Four counties account for 60% of new growth
In Co Cork, 1,734 hectares was planted; 1,087 hectares in Tipperary; 770 hectares in Kerry; and 684 hectares in Limerick.
Now, the campaign to encourage more farmers to plant trees is being intensified, with the new FEPS scheme offering an annual tax-free payment of up to €773 per hectare for the first five years. At least eight hectares must be planted, to qualify for FEPS, which is open to farmers who are in REPS or who commit to joining REPS within 12 months of joining FEPS.
Basically, they will be able to draw up to €200 per ha on top of the current forestry premium; in other words, they will be able to draw both forestry and REPS on the same land. Farmers planting wet, rushy land can receive up to €677 per hectare (€274 per acre) tax-free, and up to €773 per hectare (€313 per acre) if planting better quality land.
It is also easier to qualify as a farmer for FEPS, because an off-farm income limit no longer applies. FEPS participants must comply with 12 mandatory conditions, including biodiversity enhancement, archaeology, species mix, fertiliser limits, vegetation control, planning for roads, and attendance at a woodland management course. They must also undertake a further six REPS options from a list of 19.
* Tops for new afforestation in the past year, Co Cork also has the greatest volume of timber, according to the recent National Forest Inventory. It puts Cork at number one, with about 950,000 cubic metres, followed by Galway, with 570,000, Kerry, with 520,000, Donegal, with 460,000, Clare, with 440,000, Wicklow, with 420,000 and Laois, with 400,000.
