with landscape – to complement landscape integrity.To minimise visual conflict and the loss of characteristics - to retain and/or increase existing character and diversity.To mitigate adverse impacts of forest operations, including harvesting - to mitigate visual conflict.
Scale is one aspect of forestry development that has changed dramatically in Ireland over the past 30 years, especially since private forest owners took over the afforestation programme in the early 1990s.
The large-scale state afforestation programmes, in areas such as the Wicklow Mountains, Slieve Blooms, Ballyhoura, and Cloosh Valley, are unlikely to ever be repeated.
Even the largest block of Irish forests are miniscule compared to European forests
Ireland is not alone in having large tracts of forests. Even the largest block of Irish forests are miniscule compared to European forests such as the Bialowieza, which traverses Poland and Belarus, the Black Forest in Germany and the Landes forest in France, which is almost double the size of the total forest estate in Ireland.
Forest size
The most significant aspects of Ireland’s afforestation programme in recent years has been the change from State to private – mainly farmer – ownership and the reduction in the size of new forests.
Despite public perception, afforestation sites have now decreased to an average of 7ha.
Many of these new forests are now part of a farm enterprise
As forest units decrease in size, the approach to design changes.
Many of these new forests are now part of a farm enterprise, so owners are – or should be – conscious of how forests blend in with their own land use and their impact on adjoining land, buildings and other features.
While most forest design in the past was concerned with the impact of large-scale forests in the wider landscape (invariably uplands), design now deals with a more intimate, local landscape.
New forests are not only smaller in scale, but are also situated in different locations, as afforestation has shifted from the uplands to the lowlands.
Setback
The word “setback” now features prominently in current forest design. A setback is the distance from a forest edge to a natural, historic or man-made feature. The distance of the setback depends on the status of the feature (Table 1) but it is usually in the 10m-30m range.
Setback should not be viewed as a forestless or treeless area, but provides opportunities to plant a lower density of trees and shrubs that form a natural blend between rivers, houses, roads and other unplanted areas and the forest. This avoids the “wall effect” that has bedevilled some forest planning, resulting in straight line boundaries. Instead, an irregular woodland edge is designed so that even the main crop – conifers or broadleaves – can also feature as part of the forest edge.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Environmental Regulations and Environmental Requirements for Afforestation outline the treatment of setbacks and distinguishes between forest edge planting and environmental setback planting.
Forest edge planting refers to the planting of native species along the edge of conifer plots. “Such forest edge planting is mandatory within conifer plots adjoining utilised building setbacks created for dwellings and public road setbacks, where the strip 10m to 20m from the road must be planted with broadleaf trees,” according to DAFM regulations.
Environmental setback planting refers to the planting of native species, which requires agreement in advance, as “such planting in water setbacks has to be obtained from Inland Fisheries and (where relevant) the NPWS”.
This has a positive impact on forest design and the enhancement of landscape and related value
These setbacks play a role “in strategic planting” as “water setbacks may help to deliver direct in-stream ecosystem services such as bank stabilisation, cooling/shading, and food drop into the aquatic ecosystem.”
The forest owner is now required to provide setback in parts of the forest – up to 15% – as well as featuring a minimum of 15% broadleaves, which is required for the most popular Grant Premium Category (GPC) 3 afforestation scheme.
This has a positive impact on forest design and the enhancement of landscape and related values, but requires the owner to manage 30% of the forest area without any return on investment in his or her lifetime.
However DAFM outlines that “for the purposes of the Afforestation Scheme, at least 85% of the site submitted eligible for grant aid must be planted with trees” which means the forest owners is paid an annual premium for the total forest including the 15% unplanted area and an increase premium for the broadleaf crop. However, when the premium period ceases after 15 years, the owner relies on the remainder of the forest for income, usually productive conifers, which can ensure a return – albeit lower – on investment.
Department forest design guidelines
DAFM’s Forestry and the Landscape Guidelines acknowledge the need for flexibility in forest planning and design, including aspects relating to “land ownership pattern, location and other set factors”. The guidelines are designed to provide “overall positive results and avoidance of damage” with the following objectives:
To ensure a positive relationship between the forest and the character of a given landscape as a whole, to achieve balance of landcover.To optimise aesthetic effect through the integration of forests with landscape – to complement landscape integrity.To minimise visual conflict and the loss of characteristics - to retain and/or increase existing character and diversity.To mitigate adverse impacts of forest operations, including harvesting - to mitigate visual conflict. 
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