Lack of interest in planting putting forestry targets in jeopardy
The Government has just announced funding of more than €1.3bn for the new forestry programme to 2027, the largest ever investment by any Irish Government in tree planting.
Forestry Minister Pippa Hackett has acknowledged that low interest in planting trees is now "getting to a crisis stage regarding the targets we need to hit".
"We are relying almost wholly on private landowners to plant the trees of the future," she said.
She has announced funding of more than €1.3bn for the new forestry programme to 2027, the largest ever investment by any Irish Government in tree planting.
The proposed new programme increases premiums paid to farmers by as much as 66%, with the standard 15-year premium changing to 20 years. Non-farmers will stay at the 15-year payment rate.
IFA National Farm Forestry chair Jason Fleming welcomed the announcement, and said the increases in the forest premium payments, as well as the extension of the premium payment to 20 years, would certainly encourage more farmers to look at forestry as an option.
But he added the minister must continue to restore farmers' confidence, particularly around ash dieback and forestry licensing.
A new one-hectare native tree area scheme will make it easier to plant small areas of trees on farms, without having to apply for a licence. The proposed Native Tree Area Scheme establishment grant will be €6,744 per hectare. Premiums will be paid over 10 years at €2,206 or €2,284 per hectare annually.
The proposed programme must get state-aid approval from the European Commission, and a public consultation on it continues until November 29.
The 100% nationally funded programme will follow a five-year period in which only 17,562 hectares were planted, 21,188 hectares short of a targeted 38,750 hectares.
The COFORD Council, which advises the department on forestry, has said 16,000 hectares of annual afforestation is required for Ireland to reach the Government target of 18% forest cover by 2050.
However, the annual target remains at 8,000 hectares of new planting per year, as the new programme takes shape.
The new grants and premiums are designed to substantially increase broadleaf and diverse forest types. There are also new grant aid categories of forests-for-water, emergent forest, continuous-cover forestry, and seed orchards.
It is proposed that Sitka spruce plantations must have at least 20% broadleaf content, plus 15% space for nature.
Increases of about 20% are proposed for forest establishment grants.
The proposed establishment grant is €3,858 per hectare for mixed high forests with mainly spruce, plus 20% broadleaves (increased from the current €3,215).
The proposed establishment grant for farmers varies from €2,500 for emergent forests (retention and appropriate management of suitable scrub areas) to €10,000 for seed orchards, and €10,200 for neighbour woods.
The proposed annual premium per hectare ranges from €350 for emergent forests to €1,142 for forests for water, neighbour woods, and seed orchards (all 20 years for farmers).
Ms Hackett has said she remains firmly committed to continual improvement of forestry licensing, following EU and Irish court decisions, and exacting environmental standards, which led to a licensing backlog.
More than 4,000 licences were issued to date this year, now running at a rate of nearly 30% more licence issues than licence applications. The backlog has reduced from 6,000 in August 2021 to 3,700 in January of 20222, and 1,606 now. This year will be a record year for roads and timber felling volumes licensed, with 266km of forest roads approved, and felling licences for 8.4m cubic metres.
Licences issued for afforestation have come to 621 this year. "What we really need now are more applications," said Ms Hackett. "I believe this new programme offers the opportunity to promote the benefits of forestry and I would ask all those interested in forestry to advocate for more planting."
She was speaking in the Seanad, where senators welcomed the new forestry proposals. But Fianna Fáil' senator Paul Daly warned the proposed new EU nature restoration law could enormously reduce Ireland's forestry cover, and Senator Lynn Ruane pointed out that Ireland's forest estate has changed from capturing carbon to a source of carbon emissions.
Ms Hackett said our forestry will continue to be a net emitter.
"We need to get trees in the ground in the right place as quickly as possible to try to offset any of these issues into the future," she said.
