Forestry & Energy Review - Vol 7 Issue 1 Spring/Summer 2017

REFORESTATION

RESPONDING TO STORM DARWIN

BROADLEAF FORESTRY IN IRELAND

TIMBER 2017 PREVIEW

Forestry&Energy >> SEE PAGE 46

Volume 7 Issue 1 Spring/Summer 2017 Price €3.95. £2.95 (Stg)

A NEW COFORD PUBLICATION

THE IRISH FORESTRY WOODLAND & BIO ENERGY SHOW

>> SEE PAGE 30

>> SEE PAGE 36

R E V I E W

THE VOICE OF FORESTRY & RENEWABLE ENERGY

Forestry&Energy R E V I E W

Volume 7 Issue 1

Spring/Summer 2017

Foreword

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Features 18 THE IRISH WOOD FUEL DATABASE

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elcome to the Spring/Summer Edition of Forestry & Energy Review Magazine.

In this Issue, Noel Kennedy of Teagasc Forestry gives details of a new linkage between GMIT (Galway) and Teagasc to do co-operative research particularly in the area of hardwood to ultimately enable growers add value to their forestry harvest.

(Broadleaf accounts for approx. 164,000 hectares or 26% of the forest area).

The Teagasc Forestry clinics are ongoing and well attended; great places to get sound advice on all aspects of forestry.

Storm Darwin: Storms did a lot of damage in 2014, particularly the aforementioned Storm Darwin and particularly in the south of the country.

John Casey has done a case–study on the costings and work involved in reforestation of the area affected. It makes essential reading for anybody affected.

Woodfuel Database: Waterford Institute of Technology have developed an online database which details the woodfuel characteristics of many Irish commercially grown tree species. The department of agriculture has introduced to the Afforestation Grant Scheme a new category, Forestry for Fibre. This database will enable useful comparisons to be made.Tom Kent and his team did great work on this.

Lessons From Oregon: Ana de Miguel Munoz of WIT travelled to Oregon to do six months of research. Oregon is the number one state for timber production in the US. Ana is studying the viability of short rotation forestry and wanted to see if their knowledge and experience is transferable.

Foreword/Contents/Credits

A new tool for the biomass industry and researchers on parameters affecting the use of wood as a fuel, by Enda Coates, Christopher McGurren, Brian Cronin & Tom Kent of Waterford Institute of Technology.

24 INSIGHTS INTO FORESTRY IN OREGON Can the established knowledge of short rotation forestry gained in Oregon be applied to an Irish context? Ana de Miguel Muñoz of Waterford Institute of Technology reports.

30 BROADLEAF FORESTRY IN IRELAND

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The new COFORD publication by Juergen Huss, Padraic M. Joyce, Richard MacCarthy and John Fennessy, provides well researched and up-to-date silvicultural information and guidance essential for the production of high quality hardwood timber.Article by Brian Clifford, Forest Sector Development Division, DAFM.

36 TIMBER 2017 The Irish Forestry Woodland & Bio Energy Show: Ireland’s Largest Forestry & Woodland Show.

40 HARVESTING WOODY RESIDUES AS BIOMASS WOOD Procuring woody harvest residues as biomass wood from forest plantations as part of first thinning operations.

Article by Eva Ardao Rivera of UCD.

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TIMBER 2017 Countless Exhibitors, Stradbally Hall Estate, 5th & 6th MAY. Hope to see you there.

This edition also includes a selection of features and profiles including: Jas P Wilson, LB Gremo, Wood–Mizer, Oakleaf Forestry, and others. We trust you enjoy reading this publication which will continue to provide a voice for the Forestry and Energy sectors.

46 REFORESTATION – RESPONDING TO STORM DARWIN Substantial windblow damage was caused by Storm Darwin in selective pockets in the South of the country. John Casey, Forestry Development Officer, Teagasc, outlines the response.

52 FORESTRY THINNING AND SUPPORT SCHEMES Thinning is the most powerful tool the grower possesses to manipulate the development of the plantation and the quality and log size of the final crop.

66 COUNTY TRACTORS – IN THE BLOOD

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AT OSBORNE have the best restoration credentials bar none.

Profiles 22 28 38 43 44 50

Until the next time………

The Publishers Forestry & Energy Review Contributors: Publishers: Denis Lane and Robert Heuston Noel Kennedy (Teagasc), Ana de Miguel Muñoz (Waterford Institute of Technology), Enda Coates Enquiries: Editorial: Denis Lane (WIT), Christopher McGurren (WIT), Brian Cronin Tel. + 353 91 777222 (WIT), Tom Kent (WIT), Brian Clifford (DAFM), Email: dlane@selectmedialtd.com Eva Ardao Rivera (UCD ), John Casey (Teagasc), Advertising: James Small David Wilkinson (Timber 2017) Design: John Barrett Production: Emma Meade

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LB Gremo Ltd M Large Jas P Wilson Wood-Mizer Dermot Casey Tree Care Ltd. Kearney Training & Consultancy (KTC Safety) Ltd Oakleaf Forestry

Distribution: Easons, Newspread,WNS Published by: Select Media Ltd, 4–5 Burton Hall Road Sandyford, Dublin 18 Tel. + 353 1 6622266 Email. info@selectmedialtd.com

All material contained in this edition is copyright of Forestry and Energy Review 2017 and may not be reproduced or electronically stored without the permission of the publisher. However items may be freely reproduced provided the source is acknowledged. Content and views expressed in the publication do not necessarily represent those of the publishers.

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FORESTRY & ENERGY REVIEW

NEWS

Photo: Aoife Herriot

GMIT AND TEAGASC FORM NEW STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

of a range of collaborative activities in other areas. Teagasc’s Dr Nuala Ni Fhlatharta and GMIT Letterfrack’s Dermot O’Donovan will GMIT and Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority, lead the implementation of the MOU. Dermot O’Donovan said: “GMIT Letterfrack and Teagasc share a lot have formed a new strategic partnership to develop academic and of common ground in terms of the forest life cycle. We are very happy educational co-operation in areas of mutual interest.

The President of GMIT, Dr Fergal Barry, and the Director of Teagasc to explore research projects of mutual interest with Teagasc and to share Professor Gerry Boyle on Tuesday 7 February 2017 signed a Memorandum and leverage each organisation’s expertise in examining opportunities to add value to Irish-grown timber products. Research and development of Understanding (MOU) at the Letterfrack campus in Connemara, the National Centre for Excellence in Furniture Design & Technology, are key strategies for GMIT and this partnership will help to progress both of these areas in respect of the sustainable development and attended by staff from both GMIT and Teagasc.

Whilst the initial MOU will focus on areas of broadleaf forestry and utilization potential of Irish hardwood forestry produce, benefiting the region and staff and students on campus.” hardwood timber utilisation, the agreement allows for the development Dr. Nuala Ní Fhlatharta, Head of the Teagasc Forestry Development Department, commented that such initiatives are crucial to ensure that forest owners with broadleaves (which account for 164,000 hectares or 26% of forest area) are supported in adding value to their forest crops thereby accessing new markets and providing raw material for local development opportunities in rural areas.

For details on all courses offered at GMIT Letterfrack see: http://www.gmit.ie/national-centre-excellence-furnituredesign-and-technolgy/gmit-letterfrack

Pictured in the Student Gallery in GMIT Letterfrack on the occasion of signing the Memorandum of Understanding, L to R: Dr Fergal Barry, President GMIT, Dermot O’Donovan, Head of Centre, GMIT Letterfrack, Dr Rick Officer; Vice-President of Research & Innovation, GMIT, Professor Gerry Boyle, Director Teagasc, Dr Kevin Heanue, Chairman of Connemara West Plc., Dr Nuala Ní Fhlatharta; Head of Forestry Development Department, Teagasc.

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TEAGASC FORESTRY CLINICS 2017 – PROVIDING INDEPENDENT FORESTRY ADVICE IN A CONFIDENTIAL SETTING Over 450 landowners have sought advice on forestry at the ongoing nationwide series of advisory clinics organised by Teagasc Forestry Development Department. With 71 advisory clinics already completed, a further series of clinics will be held during March to meet the strong demand from farmers and landowners requesting an independent and confidential consultation with an experienced Teagasc forestry adviser.

The most common queries discussed at the clinics could be broadly sorted into two categories: landowners who are investigating the possibility of planting some land and forest owners who want to find out how to better manage their existing forests. More than half of all queries related to planting forestry on the farm with increased interest from non farmers who will receive the same rate of forestry premiums as farmers under the current forestry Programme.

As planting land is a permanent change of use, requiring replanting after clearfell, it is essential that landowners seek and are given comprehensive objective and confidential advice.

This advice and information included: • Afforestation grants and premiums • Land eligibility and environmental considerations • Interaction with other farm schemes, e.g., BPS, GLAS, AEOS; • How to get the job done right first time.

• Provision of the List of Registered Foresters. Registered Foresters are responsible for the preparation and submission of forestry grant applications on behalf of individual landowners.

A significant number of consultations also involved forest owners who wanted to find out how to better manage their existing forests.

The bulk of the management questions centred around forests that are coming up for thinning. Forest owners wanted to know how the thinning process works, why is thinning important, Felling Licence issues, what the value is of timber and how to organise a timber sale.

Advisers also used the clinics as an opportunity to provide information and raise awareness amongst landowners about Ash Die–back disease.

As a follow up to the forestry clinics Teagasc Forestry Development Department will be running a series of forestry management walks from the 17th to 28th April. This will be an opportunity for forest owners to learn about early management of forests. It will also be a chance for perspective forest owners to look at forestry on the

FORESTRY & ENERGY REVIEW

NEWS ground. Further details on these events will be advertised closer to the dates and will be listed on the Teagasc forestry website.

Details on all current forestry grant schemes and valuable forest management tips are available from the Teagasc Forestry website: www.teagasc.ie/forestry.

NATIONAL TIMBER TRANSPORT CONFERENCE - PARTNERSHIP APPROACH KEY TO MANAGING TIMBER TRANSPORT A partnership approach to the management of timber transport is key to maximising wood mobilisation and promoting the sustainable development of Ireland’s forest industry. This was the main message from the National Timber Transport Conference held last October in The new Variable Tyre Pressure (VTP) scheme for timber haulage Athlone. lorries to reduce road wear and tear was launched by Forest Service at the National Timber Transport Conference The conference themed “Managing Timber Transport – Challenges and Solutions” was organised by the Forest Industry Transport Group 1999 to provide a mechanism for sharing ideas and best practice on timber transport issues.

(FITG) in association with Teagasc and Forest Service, DAFM, and The first session of the conference examined the challenges to attracted a wide range of stakeholders including local authorities, timber transport from the forestry and road management perspectives. timber hauliers and forest managers.

Speakers from IFFPA, Teagasc and timber hauliers outlined the shared The conference was opened by Andew Doyle TD, Minister of State concerns of forest owners and industry for timber mobilisation including with responsibility for forestry. During his address the minister planning permission for forest entrances, cost of forest roads, haulage announced the opening of the new Variable Tyre Pressure Scheme (VTP) for timber lorries and the important potential for the VTP scheme route restrictions and road bonds.

The resource challenges to the management and maintenance of to contribute to more sustainable timber transport.

Over 100,000 loads of timber per year are being transported on the the regional and rural roads network were described by John McCarthy, Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS). rural road network and this figure is set to increase in line with expanding In the case of timber transport he encouraged a constructive private timber production. In this context the conference heard from partnership approach as a critical element in roads maintenance planning. speakers, from both private and public sector, describe current challenges Shay O’Connor presented the perspective of Leitrim County Council to managing timber transport but also outline potential solutions.

(LCC) in relation to timber haulage on local roads and echoed the John Lyons, chairperson FITG, described the background to the resource challenge for road maintenance. However he was greatly conference and the work of the Group since it was established in

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FORESTRY & ENERGY REVIEW

NEWS encouraged by their recent successful collaboration with the private forestry sector in a pilot agreed routes project and particularly impressed by the effectiveness of Variable Tyre Pressure system used by the timber haulier.

The second session of the conference focussed on potential solutions to the issues raised. Hugh Cawley, Veon Ltd described the success of a recent pilot project in collaboration with Leitrim County Council involving the timber haulage along agreed routes using a timber lorry fitted with a Variable Tyre Pressure (VTP) system.

Seamus Dunne explained the role of the Forest Service in encouraging wood mobilisation highlighting the forest road scheme, new felling licence system, the recently launched harvest forecast tool and in collaboration with DTTAS and DHPCL , the proposed Single Consent system for forest entrances.

The presentations of Dr. Ger Devlin, UCD and Delwyn Ledingham, Trimble Forest respectively focussed on the research and technological innovation to optimise Ireland’s timber transport supply with agreed routes mapping and Coillte haulage fleet tracking and management.

John Lyons, FITG described the haulage fleet infrastructure and provided an update on the Group’s progress, in consultation with HSA, to develop more detailed guidelines for the securing of timber loads.

The final speaker was Robert Leonard, DAFM who explained how tyre pressure control systems, when fitted on timber haulage lorries, effectively reduce the wear and tear on weaker roads. He went on to outline the new Variable Tyre Pressure (VTP) scheme which will provide 40% grant aid per VTP unit fitted.

The conference presentations can be viewed at : https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/forestry/news/2016/nationaltimber-transport-conference.php

NEW FOREST HARVESTING TRAINING INITIATIVE LAUNCHED IN TEAGASC BALLYHAISE COLLEGE In November the Minister of State for Food, Forestry and Horticulture, Andrew Doyle TD, launched a new forestry harvesting simulator and the development of a Forest Machine Operator Training Programme at Teagasc Ballyhaise College.

The use of a simulator is a whole new approach to training operatives of modern harvesting machinery in Ireland. It allows for the first time to identify a trainee’s aptitude to work in a highly technical process.

This can save considerable time and money as the cost of training on real machinery can be prohibitive for new entrants.

The purchase of this John Deere simulator by Teagasc was made possible through financial support from the Forest Service and in cooperation with industry representatives from the Forest Harvesting Training Forum.

TANE AND ABLE

THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE GREAT IRISH SUCCESS STORY

O

h how we love the magic liquid. No, not pints, Dipetane! The Irish company is a true success story.

Founded 30 years ago in 1986 by Drew McDowell and Andrew Anglin, it has gone from strength to strength and now services its product to Britain, Asia, Australia and US. Although Andrew has sadly since passed, Drew continues to helm the revolutionary product. Based out of Kilcoole, County Wicklow, Dipetane has expanded and grown through word of mouth – because what’s better than a good thing?

Dipetane works because it uniquely eliminates CCDs (Combustion Chamber Deposits) in all engines and boilers.

Dipetane’s unique ability to burn the carbon more completely means that the CCDs are not fed any more unburnt carbon and consequently are eliminated. It doesn’t affect engine warranties because as Dipetane is a 100% hydrocarbon product it does not alter the original fuel specifications.

Dipetane works from the moment it is put into the fuel and takes 1-3 days to eliminate un-burnt carbon deposits from an engine that starts out badly clogged up to the point of seeing the benefits. If you are doing a smoke/emission test within a few hours then you would give the vehicle 30 minutes of hard driving on a highway or motorway.

Visit the following website www.dipetane.com for more information.

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FORESTRY & ENERGY REVIEW

NEWS Industry forecasts show that the private sector will contribute over 50% of the total timber supply within ten years and increase to 2.7 million m3 by 2025. Between Coillte and the private forestry sector a continuous supply of highly skilled operators will be required over the next decade. Recruitment and training are necessary to maintain standards and to maximise the timber resource potential. This strategic approach to up skilling existing operators and introducing new operators is essential for maintaining a sustainable forest industry and rural economy.

The established Level 5 and level 6 Forestry courses at Ballyhaise College currently deliver comprehensive training in forest safety, sustainable forestry, environment, silviculture and forest calculations as standard. A practical learning period is also a requirement of the course.

New entrants into the forest harvesting industry are advised to complete a minimum of a level 5 forestry qualification before embarking on the harvesting machine skills qualification. Existing operators who are not in a position to attend full time courses will still be able to fulfil various assessment criteria to become certified and qualified to the proposed QQI level. The machine harvesting programme recognises for the first time the range of skills and knowledge necessary to be a professional harvesting operator and complements the existing industry standard.The courses will include three separate components: 1. Forwarder operator 2. Harvester operator (clearfell) 3. Harvester operator (thinnings) The forest machine operator training programme will allow individuals access to a structured, quality assured training process,

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which is supported and recognised at all levels of the industry. The training resources will be accessible to new entrants and existing operators with options to advance and build on training and education if desired.

Photo (see page 8): Minister Andrew Doyle TD in the hot seat of the new Forestry Harvesting and Forwarding Simulator getting instruction from Teagasc Ballyhaise forestry student Sam Stewart at its official launch in Ballyhaise College. Also in the picture Marianne Lyons, Teagasc Ballyhaise and Trevor McHugh, IFFPA and VEON. Further information on course content and application forms are available by contacting Teagasc, Ballyhaise College, Co. Cavan 049 4338108 ballyhaise.college@teagasc.ie

TALKING HARDWOODS Talking Hardwoods, an inaugural hardwood marketing event where hardwood forest owners met hardwood users, organised by Teagasc in association with Forest Service was held in Abbeyleix in November.

Opened by Minister of State Andrew Doyle T.D, it proved to be highly successful with an attendance of over 250 forest owners seeking information and exploring potential markets for their hardwood timber.

In his address Minister Doyle encouraged those in attendance “to find out more about the options available, to seek advice and make contacts and hopefully, bring away the knowledge you need from this ‘Talking Hardwood’ event to make an informed decision on how to proceed, whatever stage your forest is at. This will be a unique opportunity for timber growers and the industry to participate in the development of the hardwood market”.

FORESTRY & ENERGY REVIEW

NEWS (continued from page 10) The event comprised three distinct elements: Element one was a series of short presentations from a range of hardwood end users and a display of their products. The products included firewood, hurleys, wood turning, high quality bespoke furniture and woodcrafts including charcoal.The personal knowledge and skills of the presenters and the quality and beauty of their products got a really positive reaction from the audience. In addition a presentation

by Teagasc broadleaf researchers set out the critical importance of management to maximise the quality and returns from hardwoods.

The second element involved a number of short focussed presentations highlighting the hardwood resource potential, options for future utilisation and innovation to add value and educational opportunities to develop highly skilled graduates using a home grown hardwood timber. The final element was a networking session.This is probably the most important element allowing the large attendance to meet the twenty five hardwood industry stands on a one to one basis in order to discuss future management of their broadleaves and possible outlets for their timber. With great audience interaction throughout mixed with good debate there was

Dermot O’Donovan on the GMIT Letterfrack ( National Centre of Excellence in Furniture Design & Technology) stand at Talking Hardwoods.

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extremely good feedback to the event.With this very positive start Teagasc Forestry Development Department are already planning to hold Talking Hardwoods 2017 timber event in the south of the country.

Details of this event when finalised will be available at www.teagasc.ie/forestry.

TALKING TIMBER 2016 Teagasc Talking Timber marketing events returned last Autumn with a series of successful events being held along the western seaboard in counties with a high percentage of private forests approaching thinning stage. The Talking Timber locations were Letterkenny, Ennis and Tralee. Minister Andrew Doyle TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with responsibility for Forestry opened the Talking Timber event in Ennis. Organised in collaboration with the timber industry and the Forest Service, DAFM, the three events attracted over 500 forest owners with timber to sell and gave them an opportunity to meet with timber buyers, harvesting contractors and foresters.

Talking Timber once again saw a strong representation from the forest and timber processing sector including IFFPA (Irish Forest and Forest Products Association) who were present with sixty trade stands promoting a range of management, harvesting and timber purchasing services to the assembled forest owners. In his opening address to the ‘Talking Timber’ event in Ennis Minister Doyle highlighted the event as “an opportunity to learn and listen about the timber sales process and all that involves, particularly in relation to harvesting options and how to maximise return from your investment in forestry”.

Participants also took advantage of the excellent networking opportunities at both these timber marketing events to make contact with timber buyers in their locality and to put a face to the name and the service they can provide.

FORESTRY & ENERGY REVIEW

NEWS WELMAC UK BRANCH LOGGERS www.welmacuk.co.uk Welmac Branch Loggers create logs from branches. The logs can be used as cheap fuel for heating, in a conventional boiler for solid fuel, in a wood-gasification boiler, open fires, and for outside Chiminea or fire pits.

The branch logger works on a rotary system of two shafts with chipping knives rotating against each other. There are three knives on each shaft. These knives are made from high quality steel and can be sharpened repeatedly. The branches are pulled into the branch logger by the Knives.

The logs are then netted up automatically, or can be dropped into a ton bag or onto a conveyor to load a trailer. The 110 models will log 130mm soft wood and 100mm hard wood. The 70 & 75 models will log 75mm soft wood and 60mm hard wood.

Welmac UK are the sole UK & Ireland distributor.

For further information contact Andy on Tel: (0044) 1400 272475, Email: welmacuk@btconnect.com or visit the website: www.welmacuk.co.uk

CHRISTMAS TREES. A GROWERS GUIDE Simple questions such as “What varieties of Christmas trees will grow on my land” or “Why are my trees looking yellow” often have quite complex answers. While this guide could not claim to cover every eventuality in the production of the crop, its full colour pages are crammed full of answers to those questions that growers and potential growers so often ask.

The Guide has been written by Colin Palmer, Christmas tree grower, and crop protection adviser to the Irish Christmas Trees Growers and British Christmas Tree Growers Association, and draws on his 40 years of experience as a grower and adviser.

Within the 68 pages you will find all aspects of managing a Christmas tree enterprise – suitability of site, choice of variety, planting requirements, nutrition, shaping, harvesting, marketing and post harvest operations.

In addition there is a substantial section on the identification of pests, diseases and weeds, with comprehensive advice on the most cost effective, crop tolerant solutions.Any changes to the regulatory approvals will be published as required on the Rural Services website (below). As some approvals differ between the UK and Ireland, all copies supplied to Irish growers will have an Irish specific supplement included.

Christmas Trees. A Growers Guide can be ordered online from www.ruralservices.info with a retail price of £16.95 (UK) and €19.95 (Ireland).

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COMMERCIAL FEATURE

RDS SPRING AWARDS:NEW AWARDS PROGRAMME CELEBRATES CLIMATESMART AGRICULTURE IN IRELAND 2017 marked a new beginning for the RDS agriculture awards programme with the launch of the RDS Spring Agriculture and Forestry Awards.

Portumna Forest Park

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n 2017 there were two main award categories, livestock and forestry and a prize fund of €20,000. The forestry and livestock sectors are seen by many farmers as being at opposite ends of the agriculture spectrum. Farmers are usually involved in one sector, or the other, but rarely both. However, the future of both sectors is set to be linked like never before. This link is down to the need to balance dairy and beef greenhouse gas emissions with our ability to capture and store this carbon output through our forests and woodlands.

The new awards programme continues an RDS involvement in recognising and celebrating best practice in Irish agriculture that began with that first Spring Show back in 1831.The modern Spring Award enable the RDS to identify the very best farmers and foresters in the country and, highlight their work as an example for others to follow to showcase the great potential climate–smart agriculture has in Ireland.

of Lough Derg. Almost 90% of the forest area has Biodiversity, Conservation and Recreation as the primary management objectives. The remaining 10% is timber production, but timber is an important secondary objective over most of the area.The forest is a valuable amenity for the people of Portumna and the wider region. As well as being an important tourist attraction in its own right. The Park is also an important area for nature conservation having 140ha of Special Areas of Conservation. One of the main features of conservation value in the Park is the red squirrel population which is under threat nationally from the non–native grey squirrel. However, the reds continue to be plentiful in the Park and Portumna was chosen as a donor site for the National Red Squirrel Translocation Project.

PRODUCTION FORESTRY UNDER 15 HECTARES Robert Hamilton, of Banagher, Co. Offaly, is the winner of the under 15ha Production Forestry category. Robert’s woodland is small being 5.25ha, but is diverse and highly productive and is being managed for many different purposes.These include high quality timber production, encouraging a wide range of native flora and fauna, which is emerging from the site being previously a grass monoculture for beef production, and access for public recreation.

PRODUCTION FORESTRY OVER 15 HECTARES The final award winner in 2017 is Billy Connell, Collinstown, Co. Westmeath. Liam decided to plant part of his farm in forestry as

“Divided into three main categories the Forestry Awards highlight, celebrate and reward those who are at the forefront of the economic, environmental and community development of the forestry sector in Ireland” difficulties with TB outbreaks decimated his cattle enterprise and also a substantial area of the farm was very hilly.

Divided into three main categories the Forestry Awards highlight, Forestry therefore seemed to be a good option and in 1995/6 he celebrate and reward those who are at the forefront of the economic, established a plantation of 40ha which he undertook himself. The environmental and community development of the forestry sector species composition of the plantation is 88% broadleaves (oak, ash in Ireland. sycamore and cherry) and 12% conifers (Norway spruce). The broadleaves are particularly impressive with excellent growth rate COMMUNITY WOODLANDS AWARD The winner of the 2017 Community Woodlands Award is Castlecomer and form and a careful thinning regime has resulted in trees with Discovery Park, Co. Kilkenny.The Castlecomer Discovery Park operates considerable market potential.

The call for applicants for the 2018 Forestry Awards is now open. as a Social Community Enterprise and comprises 25ha of old woodland Entries must be submitted on or before June 30, 2017. If your entry which is part of a larger Coillte forest property, located on the outskirts is short-listed, judges will visit to inspect between July and of Castlecomer town.

September.

The Judging Panel was very impressed with the enthusiasm and Award winners will be announced at the 2018 RDS Spring Awards. professionalism by which the Park is being managed; also, the close cooperation between Coillte and the Park staff and how commercial Robert Hamilton forest operations can still take place within the general area without conflict.Today, 10 years after opening, this community project is listed as Kilkenny’s 3rd most popular visitor attraction.

FORESTRY AWARD WINNERS

MULTIPURPOSE FORESTRY AWARD Portumna Forest Park is the winner of the Multipurpose Forestry Award for 2017. Owned and managed by Coillte this 423 ha site is located on the edges of Portumna town where it extends to the shores

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WOOD FUEL

THE IRISH WOOD FUEL DATABASE A new tool for the biomass industry and researchers on parameters affecting the use of wood as a fuel, by Enda Coates, Christopher McGurren, Brian Cronin & Tom Kent of Waterford Institute of Technology.

Field sampling of hybrid poplar at Kildalton Agricultural College, Co. Kilkenny. Specimen trees can be seen crosscut at every three metres where disks have been cut and taken to the lab for analysis. The branches and tops are being removed to be chipped by the chipper in the background.

INTRODUCTION An online database has been developed by Waterford Institute of Technology which details the wood fuel characteristics of many Irish commercially-grown tree species. The purpose of the database is to provide industry and researchers with information on properties affecting the use of wood as a fuel. The database includes values for moisture content at felling, basic density, ash content, calorific value, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, chlorine, sulphur, oxygen, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury, nickel, lead and zinc.

The information that populates the database has been collected from the felling and destructive sampling of specimen trees. It is presented in an online web-based format, where users can query parameters to view specific data as graphics, download figures, and also tables of the underlying data, all of which is freely available. The

species currently represented in this database are alder (Alnus glutinosa), ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.), birch (Betula pendula & B. pubescens), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.), hybrid poplars (Populus sp.), Eucalyptus delegatensis, and Eucalyptus nitens. For each species, data is presented separately for the stem, wood, top, bark, branch, and foliage.

The database can be accessed at www.forestenergy.ie

WHY IS THIS DATABASE USEFUL? It is estimated that due to EU directives, the demand for forestderived biomass for energy in Ireland will be 3,084,000 m3 per annum by the year 2020. However, it is estimated that only 1,453,000 m3 of forest biomass will be available for the bioenergy market from currently employed supply chains. This forecast of supply only estimates stemwood, and does not take into account the biomass that may be mobilised from branches and tree tops.The Department of Agriculture has introduced to the Afforestation Grant Scheme a new category, Forestry for Fibre, which aims to grow fast growing species such as poplar, eucalyptus, and alder specifically for fibre for use in wood fuel supply chains and to feed the panel board mills. As biomass supply develops from forest residues and these new species, data on the characteristics of these wood fuels will be needed in order for biomass users to decide if a particular wood fuel is suitable in their combustion systems. In an effort to inform industry as to the makeup of these biomass feedstocks, this database has been created.

DATA AVAILABLE IN THE DATABASE: Screenshot of database landing page which shows site locations and species

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The parameters that have been analysed and are presented in the database are known to be important characteristics of wood fuel.

WOOD FUEL 3

kg/m . Basic density is not affected by moisture content, instead it can be thought of as the amount of wood in the fuel.

The calorific value describes the energy content of the biomass in Mega joules per kg. Calorific value may be expressed as: gross or net calorific value; on an as-received (the moisture content as observed) or dry basis; including ash or ash-free. In the database, the calorific value is expressed as gross calorific value on a dry basis, and gross calorific value on a dry ash free basis. Using these values with the chemical composition, as detailed below, the net calorific value on a dry basis can be calculated easily. By having the net calorific value on a dry basis, and basic density, the actual energy content of any quantity of fuel at any moisture content can be calculated. This is useful for practitioners who are seasoning stacks of forest biomass and want to estimate the energy per stack / per load they are delivering. WIT is also developing tools to make these conversions easily using the database values as inputs.

The ash content of biomass is the inorganic, incombustible part. It is expressed as a percentage weight of the dry matter ie. % ash content on a dry basis. A high content of ash means that less of the biomass Crucibles of test sample material being extracted from a muffle furnace at 550oC to determine their ash content. is combustible as a fuel and there is more ash to be disposed of at They describe the useful energy content of the material, and also the the end of the combustion process. It is also important to characterise the ash melting behaviour of biomass ash as ash deposition may cause characteristics which may limit use under certain conditions. The slagging and fouling of the boiler system. Slagging is the deposition moisture content of biomass is an important parameter: the higher of sticky, molten ash on the furnace walls and hottest parts of the the moisture content, the lower the net calorific value. Moisture content also affects the storage durability of biomass, and its suitability boiler system which experience radiant heat transfer directly from the flames from combustion; fouling takes place in the relatively cooler for use to boiler manufacturer’s specifications. Moisture content is parts of the system where flue gas and fly ash cool down and form calculated as a percentage of the total weight (wet basis). Here the deposits, often on heat exchanger tubes. moisture content is given as it was observed when the trees were The chemical composition is used in the calculation of energy content. freshly felled. Through management processes, such as stacking and seasoning, the moisture content can be reduced. The basic density is The chemical composition can also influence the usability of biomass as a fuel in terms of emissions and suitability for combustion under the dry mass (0% moisture content) per unit volume, expressed in

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WOOD FUEL certain conditions. Chlorine, sulphur and nitrogen contents should be quantified and any biomass with high concentrations of these A simple representation elements should be highlighted and may have to be omitted from of the two ways in which the fuel mix. Chlorine content is a concern for boiler operators, as to query the database high chlorine content can cause corrosion of the boiler.While sulphur either by parameter or by species is itself corrosive, a certain ratio of sulphur to chlorine will reduce corrosive effects. For instance, Edenderry Power in Ireland requires a ratio of sulphur to chlorine in their fuel mix. It appears that when the ratio of sulphur to chlorine is greater than 4:1, corrosion is not an issue as the sulphur reactions limit the amount of surface chlorine that can build up on boiler surfaces. While maintaining this ratio is important to reduce corrosion, a high concentration of either sulphur or chlorine could lead to emission issues. Carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen are also important elements to quantify for carbon accounting content, expressed as percentage dry weight, was determined using purposes, and life cycle analysis of biomass supply chains. This is a Carbolite muffle furnace at 550 oC, according to EN 14775:2009. where the carbon released in the harvesting, chipping and transportation Calorific value, expressed in Mega joules per kilogram, was of the wood fuel is evaluated to see it there is a net benefit using determined using a Parr 5500 oxygen bomb calorimeter, according the wood fuel in terms of carbon offsetting from fossil fuels. The to EN 14918:2009. Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulphur were measured biomass boiler efficiency has a large impact on this analysis also. using an Exeter Analytical CE 440 elemental analyser. Chlorine was

DATA SOURCES

determined through a titrimetric method.

The metals: cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury The data that populates the database has all been collected specifically (Hg), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) were analysed using a Varian for this purpose by felling specimen trees where available for each species. Eucalyptus samples were collected from counties Waterford, 710-ES Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer and Wexford. Poplar samples were collected from counties Kilkenny (ICP-OES) equipped with a SPS3 autosampler. In order for the samples

“As biomass supply develops from forest residues and these new species, data on the characteristics of these wood fuels will be needed in order for biomass users to decide if a particular wood fuel is suitable in their combustion systems” and Cavan.Alder, ash, lodgepole pine, and Sitka spruce samples were collected from counties Waterford, Offaly, and Donegal. Birch samples were collected from Donegal, Offaly,Tipperary and Waterford. Norway spruce samples were collected from counties Roscommon, Offaly and Waterford.Ten to fifteen specimen trees of each species in each location were felled by chainsaw.

Each tree was partitioned in the field into stemwood, stem top less than 7 cm diameter, and live and dead branches. Disks were cut from the stem by chainsaw at regular intervals and the other partitions were also sampled and returned to WIT for analysis.

to be analysed, they were first digested using HNO3 and 2 ml 35% H2O2 in a CEM Mars 5 Station.

The results of the analysis were compiled into spreadsheets to form the dataset for the database. A data visualisation software package,Tableau Public 10.1 (Tableau Software), was then used to develop an online tool in which users can interact with the data.The project team plan to expand the database further over time as additional data becomes available.

USING THE DATABASE

Users can access the database and query the data under two headings: Parameter or Species. Under the parameter heading, a parameter is The Wood Fuel Test Centre at WIT has the capacity to carry out most selected and filtered by species and partition. The results for this energy parameter tests in compliance with the ISO Solid Biofuel standards, parameter are then presented, and can be further filtered to show all developed over the last ten years with the aim of ensuring biomass or only specified results. The development team hope that industry quality and sustainability. The database samples were analysed for will extract useful information on suitability of wood fuels and as a moisture content using the oven dry method at 105 °C, according to result, be in a better position to specify fuel supply to meet their particular EN 14774-3:2009, and expressed as a percentage of total weight. Ash requirement. The team expect researchers to mine the database for particular parameters to support and validate their own analyses.

For further information, a manual of how to use the database, and to access the free database (no registration or sign up required) log on to www.forestenergy.ie This work was initiated under the Forest Energy Programme, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and is continuing under the Shortfor Project, which is also funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Further information on the ShortFor Project may be found here: www.teagasc.ie/crops/ forestry/ research/ shortfor-project/ Further information on International Solid Biofuel Standards can be found A screenshot of the database showing the ash content of Sitka spruce leaf, bark and wood here: www.solidstandards.eu in a boxplot.

DATABASE DEVELOPMENT

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SHORT ROTATION FORESTRY

INSIGHTS INTO FORESTRY IN OREGON Can the established knowledge of short rotation forestry gained in Oregon be applied to an Irish context? Ana de Miguel Muñoz of Waterford Institute of Technology reports.

Figure 1: Ana de Miguel in the 10,000 ha hybrid poplar plantation and sawmill in Boardman, Oregon. Ana, a PhD student at Waterford Institute of Technology, was awarded with a six months fellowship in the World Forestry Centre and her research focused in Short Rotation Forestry market development in the Pacific Northwest and its applicability to Ireland. Credit: Andrea Cornejo

INTRODUCTION

already developed, and Ana’s research focused on conditions that

facilitated this development and its potential applicability, or not, to Oregon, located in the United States’ Pacific Northwest (PNW), is Irish conditions. well known worldwide for its forests and forestry sector. It is the number one state for timber production in the United States, and has WORLD FORESTRY CENTER AND developed some of the strictest environmental regulations of the world. Oregon is regarded as one of the global leaders in sustainable INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP The World Forestry Center (WFC) is an international non–profit forest management. organization based in Portland, Oregon, which is committed to Ana de Miguel, a postgraduate student at Waterford Institute of educating people about the importance of sustainable forest Technology, Ireland, was selected for an international fellowship programme at the World Forestry Center, in Portland, and travelled to management. As part of the WFC, the World Forest Institute (WFI) Oregon in May 2016 to complete a six month research programme. offers an international professional development fellowship programme which brings forestry professionals from around the world to learn about natural resources management in the PNW. The late Harry SHORT ROTATION FORESTRY Merlo, the retired CEO of Louisiana Pacific, was the founder of this Ana is studying the viability of Short Rotation Forestry (SRF) in Ireland within the ShortFor Project. SRF is the practice of cultivating programme more than 20 years ago. He also sponsored the programme fast growing tree species (e.g. eucalyptus and poplar) mainly for the and his foundation, the Harry A. Merlo foundation, will continue funding production of biomass, through a rotation length of less than 20 years the programme for at least the next ten years.The fellowship involves three parts: a self–directed research project, group study tours and in Ireland. The ShortFor Project, funded by the Irish Department of participation in forestry events.

Agriculture, Food and the Marine, is investigating the potential of SRF to meet market demands for fibre and fuel. A multidisciplinary team from University College Dublin, University of Limerick, Trinity College Dublin, Teagasc and Waterford Institute of Technology is involved on this project.

Forest policy is already promoting afforestation for fibre and fuel through targeted support measures, such as Grant Premium Category 12: Forestry for Fibre in the Irish Forestry Programme: 2014–2020.

However, land owners are not establishing SRF and some of the reasons seem to be related to uncertainties over its economic sustainability and potential markets.

The Waterford Institute of Technology team, led by Tom Kent, is investigating the economic sustainability of SRF. In 2015, they carried out a survey of the Irish wood processing and solid biofuel industry, where they explored market opportunities for SRF. Results showed that although there is a potential market for SRF in Ireland, Figure 2: World Forestry Center International Fellows 2016 in particularly in the wood energy sector, there are uncertainties and lack Merlo Ranch in Eastern Oregon learning about Oregon dry forest of information, on issues such as wood fuel properties, needed for ecology & management. Forest fire protection is particularly important in this area. Credit: Rick Zenn market development. In the PNW a SRF resource and market has

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SHORT ROTATION FORESTRY shortage in pulp for the paper industry. However, markets did not develop as the forecasts had predicted. Pulp production Each fellow chooses a personal research project to complete during decreased, so there was no longer a shortage, and prices declined.

Hybrid poplar landowners had difficulties in selling the timber, or their time in the PNW, mainly through networking and literature in some cases harvesting never proceeded. In some of the biggest review, with contacts and administration support provided by the plantations, the management regime was changed in order to target WFC. In Ana’s case the research focused on Short Rotation Forestry.

In the PNW, SRF was first considered in the 1970’s, primarily for the other markets. production of fuel and fibre.

GreenWood Resources, a timber investment and asset management Research and development mainly focused on species from the company, took over some of these poplar plantations and became Populus genera, commonly known as hybrid poplar. The one of the world leaders in poplar management. High value products establishment of hybrid poplar plantations started in the eighties and and markets were developed. Products such as wine boxes, ceilings, continued into the nineties, with the goal of meeting the forecast pencils, and interior frames for furniture were made with the poplar sawlogs.

Plywood was produced from poplar, and this was mainly used for cabinets. Poplar cross–laminated timber (CLT) was also tested.

Although a wide range of markets were developed for hybrid poplar, by 2016 most of these original plantations had been sold, and are now in the process of being converted to agriculture.

However, there are currently new poplar plantations being grown to service emerging potential markets. For example, the Advanced Hardwoods Biofuels (AHB) project, financed with a major grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, aims to develop a renewable transportation fuels industry by growing and converting hybrid poplars into liquid biofuels. Other poplar plantations have been established to remediate pollution. A working example is found at the 160 ha poplar tree farm in Eugene, established to recycle a wastewater treatment by–product.

Figure 3: Poplar Biocycle Tree Farm in Eugene, Oregon, where Ana is currently preparing a research paper for review that will describe wastewater treatment by-product is recycled, helping to provide the in detail the results of her Oregon SRF industry survey and the cities of Eugene and Springfield with safe water. Trees are harvested every 10 years to generate revenue, balancing out operating expenses. development and current status of SRF in Oregon.

RESEARCH PROJECT: SHORT ROTATION FORESTRY IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

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SHORT ROTATION FORESTRY United States. Many initiatives promote buildings constructed with advanced wood products such as cross–laminated timber (CLT), and try to improve forest sustainability and local communities’ development, such as the Build Local Alliance initiative.

FORESTRY EVENTS IN OREGON The PNW in general and the WFC in particular is a reference and meeting point for forestry professionals.The Centre hosts many national and international forestry conferences, seminars and exhibitions, such as the annual ‘Who Will Own the Forest?’ conference that brings hundreds of forestry professionals and investors from around the world to discuss perspectives of commercial forest management. Many other conferences and forestry events are hosted in Oregon, and Ana was selected Figure 4: Cape Meares, Oregon, where Sitka spruce grows in its native to present her SRF research at the IUFRO Division 3 Forest Operations habitat, often in mixture with western hemlock and red alder, along the coastal range where the climate is wet and mild. The biggest Sitka Engineering and Management Doctoral Students Conference held at Oregon spruce is located in Cape Meares.

State University in Corvallis.

This was an excellent opportunity to share knowledge, visit forest STUDY TOURS: OVERVIEW OF FORESTRY IN operations in Oregon and make friends from all over the world. Some of OREGON the research topics were on the development of biomass supply chains Another important part of the fellowship are the weekly study and their life cycle assessment, sawmill planning and timber storage, and tours that allow participants to meet the different stakeholders involved in natural resources and forestry in the PNW. These include the optimisation and improvement of harvesting systems in steep small forest landowners, forestry companies, sawmills, conservation terrains.Ana also presented her research findings at the World Forestry organizations, tribal forest councils, national forest and parks employees, Centre, and her presentation can be viewed on–line with the link urban foresters, forestry researchers and extension services. Also, as below. part of the programme, fellows spend a week in a ranch in the dry CONCLUSION ON THE WFI INTERNATIONAL forests in eastern Oregon, another in the Redwood Forest Park, among the tallest trees in the world, and another in the spectacular FELLOWSHIP EXPERIENCE The fellowship gives an exceptional opportunity to experience first– Columbia Gorge participating in the International Educators in hand and learn about Oregon forestry. In addition, this programme Natural Resources professional development week.

Almost half of Oregon’s land is covered by forest (over 12 million provides an extraordinary opportunity to build an international ha), and about 80% of that can productively grow commercial timber. network in the natural resources and forestry sectors. Staying Oregon offers a great variety of forest: from dry forest in central and in Oregon for six months gives attendees the possibility to east Oregon, such as ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine or juniper forest; participate in lots of forestry events including national and to wet forest in the west, mainly of Douglas fir and, along the coast, international conferences, seminars and exhibitions. This allows hemlock and Sitka spruce. Many of these conifers have been extensively participants to expand their forestry knowledge from local perception to global perception. Challenges in forestry are not very different planted in Ireland and Britain due to their excellent growth in our globally, so being connected and sharing knowledge and experiences climate, so it is particularly interesting to see them in their native can contribute to the world’s forest sustainability. ecosystems.

“Although there is a potential market for SRF in Ireland, particularly in the wood energy sector, there are uncertainties and lack of information, on issues such as wood fuel properties, needed for market development” Currently about 60% of the forest is publicly owned but most of the harvesting (nearly 80% out of the annual 10 million cubic metres) comes from privately owned forest. Historically, Oregon forest management had a strong focus on timber production from the end of World War II to the nineties. The conservation movements and environmental legislation in the eighties and nineties have resulted in an evolution to a current more balanced position between timber production and environmental protection.

In 1971, Oregon became the first state with a comprehensive law to regulate forest practices and protect the environment. Since then, the Oregon Forest Practices Act has been updated as scientific knowledge and practical experience have improved management practices. Some of the main requirements are reforestation after harvesting, water and stream protection, wildlife habitat protection and limits on clearcutting and chemical application. Forest fire protection is one of the current challenges in Oregon.As a result of passive management, public forests have accumulated a high amount of biomass, and there is a tremendous risk of fires particularly in drier forests in the east. Some good news is that the area of forest burned in 2016 was considerably less compared to previous years.

The forest sector is an important part of Oregon’s economy, contributing about 59,000 jobs. Oregon is a leader in engineered wood in the

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LINKS More information about the fellowship can be found at: http://www.worldforestry.org/institute/world-forest-institute/ Ana’s presentation at the World Forestry Institute on “Short Rotation plantations in the Pacific Northwest” can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92EMHGESGv8

More information about Ana’s research and the Shortfor Project can be found at: https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/forestry/research/shortfor-project/ IUFRO Division 3 Conference http://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-3/30000/podcasts/ A. de Miguel Muñoz, M. Sottocornola, B. Cronin, T. Kent, 2016. Exploring market opportunities for Short Rotation Forestry in the current Irish wood processing and solid biofuel sectors. Irish Forestry Vol. 73. http://www.societyofirishforesters.ie/

OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION: Oregon forestry http://oregonforests.org/content/ofri-resources GreenWood Resources http://greenwoodresources.com/ Advanced Hardwoods Biofuels Northwest http://hardwoodbiofuels.org/ Poplar Biocycle Tree Farm http://www.mwmcpartners.org/biocyclefarm.html Forestry for Fibre Afforestation Scheme. Irish Forestry Programme 2014-2020 https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/

COMMERCIAL FEATURE

M LARGE CONTINUES TO GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

Palms 15D 4 x 4 / 840

New for 2017 ArbTrak 150

M Large is one of the UK & Ireland’s leading suppliers of forestry equipment, specialising in the supply of professional equipment to forestry, tree surgery, woodland, plant hire, agricultural, conservation and landscaping industries.

W

ith our wealth of experience we are able to source an increasingly wide and varied range of items to suit our customers’ requirements. Our leading brands of Hakki Pilke firewood processors,Thor log splitters, Greenmech wood chippers, Palms forestry trailers and cranes to name a few.

Last year’s decision to leave the EU had immediate effect on the exchange rate making imported equipment more expensive. With careful forward planning and by increasing our already extensive stock holding we were able to regate the effects of the exchange rates and hold our prices until recently. Like all other importers we may have to increase prices but we endeavour to keep these as keen as possible.

Fortunately not all our brands have been affected by the exchange rate and we are still able to supply the popular Greenmech wood chippers and Fuelwood products without increases. This also applies to our own LMS brand which is manufactured locally and includes the increasingly popular 440 tree shear, 870 Woodbuster and the

‘leader system’ which greatly increases the output of the splitter.

For those looking for a machine to deal with smaller diameter logs the Bilke PTO and Pilke Master machines make an excellent choice.

They have the capacity for very high throughput with little manual effort and the ability to deal with clean or waste timber effectively and efficiently.

Palms forwarding trailers and forestry cranes are renowned for their excellent quality and durability. With many years experience Palms continue to offer a wide range of reliable great value trailer and crane units with plenty of great options including 4x4 drive, radio control, top operators seat etc. Palms is the ideal choice for anyone who wants a no nonsense machine without breaking the bank.

KGD tractor mounted forestry skidding winches are regarded by many as best value on the market. Built in Austria to an extremely high standard, each winch is individually tested before leaving the factory. With a range of sizes to suit all operations all KGD winches

“Anyone considering kindling should look at the Fuelwood range which is regarded by many as best in the market” 600/800 cone type splitters. These are great add-on attachments to increase the versatility for any excavator or material handling. Anyone considering kindling should look at the Fuelwood range which is regarded by many as best in the market. Capable of producing kindling from round and flat board timber, the Kindlet 200 or Kindlet Pro will make a great addition to any firewood production enterprise.

Hakki Pilke firewood processors remain our flag ship product range with several new models introduced over the past year. The CS 900 and 1000 circular saw models are designed and built to a very high standard making them the ideal choice for heavy duty professional use. This spring will see the arrival of Hakki Pilke’s latest model the Easy 43 with quite a few advanced orders already.

Also proving very popular is the well-established Falcon firewood processor with the fastest splitting speed in its class. With the introduction of these new models the well known 1X37 range will disappear once current stocks run out.Thor log splitters are designed for professional and domestic use with electric, petrol engine or tractor options. Thor remains the only splitter with the unique

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come with a 3 year warranty and are available immediately from our extensive stock. Becoming increasingly popular excavator mounted flail and mulching heads makes short work of controlling vegetation and difficult to access areas.

Ferri is one of the long established and leading manufacturers of an extensive range of flail and mulching heads, and tractor mounted versions capable of mulching half grown trees.

If you are interested in pedestrian stump grinders, the Camon with its 13hp Honda engine is an ideal choice. For really heavy duty stump grinding the rugged Carlton range is the right choice. Renowned for strength and reliability Carlton machines can quickly deal with stumps of any size.

With the wealth of experience in this market, the staff at M Large are able to source an increasingly wide and varied range of items to suit everyone’s needs. Along with timber grapples, hydraulic rotators, Nokka ATV type forwarding trailers, BioJack energy harvesting grapples, Hakki Pilke log screening systems and portable power packs and LMS bagging trays, they can supply something for everyone.

BROADLEAF FORESTRY

BROADLEAF FORESTRY IN IRELAND The new COFORD publication, by Juergen Huss, Padraic M. Joyce, Richard MacCarthy and John Fennessy, provides well researched and up-to-date silvicultural information and guidance essential for the production of high quality hardwood timber.

Article by Brian Clifford, Forest Sector Development Division, DAFM.

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new publication, Broadleaf Forestry in Ireland, by Juergen This article is an attempt to provide the reader with a snapshot of the book and demonstrate its value to those with an interest in Huss, Padraic M. Joyce, Richard MacCarthy and John Fennessy has recently been published under the COFORD broadleaves and broadleaf forestry. banner. In the years since the seminal book on broadleaf forestry in Ireland, Growing Broadleaves by Padraic M Joyce, silvicultural DEVELOPMENT OF FORESTS AND FORESTRY PRACTICE IN IRELAND knowledge has increased dramatically. So too has the extent of Some 6,000 years ago much of the Irish landscape was covered the broadleaf forest estate. This new publication seeks to update by broadleaved forests. From then onwards the forest went into a Growing Broadleaves, incorporating the European experience decline as it was subjected to increasing exploitation over the and latest information on the subject. millennia.

The authors begin with the policy background and the development By the end of the 17th century it had shrunk to an estimated 1% of forests and forestry practice in Ireland. The book goes on to of the land area. The parlous state of Irish forests at the beginning deal with soils and sites suitable for broadleaves, ecological and social values of broadleaf forests, as well as an extensive review of the 20th century led to a Committee of Inquiry in 1908. It of silvicultural strategies and procedures. recommended state involvement and an afforestation programme with quicker-growing varieties of coniferous timber. This set the Other aspects addressed include an scene for the establishment of the conifer forests which are a examination of the future role of broadleaves, together with a detailed feature of our uplands and hills today.

Broadleaves played only a minor role in this programme. The discourse on individual species. emphasis on conifers for most of the 20th century had left a vacuum The second section of the book is devoted exclusively to the characteristics in the knowledge of broadleaf silviculture and management. The past decade has shown a sustained broadleaf planting programme of broadleaf tree species. The book concludes with a brief description of which has provided new valuable information on the growth some lesser known broadleaves, which performance of younger stands.

This information has been analysed by the authors through may increase in use in the light of discussion with forestry colleagues and forest owners during field climate change.

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BROADLEAF FORESTRY

studies. It has been supplemented by information gleaned from Many factors have to be considered in choosing particular tree forestry literature on broadleaf species in European countries and species or mixtures and in their subsequent silvicultural management. bolstered by the lifetime experiences of the authors.

These can include; site characteristics, demands and characteristics All this information has been incorporated into the current of the tree species, seed and plant availability, objectives of the publication, Broadleaf Forestry in Ireland. It represents the most land owners and objectives of society. The authors address each comprehensive documentation of all aspects of broadleaf forestry of these factors in turn, noting that broadleaves require a much in Ireland, from planting through establishment to silvicultural greater degree of skilled management and silvicultural expertise treatment and management. than conifers.

PART 1 To incorporate such a wide variety of topics the authors have divided the book into two parts. Part one encompasses five chapters and includes topics such as, development, site demands, objectives and silviculture of broadleaves. Chapter 1 traces the early colonisation of the country with broadleaf species, their exploitation and decline, as well as their virtual exclusion from the afforestation phase during most of the 20th century. It is concluded with a summary of the present broadleaf situation based on recent inventories.

Chapter 2 provides a detailed guidance on site selection and suitability, soil and climate, and the inter-relationship between broadleaf species and site conditions. It also provides a commentary on the effects climate change may impose on tree species and the impact this may have on species selection. The value of broadleaves is dealt with in Chapter 3.

The commerciality of the hardwood resource is emphasised, however the authors are also cognisant of the range of economic, ecological and socio-economic services and functions that broadleaf forestry provides and supply a detailed examination of these functions.

Chapter 4 deals with silvicultural strategies and procedures for managing broadleaf stands. Silvicultural planning and management is a complex process that requires a wide variety of background information and clearly defined objectives.

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BROADLEAF FORESTRY The authors provide detail on various silvicultural systems and their suitability to broadleaf stand management. Establishment gets a significant amount of attention, with topics ranging from site conditions to planting techniques, to issues associated with direct seeding and natural regeneration. The authors also give indepth detail on tending, thinning and pruning of broadleaved stands, and guidance on the harvesting of broadleaves and the harvesting decision.

Part 1 on the book concludes with Chapter 5 and commentary on the future role of broadleaf species in Ireland. The authors note that people need to have a ‘vision’ in order to be able to put their specific actions into practice. That with this book it will be possible to contribute to the debate on the management of broadleaves and provide foresters and others with a background to broadleaf management. According to the perceptions of the authors: Silviculture creates values! Never in the last fifty years have the conditions for forestry and particularly the growing of broadleaves been so promising.

Timber as a source of energy and raw material is likely to increase substantially in importance. Moreover, broadleaves will contribute to the enhancement and diversity of the rural landscape and therefore, add to the protective functions and possibly even to biodiversity. The outlook for growing broadleaves in general is optimistic. Nevertheless, a high degree of motivation is required and much work needs to be done to fully develop this valuable resource.

PART 2 The four chapters of Part II are devoted exclusively to the characteristics of broadleaf tree species. These descriptions provide the reader with information on specific characteristics of the different tree species.The knowledge is essential in the identification This involved grouping species into three categories 1) main and understanding of the species, as well as their silvicultural and timber producing species; alder, ash, beech, birch, cherry, oak, management requirements.

Spanish chestnut, sycamore and maples, 2) minor broadleaf species; Due to Ireland’s geographic location relatively few species blackthorn, crab apple, elms, hawthorn, hazel, holly, hornbeam, managed to recolonise the country after the most recent Ice Age. horse chestnut, lime, pear, plane, poplar, rowan, southern beech,

“Silviculture creates values! Never in the last fifty years have the conditions for forestry and particularly the growing of broadleaves been so promising” Therefore, the number of native or indigenous species is unusually small and except for yew (and now potentially Scots pine), all are broadleaves.

Because of the favourable climatic conditions of most parts of Ireland, many species have been introduced from the temperate zones of other parts of the world. Some of the introduced tree species are now fully naturalised and have become an integral part of the Irish flora.

The authors note that the ‘nativeness’ of the broadleaf species does not reflect their present importance, nor is their rarity a sufficient criterion for classification. Nevertheless, these attributes need to be considered in creating a classification structure.

The authors go on to discuss classification system typically used in silviculture text books to classify species, whether by botanical, ecological, origin, wood properties, economic value or role, both within forest or at a landscape scale.

The authors quite succinctly, and in keeping with the theme of the book categorised species according to their importance to the forester.

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strawberry tree, walnut, and willow, 3) rare broadleaf species from; Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australasia.

CONCLUSION The book will be of special interest to professional foresters and forest owners, forestry academics and students of forestry, arboriculturists, ecologists and all those with an interest in conservation.

For land owners with forest and those contemplating broadleaf forestry it provides a comprehensive insight into the requirements necessary for the production of a valuable high quality broadleaf resource. The publication provides owners and managers with a comprehensive suite of silvicultural and management guidelines to grow high quality trees to meet market demands.

The material is presented in an accessible, easily-understood and well-illustrated format. This well received COFORD publication costs €55 (including p&p), and can be ordered directly from Forest Sector Development Division, DAFM by contacting orla.cashen@agriculture.gov.ie.

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TIMBER 2017

FORESTRY & ENERGY REVIEW

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FORESTRY & ENERGY REVIEW

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COMMERCIAL FEATURE

TIMBER 2017 The Irish Forestry Woodland & Bio Energy Show: Ireland’s Largest Forestry & Woodland Show.

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ollowing its success in 2015, the fourth Irish Forestry, Woodland & Bio Energy Show is returning to Stradbally Hall Estate, Co. Laois on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th May 2017.

The industry is responding well to this national, biennial event and the return to the original format of the Friday and Saturday structure should appeal to a variety of visitors as there is much to see and enjoy for foresters, farmers and the general public.

Event organiser David Wilkinson stated that an industry such as the forestry, timber processing and bio energy sector that generates over two billion euros to the Irish economy is worthy of a standalone event such as TIMBER 2017.

The 2015 show proved very rewarding for both exhibitors and visitors despite the awful weather the day before the event. The exhibitor sites were fully booked in advance and industry feedback was extremely positive. The number of repeat bookings this year is

processors, contractors, tree surgeons, landscapers, gardeners, forest and bio energy machinery and equipment manufacturers, timber artisans, conservationists and basically, anyone with an interest in woodland and the wider countryside. In relation to this spread, the show will feature woodland crafts as well as wildlife and conservation bodies.

The show has a strong educational aspect providing the industry and public with a valuable opportunity to obtain information on the indigenous forestry and bio mass industries, and their commercial, recreational and environmental significance.

Stradbally Hall Estate is proving to be a very suitable venue for such an event with its mixed age and species diverse woodland, including the commercial forestry. The estate also boasts a good network of hard roadways suitable for all types and weights of machinery which allowed the 2015 show to go ahead despite some appalling weather prior to the event. The show site pivots around a

“Bio Energy production is becoming increasingly important for Irish growers and with Bord na Mona’s target of half a million tonnes of co–firing bio mass by 2020 there is plenty of scope for expansion from a wide range of alternative fuel crops” evidence of that. Strong demand is emanating in particular from the machinery and advisory sectors with confirmed exhibitors at this stage including John Deere Forestry, Komatsu, Marshall, M.Large, Liffey Distributors – Husqvarna and Oregon, Oakleaf, Woodpecker, Ponsee UK, Murphy Bros, Murray Timber, and Teagac. Komatsu are returning with their forwarder competition.

Bio Energy production is becoming increasingly important for Irish growers and with Bord na Mona’s target of half a million tonnes of co-firing bio mass by 2020 there is plenty of scope for expansion from a wide range of alternative fuel crops.

The ethos of the 2017 show continues to be all encompassing in the sense that it embraces the rather wide range of industry and quasi state bodies which are characteristic of the forestry sector, most if not all attending, with a resultant pooling of resources for the advancement of the industry as a whole, particularly with the renewed interest of investment into forestry both from home and abroad.

The show is aimed at a broad spectrum of visitors and will be of interest and value to a wide range – timber growers, landowners considering the potential of investment in forestry, timber buyers and

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copse which is a natural gathering point with mature oaks ideal for the third Irish National Tree Climbing Championships. Also, Stradbally’s midland position, just under an hour from Dublin, is very convenient for both Irish and international exhibitors.

For more information and up-to-date details on TIMBER 2017 visit www.ifwshow.ie

COMMERCIAL FEATURE

NEW & USED FORESTRY & FIREWOOD MACHINERY

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effrey Borland, Jas P Wilson’s Irish Sales & Demonstrations Manager has now been in this position for three years, following on from decades of experience within the wider industry. In this time he has visited many well known faces from the forestry industry, and also encountered many new faces entering the forestry or firewood marketplace. With the changing demands of this industry, our new machinery range has adapted over this time. This has been done through expanding our product range and encouraging our suppliers to design and build machines specifically for our market requirements. However there has also been a growing demand in the Irish market for reliable used machinery and spare parts; something which JPW are uniquely positioned to provide.

Jas P Wilson have one of Europe’s largest collections of both reconditioned firewood & forest machinery, but also of used

purpose built spare parts warehouses. These parts are ready for dispatch as soon as an order is received ensuring rapid delivery, and minimum downtime for the customer’s machine. This business is well established, with customers calling from international locations on an hourly basis.

As for our growing range of professional new machinery, we are proud to announce that Danish manufactured TP wood chippers have launched an exciting new mobile wood chipper.This powerful 8.5” chipper brings versatility to the 8-inch market with its horizontal feed roller design delivering over 1 tonne of in-feed force! This unsurpassed in-feed is the result of a combination of aggressive ‘shark teeth’ feed rollers, two powerful springs with a strong grip plus the immense in-feed force provided by the TP DUAL TORQUE INFEED™. The last-mentioned factor ensures maximum oil pressure

“We have so much confidence in our used stock, that the majority of machines are covered by a 6 month warranty as standard.This is something usually only reserved for new products!” harvester and forwarder spare parts. Jeffrey has access to this and oil flow to the feed rollers. This in–feed system allows the TP large pool of used machines. They have been taken in as part 215 MOBILE to comfortably and smoothly chip challenging timber, even exchanges from our professional customers across Ireland and with changing diameters, changing species and twisted lengths. the UK. Our skilled team of engineers rebuild these machines For more detail on our product range please visit the from the ground up, ensuring anything that needs changed to following website www.jaspwilson.co.uk. allow them to run like new, gets changed! After an extensive Please contact Jeffrey Borland, our Sales & Demonstration service and repair process, each machine is individually tested Manager on Tel: 0044 (0) 7738 420 477 or in all aspects of performance. We have so much confidence in email: info@jaspwilson.co.uk. our used stock, that the majority of machines are covered by a 6 month warranty as standard. This is something usually only reserved for new products!

In recent months this trend towards getting affordable, yet reliable machinery has seen Jeffrey greatly increase his Irish stock holding.

He has taken a wide range of used firewood saws, processors, kindling machines, trailers and timber cranes to his yard from our main base in South West Scotland. This is where our head office is located, and where the used parts department break harvesters and forwarders covering all the major makes and models! They then test and recondition components before storage in large

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UCD FORESTRY

HARVESTING WOODY RESIDUES AS BIOMASS WOOD Procuring woody harvest residues as biomass wood from forest plantations as part of first thinning operations. Article by Eva Ardao Rivera of UCD.

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Efficient stacking of biomass wood to allow air circulation, so that drying time is reduced and wood rotting is prevented.

hinning is a forest management operation, the main objective of used to create “brash mats” that facilitate machine travel and soil which is to reduce the density of trees in a stand; by increasing protection. However, under certain conditions where machine transit the availability of light and space, remaining trees increase in is not problematic, some of the woody residues could be harvested diameter and the end result is a saleable product of higher value (i.e. a without significantly damaging the qualities of the soil and thereby final crop with a reduced number of larger diameter stems is traditionally increasing the revenue from the thinning operation. more valuable than an unthinned crop where the diameter growth is A study funded by the European Commission, as part of the SIMWOOD spread over a large number of stems). Many forest owners in Ireland Project, aims to address the challenges of wood mobilisation and to are hesitant about thinning their forests, because the costs of procuring identify ways of increasing it. In Ireland, the study region is Southern wood with this management practice can be prohibitively high – the and Eastern Ireland. reasons for this are varied but include the isolated and fragmented Two main questions arise: (1) can woody residues be extracted as nature of some relatively small-scale forest stands.This results in many biomass wood from any given forest? and (2) how much profit can be private forests not being thinned and from which wood is not being expected from this type of harvesting? Several variables are taken into procured. account to assess if procuring biomass wood is appropriate for any An alternative first thinning management, known as “Integrated given forest.Those variables are: age (or size) of trees, soil damage risk Thinning”, which procures woody residues as biomass wood, along and soil nutrient loss risk, distance to biomass end users and tree with traditional first thinning products, can potentially result in higher quality aspects. In the forests where extracting woody residues could profits for the forest owner. Woody residues are those parts of the be appropriate, a tool has been developed to calculate how much of trees that are normally not extracted from the forest i.e. tree tops and the woody residues need to be left in the forest, especially on the branches.These woody residues are normally left on the site and are extraction racks, to protect the soil from being damaged and to prevent nutrient loss. Additionally, to analyse if the operation would be profitable, the prices of each of the assortments and all the costs involved need to be examined, so that forest owners and managers can evaluate which assortments make higher profits.

AGE OR SIZE OF TREES The forests that could potentially undergo a first thinning are those between 15 and 20 years of age. In terms of height, plantations that are circa 11m high could also be good candidates for being thinned.

In the study region there is an area of ca. 40,000 ha of productive forests that are suitable for being thinned. It has been estimated that the potential biomass wood that could be extracted from 1st thinnings Brash mat on extraction rack, where the volume of woody residues left 3 3 on the ground was not sufficient to protect the soil from machine transit. in ROI in 2017 is 211,000 - 285,000 m , of which 37,000 – 62,000 m

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UCD FORESTRY would be woody residues (calculations made with data from COFORD's forecast (2016).

SOIL DAMAGE RISK AND NUTRIENT LOSS RISK Forest harvesting operations have the potential to significantly impact soil physical properties.Tree tops and branches are normally left onsite and during harvesting operations are used to create brash mats on the extraction racks.This can offer a significant level of protection to the soil from damage by machinery transit. Another valuable function of leaving the forest residuals on the ground is that as they decompose, the nutrients within them return to the soil.Therefore, extracting those residuals can sometimes be detrimental to the conservation of an appropriate soil quality and therefore forest productivity.

From the total area of productive forests in the study area that are suitable for being thinned, ca. 38% is located on soils with very high risk of soil damage and ca. 40% is located on soils with very high risk of nutrient loss. When both risks are considered together, ca. 38% of the total area is on very high risk soils. On the other hand, ca. 54% of the area is on low-moderate, low or very low soil damage risks, and ca.

32% of the area is on soils with low or very low risks of nutrient loss.

However, when both risks are considered together, only ca. 28% of the Brash mat on extraction rack, where the volume of woody residues left on the ground was sufficient to protect the soil from machine transit. total area is on low or very low risk soils. purchase woody residues and store them at a depot where they chip them together with the woody residues of other forests, others purchase DISTANCE TO BIOMASS END USERS Biomass wood is often sold as woodchips as well as unprocessed the woody residues and chip them where the boiler is located, and woody residues. In either case, transportation costs can be high and in others purchase the woody residues already chipped so that they can some situations they might be too high to make the whole operation be transported and used right away. profitable as biomass wood is not a particularly high-value product.

TREE QUALITY ASPECTS Within the study area, it was observed that the maximum linear In some cases, the trees of certain plantations have developed stem distance between any forest and any of the large biomass wood end structures that are not appropriate for being processed in conventional users does not exceed 75 km. Biomass end users are diverse; some

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UCD FORESTRY wood processing plants, for example, forked or crooked stems.Additionally, some of the more diverse species planted are not currently demanded by any conventional end user. If this is the case, it may be feasible to extract these trees through an Integrated Thinning. This type of harvesting might be an ideal solution for mixed forests where some of the species planted do not meet the demands of the conventional end users.

INTEGRATED THINNING COSTS There are a number of costs associated with thinning operations. All five assortments (sawlog, palletwood, stakewood, pulpwood and biomass wood), when present, need to be harvested and forwarded Measurements (diameter and length) of the different assortments that (removal from the forest to the roadside), therefore these costs should can be procured from a forest plantation in an “Integrated Thinning”. be considered for all those assortments. However, where woody residues Climatic patterns and weather conditions also play an important role are left in the forest for some months so that the needles can dry out in the amount of woody residues that can be extracted from the and fall off, the forwarding costs will be higher because the second forest. Ideally, harvesting and forwarding operations should occur part of the operation needs to be scheduled separately. Haulage costs during dry weather and the preferred time of the year to start an depend on the distance to the end user and on the weight of each Integrated Thinning is spring, followed by summer and winter. load.The weights will vary significantly depending on the Moisture The way the wood is stacked also has a big influence on the length Content (MC) of the wood (i.e. how wet it is).Therefore, it is convenient of time needed for the wood to dry.There can be costs associated to allow it to dry enough. Generally, large biomass end users will ask with drying out the wood, especially for woody residues. For instance, for biomass wood at approximately 45 % MC. it may be necessary to install security (e.g. cameras, barriers) until the As already mentioned, there are two risks related to the extraction of material is sufficiently dry. Furthermore, in wet areas it is recommended woody residues from the forest: soil damage and nutrient loss. Even for that the wood is covered so that it dries faster and rotting is prevented; the most resistant soil (both in terms of soil damage and nutrient loss) this inevitably results in additional costs. a certain amount of woody residue needs to be left on site to protect In terms of forest access, procuring woody residues requires some the soils from machines and to allow some nutrients to be returned to extra considerations. Forest access might need to be modified or built the soil. At the same time, because some of the woody residues will be from scratch as larger storage areas are needed as are longer turning used as protective brash mats, a certain volume of those woody residues bays to accommodate the additional machinery. will not be usable for biomass production as they will break or rot or Finally, as woodchips are generally hauled in articulated trucks, it is be covered by soil. In order to assess how much woody residue can necessary to check access via the local road network. In some cases, be removed, a tool considering both risks and the recommended local roads are inadequate for these trucks and hence, woodchips can volume of woody residues that needs to be left on the soil has been not be hauled unless non-articulated trucks are used, which again can created. imply additional costs.

“Ideally, harvesting and forwarding operations should occur during dry weather and the preferred time of the year to start an Integrated Thinning is spring, followed by summer and winter” REVENUE RELATED TO PROCURING WOODY RESIDUES As for the average prices, they might vary for a number of reasons you can expect prices to be the highest for sawlog, then palletwood, then stakewood, and then pulpwood and biomass wood.

Economically speaking, it makes sense to try to maximize the value of the thinning operation by selling the most valuable assortments.

However, it should be taken into account that procuring woody residues increases the overall volume extracted from the forest and therefore, can generate higher profits than conventional thinning operations.

A ‘Profit Calculator’ targeted at forest owners and forest managers to assist them in the decision making process is under development.

Maps developed and used for assessing the suitability of “Integrated Thinning” management in the SIMWOOD region

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Images courtesy of Eva Ardao Rivera

COMMERCIAL FEATURE

CLEARED TREES PROVIDE MATERIALS FOR CREATING A LIVING-ROOF ARBOUR we bought the LT40 to offer a milling service to other people and to be more proactive about what we handle.”

He now has a permanent reminder of one of those millings sat in the garden. On top of the structure sits the wild, green roof which exploded with colour throughout a wet and warm English spring.

On top of the joists sit one-inch boards which form the base for the living roof which is waterproofed with a pond liner, then protected with geotextile layer to keep the roof watertight. To improve drainage, flat roof drainage points are glued to the liner and the run off is carried down chains which water the plants at ground level.

Having the main material available and the LT40 to mill the timber eremy Harper has worked as an arborist and commercial site has allowed the project to be extremely cost effective. Jeremy said: clearer which has taken him across the UK to remove unwanted “I priced up what it would cost to build the structure in green oak and trees and hedges, often repurposing would–be waste materials it came to about £3,000. All it has cost us is the time and a bit of fuel.” and giving them a new lease of life.

The end result is not only impressive but something that the whole But he admits that he has surprised himself with a personal project family can enjoy – whether that’s sitting underneath it or weeding to build a living arbour in the garden of the family home in Milton on top of it.

Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England.

Article by Ben Pike, Eve Communications.

He was contracted to a demolished industrial unit to tidy up and preserve the remaining trees and remove any remaining woodland not required. A Leylandii hedge was left and, rather than chopping it up for firewood, he decided to mill it down to the size required for the arbour. He regularly mills wood for customers – creating bespoke sizes suitable for use in building, furniture and wood turning. He uses a Wood–Mizer LT40 mobile sawmill which he bought about five years ago.

“We have been able to cut massive pieces of timber with it – wood that you never thought it would be able to handle. We work on a range of scales, from small pruning jobs to whole site clearances so

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COMMERCIAL FEATURE

DERMOT CASEY TREE CARE LTD. Established in 1972 by Dermot Casey, Dermot Casey Tree Care Ltd. has evolved from modest beginnings to becoming one of Ireland’s largest and most reputable Tree Surgery companies.

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ver the past 40 years, Dermot Casey Tree Care has developed an experienced and highly trained workforce, who delivers first class Tree Surgery and Consultancy services throughout Ireland. They have developed a large client base from long term contracts with ESB and CIE to Local Authorities and domestic customers.

Dermot Casey Tree Care take great pride in having the most competent, qualified staff in the industry.As the work is so specialised, it is necessary for Dermot Casey Tree Care staff to update and refresh their skills on an ongoing basis.

Staff are trained to the highest arboricultural and safety standards and use the most current methods and equipment. As the crews work Nationwide, all certification is checked and monitored by Supervisors and an In–house training programme for all employees ensures that all

Constantly upgrading their equipment and fleet, Dermot Casey Tree Care were the first company in Ireland to introduce insulated platform equipment for working safely around live power lines and the self– propelled AHWI RT400 mulching machine which has been used on major infrastructure operations in the Country over the last decade as well as site clearance & land reclamation contracts for the forestry and agricultural sectors. Always keen to work with the most modern equipment, Dermot Casey Tree Care have invested in purpose built forestry tractors, coupled with felling grapples and 20” self propelled chippers. The use of such equipment can lead to increased production, reduce dependency on manual labour, and reduce time on external services such as Traffic Management. The larger diameter chippers also produce a viable source of Biofuel.

“Staff are trained to the highest arboricultural and safety standards and use the most current methods and equipment” skills are up to date at all times. An In–house Safety Officer is also employed by the Company to carry out ongoing audits of crews, equipment checks and safety briefings.

Dermot Casey Tree Care can offer a “start to finish” tree surgery solution, from formative pruning to Section Felling. They provide a complete Tree Surveys Service to a wide range of customers from private domestic homeowners to Local Authorities, State Boards and Commercial Organizations. Landowners have a duty of care to ensure that regular inspections are carried out to assess the condition of their trees. They carry out Tree Surveys on development sites to the required standards as outlined in BS 5837: 2012 Trees in relation to Design, Demolition and Construction.

Forestry and Tree Surgery by their nature are inherently dangerous industries, and due to this Dermot Casey Tree Care are 100% committed to reducing any risk by the implementation of an active Health & Safety programme. This can take the form of Site Specific Method Statements,Traffic Management Plans or Staff Training.

As part of their continuous improvement, Dermot Casey Tree Care has become one of the first Forestry/Tree Surgery companies in Ireland to achieve the ISO 9001, 14001 & 18001 standard.

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Dermot Casey Tree Care also carries out works as part of ESB Networks Line Vegetation management programme. Experience and accreditations developed with in this sector has enabled them to carry out work in close proximity to overhead networks with a greater degree of safety and confidence. These skills are now transferable into both the commercial and domestic sector.

As part of their continued expansion and development, Dermot Casey Tree Care have expanded into Timber Harvesting, comprising of Corridor Expansion in Esb Networks to thinning and clearfell sites for both private and semi state companies. This investment in training, staff and equipment now leaves Dermot Casey Tree Care well equipped to cater to the expanding private forestry sector. Dermot Casey Tree Care deems environmental protection as a fundamental part of its business and is fully committed to the prevention of pollution and reduction of its carbon footprint. Dermot Casey Tree Care, conducts all its working activities in an energy efficient and environmentally responsible manner and are fully compliant with all applicable legal requirements.

For More Information visit www.dermotcaseytreecare.ie or contact us by telephone 022–55000 or by email at treecare@dermotcasey.com

DEALING WITH STORM DAMAGE

REFORESTATION – RESPONDING TO STORM DARWIN Substantial windblow damage was caused by Storm Darwin in selective pockets in the South of the country. John Casey, Forestry Development Officer, Teagasc, outlines the response.

Recently reforested clearfell site – note windrowed brash on left of picture.

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ormally, storm events in Ireland do not give rise to large scale windthrow. However, the duration and strength of the storms of late 2013 and early 2014, cumulating in Storm Darwin on the 12th of February 2014, led to extensive damage. While estimates put the area damaged at less than 1% of the total forest area, localised the damage was more severe, particularly in Munster & south Leinster.

A Windblow Taskforce established by Forest Service, DAFM, using RapidEye satellite imagery, estimated the area of forest damaged to be in the order of 8,300 hectares. These figures equated to approximately 2 million cubic metres (m3) of timber which is 65% of the total volume of roundwood harvested in 2014 (3.1m m3).

Control of strong vegetation regrowth around newly planted trees is a major challenge on reforestation sites

damaged by storm force winds that occurred between the 5th December 2013 and the 12th February 2014. The level of support under the scheme depends on whether the forest was insured or not for the costs of reconstitution at the time of “the storm”. The budget allocated to the Scheme can provide funding in respect of a total of 2,000 hectares (ha).

In the event of applications received exceeding 2,000 ha, a selection process will be undertaken after the closing date of the 24th February 2017 for receipt of applications.

Scheme details are available from the Department’s website at http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/forestservice/grantsandpremiumsche mes2015-2016/.

Table 1: Estimated area & volume of windblow resulting from Storm Darwin

COSTINGS The challenges attached to reforesting a plantation are similar, whether the replanting is due to premature clearfell or at the end of a particular crop’s rotation. These challenges are• To provide an ideal planting environment • To encourage strong growth of the most suitable trees at the initial Source: Forest Service (2014) reforestation stage • To minimise losses or delays due to vegetation competition, In response to the extensive storm damage a series of well-attended livestock or insect damage. outdoor events was organised by Teagasc and the Irish Timber Growers Many first generation forest owners are, naturally, not aware of the

“The successful reforestation of a clearfelled site begins at the ground preparation stage” Association (ITGA) in association with Coillte and the Forest Service, DAFM, to provide answers to forest owners affected by the storms.

Queries by owners initially centred on windblow site assessment, harvesting operations and the marketing and sale of windblown timber, insurance & taxation. The events also focussed on the reforestation of the damaged areas which is mandatory following clearfelling.

typical activities and costings (see Table 2) associated with reforestation.

These activities include – • Windrowing (brash, lop and top piled in rows typically 10-12m apart) • Mounding • Dipped trees (pre-treated in insecticide) • Planting WINDBLOW RECONSTITUTION SCHEME • Fertiliser In September 2016, a Windblow Reconstitution Scheme was announced, • Fencing (if needed) to provide financial aid to land owners whose plantations were • Spraying for Pine Weevil infestation (subsequent outbreaks)

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DEALING WITH STORM DAMAGE Table 2: Reforestation activities & costings range (€/ hectare)

Bundling and removal of brash from site may be an option but only on better sites where existing site nutrition, ground conditions and environmental conditions allow.The target weight for brash bundling is 20 tonnes/ ha, but this figure can range from 16 to 24 tonnes/ ha. A landowner should aim to remove 75% of the brash, with the remaining 25% consumed by extraction racks, waste, etc. While brash bundling operations may be cost neutral, the main benefit is the resultant tidier nature of the reforestation area, leading to lower site preparation costs.

PLANT QUALITY, QUANTITY & SPECIES

Source: personal communications

Trees should only be bought from a recognised forest nursery and should be ordered, where possible well in advance of planting. The trees should have a strong fibrous root and a straight stem. While more expensive and of limited availability, genetically improved planting stock have be proven to boost growth, stem form & wood properties (Philips and Thompson, 2010).

Table 3 below outlines the stocking & spacing requirements which apply equally to afforestation and reforestation sites.

Note- These prices are net of VAT (if the owner is VAT registered).

If VAT has to be included the rate is 13.5% on all items except the plants, which are rated at 23%. The above figures should be seen as a Table 3: Tree spacing and stocking guide as costings will vary, especially when overheads and supervision cost are factored in.

“A GOOD START IS HALF THE WORK” The successful reforestation of a clearfelled site begins at the ground preparation stage. The type of ground preparation will be dependent on a range of site factors including soil type, slope and drainage status. Brash mats & post-harvest branching are normally tidied up into windrows usually by tracked excavator, with additional drainage or ground preparation such as mounding being carried out between rows, according to the demands of the site. Lessons can be learned from the performance of the previous crop e.g. drainage/ rooting.

Source: Forest Service (2011)

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DEALING WITH STORM DAMAGE The period during which plants remain vulnerable to vegetation and insect pest damage varies considerably depending on plant size and species as well as insect populations. For example, after two growing seasons, Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.)) should no longer be susceptible to weevil damage. Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) (Franco)) on the other hand remains susceptible for several growing seasons (Heritage & Moore, 2001).

FERTILISER Phosphorus is the most commonly applied fertiliser on newly planted trees to promote early tree growth, usually in the form of Ground Rock Phosphate (GRP).Some productive refor sites may have sufficient nutrient levels. Fertiliser must be applied between the months of April and August. This is to maximise fertiliser uptake and minimise the risk of environmental damage. It is highly unlikely that an application of Nitrogen will needed on a site that formerly grew a successful forest crop.

PINE WEEVIL LIFE CYCLE Adult Hylobius (the large pine weevil) may live for up to 4 years and may attack at any time of year when it is warm enough for insect activity. Most Hylobius feeding occurs between early March and November, but there is a tendency for two peaks of damage to occur, one in spring before egg laying and the other in late summer before the adults hibernate underground. The timing of these feeding periods depends on both the physiological condition of the insects and the ambient temperature (Inward et al., 2012). The relative magnitude of these peaks will vary from forest to forest and from year to year, but conditions in 2016 appear to have produced very high numbers.

Figure 1: Weevil life cycle

WEEVIL RISK The Large Pine weevil (Hylobius abietis) is a serious insect pest threat to newly planted trees on reforestation sites in Ireland. In 2016, cases of up to 30% tree plant mortality in reforestation sites were reported to Teagasc advisors were attributed mainly to Hylobius abietis (the large pine weevil) damage. Preventative action against the Pine weevil increases the re-establishment costs substantially through the cost of insecticide application, replacing plants and additional weeding.

Felling a coniferous crop produces a large increase in breeding material for pine weevil, whilst plant material suitable for adult feeding is reduced. Young trees used for restocking are liable to be seriously damaged by adult pine weevils on emergence in the spring.

Feeding on the stem from the root collar upwards damage can completely girdle stems and cause plant death.

TREATMENT No successful means of controlling the population in the stumps is currently available (while non-chemical alternatives are currently being explored and it is still necessary to protect the plants directly through dipping and/ or spraying with the insecticide Cypermethrin.

It is important to note that the knapsack application of Cypermethrin is only effective for approx. 6 weeks so predicting the optimum time of application is critical. A combination of pre-treatment, the use of stronger plants and selective fertilisation can provide greater protection and minimise post planting chemical application.

A ROAD LESS TRAVELLED? Reforestation, whether due to premature or full rotation clearfell, allows forest owners to pause and to consider their options before choosing the next rotation’s path. Perhaps the owners’ objectives have changed or increased to reflect the multi- functional nature of forestry as a whole.

Research in terms of improved species, species mixes and management techniques is on-going. Teagasc’s Forestry Development Department is assisting owners, individually and as groups, to access the latest advice and knowledge, as we all seek to maximise the forestry resource.

Source: Forestry Commission (2004)

Many adult Hylobius can emerge from a single stump and associated root system, resulting in populations as high as 100,000 adults per ha. Most will feed on adjacent mature trees or on weed species on site, but heavy feeding damage on trees planted on reforestation sites is also very likely.The period during which plants remain vulnerable to damage varies considerably, depending on plant size and species as well as insect populations.

Typically, after two growing seasons, Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.)) will no longer be susceptible to damage. Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) (Franco)) on the other hand remains susceptible for several growing seasons (Heritage & Moore, 2001).

METHOD TO PREDICTING A WEEVIL OUTBREAK Stump Hacking-clear the soil away from 1 /4 of a stump, at least 40cm out and 30cm down from soil level. (Include at least one major root and two root- stump junctions). Remove bark from the cleared area using a wood chisel. Count the number of weevil larvae and pupae. Weevil larvae are not segmented or ridged and tend to form a C shape.

Sample at least 5 stumps. If the average count on a site felled more than 12 months is 5 or more per stump then spraying will be necessary. If the count is 1 or less then spraying may not be necessary. If average count is between 1- 5 then check site again during weevil feeding periods (April & August). This method should be viewed as an indicator and is not 100% foolproof.

Figure 2: Images of larva & pupa stages of Hylobius abietis

For information on upcoming events, visit the Teagasc website www.tegasc.ie/forestry or contact your local Teagasc forestry staff.

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference” - Robert Frost.

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Source: Forestry Commission (2004)

COMMERCIAL FEATURE

KEARNEY TRAINING & CONSULTANCY (KTC SAFETY) LTD

€200m funding for Forestry investment from EIB. The European Investment Bank has announced funding of over €200m for forestry related investment in Ireland - the first such investment in 20 years.

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has provided over €15 billion for investment to improve public services and key infrastructure projects.

For more information on these courses or any course we offer contact us on 057-8646619 or info@ktcsafety.ie

t KTC we offer the widest range of Forestry related courses JAPANESE KNOTWEED in Ireland! Certified by City & Guilds NPTC the only Japanese Knotweed is a problematic & invasive species which its certification accepted in the Forestry sector. roots can penetrate walls, foundations, footpaths, roads and has the Courses include: potential to cost millions worth of damage.

• Chainsaw Maintenance & Crosscutting • Polesaw Transport Infrastructure Ireland has unveiled a €5.5m war-chest • Emergency Treework • Static Loader aimed at stopping the spread of Japanese Knotweed on the country’s • Felling up to 150mm • Timber Forwarder national road network alone. If you do find Japanese knotweed, the • Felling up to 380mm • Timber Harvester most important thing that you can do is prevent any further spread • Felling over 380mm • Tree Climbing of the species.

Do not strim, cut, flail or chip the plants as tiny fragments • Felling Utility Poles & Aerial Rescue can regenerate new plants and make the problem even more difficult • Operate a Chainsaw from MEWP • Windblown Trees to manage.

It is also advised not to dig, move or dump soil which may • Operate a Chainsaw from Rope & Harness • Woodchipper contain plant material as this may contribute to its spread.The Currently about 11% of Ireland's land mass is covered with forestry, knotweed can be controlled successfully through the application of well below the European average.The target outlined in the rural appropriate herbicides by a trained & certified competent person. development plan is to bring that up to 17% in the decade ahead.

The new long-term loan from the EIB will be used to invest in two separate projects.

Firstly, a €90m loan will be used to finance the cost of planting, forest management and forest road construction and maintenance over the next four years. Under the new investment, more than 35,000 hectares will be replanted and more than 1,600 km of forest roads will be constructed and upgraded.The scheme will also improve maintenance of 1,000 km of publically accessible walking routes and mountain bike trails.

The second project will support €112m of new investment in privately owned forests across Ireland by Dasos, a pan-European specialist forestry investment firm. Dasos will consolidate Irish forests into a professionally managed portfolio of around 18,000 hectares and finance crucial upgrades to Ireland's forestry infrastructure and consolidation of its management. It will also strengthen the supply of wood for commercial use.

Andrew Doyle, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, said the most recent forecast of timber production on the island of Ireland highlights the maturing nature of this industry where much of the State's investment in past decades is now ready to be harvested.

The European Investment Bank is one of the world’s largest financiers for forests and has invested €4.5 billion in forest related projects across Europe and worldwide over the last five years. Since 1973 the EIB

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At KTC we can offer you training and certification in the application of herbicide for the treatment of Japanese Knotweed.

Our course is an intensive 2 day theory & practical course accredited

by City & Guilds NPTC which is globally recognised certification.

The course is broken down into two components: 1. PA1 - Safe use of Pesticides 2. PA6INJ - Operating Hand Held Pesticide Injection Equipment This certification will cover the operator to treat any invasive species that requires stem injection.

CHAINSAW OCCASIONAL USER We are delighted to announce we are now offering a 3 day chainsaw course with assessment for occasional users.This course would be ideal for farmers, landscapers, maintenance works, home users, groundskeepers and so on.

The unit Chainsaw Maintenance & Operations – Occasional User covers the following: Chainsaw Maintenance, Crosscutting, Felling Trees up to 150mm.

This is a great course for people who do not require the next level of felling up to 380mm but want more than just maintenance & crosscutting.

The course is designed for people with minimal chainsaw experience.

On successful completion candidates will receive a City & Guilds NPTC certificate and card.

FOREST SERVICE

FORESTRY THINNING AND SUPPORT SCHEMES Thinning is the most powerful tool the grower possesses to manipulate the development of the plantation and the quality and log size of the final crop.

BENEFITS OF THINNING

TIMING OF THINNING

Thinning in conifer and broadleaved woodland involves the removal The timing of first and subsequent thinnings depends on the of part of the crop in order to concentrate future volume growth on productivity of the site. fewer and better quality stems.The main aim of thinning is to improve Yield class is used to identify the potential growth rate of plantations. stem quality through the removal of deformed/unthrifty trees and to Yield classes vary from 4 to 30 for conifers depending on species and reduce the time taken for trees to reach valuable sawlog size.Thinning site productivity. is the most powerful tool the grower possesses to manipulate the A yield class of 20 means that the crop has the potential to produce development of the plantation and the quality and log size of the 20 cubic metres (m3) per hectare (ha) per year over a full rotation. final crop.Thinning will improve overall timber revenue by increasing Broadleaved crops have lower yield classes in the range of 4 – 8 m3 the volume of sawlog and final crop trees produced. This is due to per ha per year. The higher the yield class, the greater the growth the fact that larger quality trees generally attract significantly higher rate, the shorter the rotation and the earlier the age of first thinning. prices.

The timing of first thinning is especially important in Ireland due to our windy climate and the wet mineral soils that so often typify TYPES OF THINNING plantations.

In conifer woodlands generally every 7th line of trees is removed If delayed, the crop trees can get drawn up and once opened up with some selection in between. This can vary depending on the site through thinning could render the crop liable to windthrow. The and quality of the crop. In broadleaved woodland thinning will also recommended ages of thinning varies between species and depends involve removing some lines of trees to allow access for machinery on a number of site factors.

Selection of trees involves the removal of deformed, unthrifty and weaker trees throughout the crop.Thinning can be either mechanised For example, the recommended age to thin Sitka spruce can range from 14 to 22 years of age. In young broadleaved woodland, the or motor manual. In mechanised thinning in conifer woodland, a harvester fells, delimbs and crosscuts the stem into various product height of trees is used as a guide and first thinning can take place assortments, e.g. pulpwood, pallet wood, stake wood and sawlog when trees are approximately 8 to 12 metres in height. (usually based on the top diameter and length of the log).The material Forest owners should seek professional advice from a registered forester before making decisions on when and how to thin. is then extracted to roadside by a forwarder.

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FOREST SERVICE

AVAILABLE SCHEMES TO SUPPORT THINNING OPERATIONS FOREST ROADS SCHEME

The WIS is 100% funded by the Exchequer and is approved by the EU as part of the Forestry Programme 2014 -2020. A fixed grant of up to €750 per hectare is available as a single payment under the Scheme.

Forest roads enhance the economic viability of forests primarily by improving access for thinning and clearfell operations. In addition, DETAILS OF THE SCHEMES AND GRANTS MAY forest roads also provide areas for stacking, drying and chipping of BE OBTAINED FROM: wood. Forest roads also improve the environmental and biodiversity Approvals Section, Forest Service, value of forests by increasing edge effects, improve access to deal Department of Agriculture, with fire and allow for better health and safety by providing access Food and the Marine, Johnstown Castle Estate, Co. Wexford, for emergency vehicles.

Y35 PN52 Grants of up to 100% of eligible costs incurred in the construction Tel: 053 9163400 or 0761 064415 of a forest road are available and are paid in a single instalment. The Email: forestyappenq@agriculture.gov.ie maximum grant rate available is €40 per linear metre and the Website:www.agriculture.gov.ie/forestservice/grantsandpremiu maximum density of road is 20m/ha. For example a 20 hectare forest mschemes2015-2016/

“Forest owners should seek professional advice from a registered forester before making decisions on when and how to thin” could receive grant aid to construct a road 400 metres in length and REQUIREMENT FOR FELLING LICENCE receive funding of up to €16,000.

The felling of trees is regulated by the Forestry Act 1946 and a Additional supports under this scheme are available for bellmouth felling licence is required. The Forestry Act 2014, enacted in October entrances, connecting roads and special construction works.

2014, will, when commenced, replace the Forestry Act 1946. The requirement for a Felling Licence will remain under the Forestry Act WOODLAND IMPROVEMENT SCHEME: 2014.

THINNING AND TENDING OF BROADLEAVES The ‘Woodland Improvement Scheme: Thinning and Tending’ (WIS) provides financial support for woodland improvement work associated with tending and thinning of young broadleaved woodland planted under grant aided afforestation schemes.

The broadleaf thinning and tending operations allow the improvement of existing grant aided woodlands.

Application forms are available from: Felling Section, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Johnstown Castle Estate, Co. Wexford, Y35 PN52. Tel: 053 9170371 Email: felling.forestservice@agriculture.gov.ie Department’s website: www.agriculture.gov.ie/forestservice/treefelling/

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COMMERCIAL FEATURE

OAKLEAF FORESTRY IS THE NAME FOR LOW IMPACT FORESTRY MACHINERY Oakleaf Forestry are the main importer for leading brands such as Vimek, Hypro, Palax and Kesla to name a few.

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akleaf Forestry supply low impact harvesting and extraction estates and parkland where ground damage is a primary concern. machinery to allow smaller scale woodland management Vimek is the leading name in small scale forestry, manufacturing to be both more environmentally friendly and profitable. a range of tough, reliable, fuel efficient machines that are easy to When working on smaller woodlands, Landowners and Contractors operate and more importantly, easy on the forest. had been using larger machines which often were too big and The Hypro 755 is one of the more popular models selling well too heavy for the ground they were working on. in the UK and Ireland. This particular model is a tractor processor Thinning is a vital management tool required to ensure that the with its own crane, which has a reach of seven metres and a forest realises its full potential future value and also provides the 50m radio controlled winch. Both the crane and the bed processor landowner with an income and small diameter round wood for can rotate 280°, allowing you to operate on both sides. the firewood and biomass market. When using the bigger machines The machine has a radio controlled winch which can operate they sometimes cannot get close enough to carry out effective from both sides. It’s a very versatile machine that is popular with thinning and they make a mess of trees and the terrain and damage contractors and in large estates who do not want large machines the root systems on the retained trees. damaging the land. Most of those who go for this machine have their Oakleaf Forestry is the UK and Irish importer and distributor own tractors so it can be used whenever they wish. It is great for for a range of wood processors from Swedish maker Hypro. Since contractors and estates that have tractors that are being used its formation in 1987, Hypro has been a leader in technology and for other jobs as the Hypro can be hooked up and going within development of tractor based timber processors. Many smaller a few minutes whenever the need arises.

“Oakleaf Forestry can supply a full turnkey solution depending on our customers’ needs” growers really only had the option of hand cutting, which is very labour intensive or bringing contractors big heavy machines for harvesting and processing their woods.

However, the range of machines Oakleaf Forestry offer provides another more effective and in turn profitable way. There is much less damage to the trees and to the ground using the smaller more efficient machines. Plus they cost a lot less to buy and run!

Oakleaf supplies the Vimek range of forwarders including the lightweight Vimek 606TT, the bigger 610 model and a small purpose built harvester.

Made in Sweden the Vimek range is in use all over the world and is very popular with the smaller contractors, especially in

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The Hypro 300 is a three point linkage mounted thinning processor which completes its tasks fast despite its small dimensions and light weight at only 700 kg. It has its own hydraulic system where the pump is mounted directly on the tractor. The machine has a load sensing system which provides a smooth handling experience and flow control to deliver the right amount of power on demand.

This machine does an excellent job with de-limbing and cutting diameters of up to 30 cm.The processor is fitted with a very powerful and fast cutting saw which cuts so quickly that the log does not have time to drop before the chain has passed through the stem. It has an integrated hydraulically driven winch for loading which is done via a radio controller.

Carrying out forestry conversions such as fitting Kesla Harvester Heads to Excavators with the necessary guarding etc and fitting Kesla Cranes to tractors is becoming a very important part of the business.

Oakleaf Forestry can supply a full turnkey solution depending on our customers’ needs, from advising on the right crane for your application or matching the right head for your digger to sourcing the base machine for the customer and completing all the conversion work. Kesla cover a wide range of forestry machinery from drag trailers, drive trailers, timber loaders, chippers, harvesting heads both stroke and roller.

For more information on any of the equipment supplied visit www.oakleafforestry.com

COMMERCIAL FEATURE

ROBINSON DISTRIBUTION LTD Established in Portarlington, Ireland in 2004, Robinson Distribution Ltd. has continuously expanded and developed into a market leading trailer and crane manufacturer, supplying an ever growing customer base in the transport and forestry sector across Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe.

As a business we continuously innovate by applying cutting edge design aligned to the specific and changing requirements of each trailer’s function with the aim of saving fuel, maximising payloads, increasing manoeuvrability and flexibility, improving safety whilst ensuring we comply with all legal regulations Our focus is on building the highest quality trailers to the highest manufacturing standards. We achieve this through a combination of: Engineering & Design Excellence, Advanced Technology, A Wealth of Experience

OUR CUSTOMER MISSION

BACKGROUND

The company now boasts an ever increasing customer base across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Our goal is to support our customers in their goal of purchasing trailers and equipment that will provide a strong return on investment and augment the success of their business.

Robinson is an ambitious family owned and managed business with a TRAILERS & CRANES long and proud history of transport, agri–products and forest Robinson manufactures a wide range of trailers and cranes, all machinery.Throughout its history, Robinson’s has been an innovative designed to meet the specific needs of our customers, with company with continuous research and development being at the specifications across three main categories including; core of the business. Our track record of trailer and crane design and On Road Trailers: Bulk Tipper Trailers, Platform Trailers, Container Trailers manufacture provides us with a strong competitive advantage in terms of Timber Trailers: Centre Axle Drawbar Trailers, Semi–Trailers, Super new product development. All our trailers and cranes are designed and Structures, Turntable Trailers customised by our team of experienced engineers. Each product is Cranes: The company also supplies, custom manufactures and fits manufactured to meet the specific needs of the operator which is backed cranes, including brands such as Robinson, Loglift, Kesla, Liv. up by our strict quality procedures. Our attention to detail enables us to Our new timber cranes are now operating out in the Irish forestry build a product that will simply outlast others with superior strength industry with very positive feedback from our customers. We and durability. manufacture two models of crane to choose from, a 9 tonne and Our success has been built on an ethos of serving our customers a 12 tonne. These both come in a single and double extension with quality transport solutions, efficiency, and reliability and also model. Our cranes have the highest quality finish with investments by ensuring there is a complete focus on customer satisfaction at in our own forms for castings in Scandinavia, Swedish Steel, Parker the core of everything we do.

Hydraulics, Indexator Rotators and Links, Tamtron and Maxi Cap Weighting Systems and high power LED working lights. The high FACILITIES & COMPETENCIES With ongoing investment, research and development; the company standard of finish extends to the main components as they are blasted, primed and painted which presents a huge advantage over competing has continuously developed a modern manufacturing facility designed to manage the expectations of today’s transport sector. products. Robinson also supply their own grapple with its crane. This Our state of the art production plant is one of the most modern is a Robinson 42 Grapple which has a gripping area of 0.42m2. trailer manufacturing facilities in Ireland.

Robinson’s also manufacture their own Robinson One Piece Timber

“Our state of the art production plant is one of the most modern trailer manufacturing facilities in Ireland” Bunk.These are made of specialised Swedish Steel. Due to the weight and price of the Robinson Bunks, they can now compete aggressively in the market place, making them very popular with customers.

CONTACT US TODAY For a discussion about your needs and how Robinson would be pleased to assist you, please call us today on Tel: 057 86 24832 or email scott@robinsondistribution.ie You can visit our website on www.robinsondistribution.ie

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FORESTRY & ENERGY REVIEW

PRODUCT NEWS

THE T-WINCH T-Winch from Ecoforst represents a revolution in steep slope working for all forms of wheeled and tracked machinery.

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he T-Winch is an automatic traction assistance winch that can assist all forms of equipment to work safely on any sloping ground. The T-Winch detects the applied force on the winch cable and adjusts the winch power to ensure optimum assisted vehicle stability and traction. The T-Winch also utilises 3 unique braking systems to hold the attached vehicle securely onto the slope during upward and downward slope movement.

T-Winch 10.1 is powered by a 107KW Iveco diesel engine which in turn drives a twin pump hydraulic system. The hydraulic system in the T-Winch is a closed circuit system with variable displacement pumps and motors working at 420bar controlled by a PLC which allows instantaneous adjustment to load demands from the winch system.

The winch systems utilises full engine hydraulic braking combined with a 6 calliper circumferential disc brake on the cable drum followed THE USE OF THE T-WINCH HAS THE by and emergency mechanical differential lock up brake on drum FOLLOWING BENEFITS: drive. These 3 systems of winch drum control and load holding - Increased safe slope angle and terrain work-ability of standard equipment provide unsurpassed slope safety for the supported attached - Improved stability and increased work rate and overall productivity machine or vehicle.

- Reduced strain and damaged to assisted vehicle drive train T-Winch is mounted and a tracked undercarriage that is specifically - Reduced fuel consumption designed to work in challenging forestry conditions with special - Reduced environmental damage slope work track pads and extra track chain rollers the drive line - Reduced operator fatigue provides a tracking effort of 55KN and has tracking speed up to 4.5km/h.

The compact design and heavy duty construction of the T-Winch T-Winch is produced by Ecoforst an Austrian company that was combined with its high performance forestry undercarriage and founded to design and develop innovative equipment for forestry

“The compact design and heavy duty construction of the T-Winch combined with its high performance forestry undercarriage and impressive front mounted bulldozer blade allows the T-Winch to access areas that other machines cannot attempt” impressive front mounted bulldozer blade allows the T-Winch to applications. The background of the key team members in Ecoforst access areas that other machines cannot attempt. The proportional are all from a forestry contracting background therefore the equipment remote controlled tracking system allows the operator to achieve has been designed with significant knowledge and experience and the optimum positioning and site setup for the T-Winch. The addition true actual application requirements of an auxiliary logging winch allows the T winch to be a truly universal Not only is the application of the traction winch a considerable additional resource in any forestry contracting operation. cost saving for equipment owners because of the verifiable T-Winch model 10.1 provides 80KN of pulling force and therefore reduction of fuel consumption, but the use of T-WINCH also over 80 KN of tractive assistance. The main winch contains 500m of represents an environmentally-conscious approach in the field of 18.5mm diameter cable with minimum braking strain of 369KN. timber harvesting.

The cable is feed through a unique auto spooling system that For further information contact Bioequipment Ltd ensures optimum cable tension at all times during operation. The on Tel: 01685810148, winch cable is passed through the auto spooling system which is Email: info@bioequipmentltd.co.uk or visit mounted within the front bulldozer blade of the T-Winch. the website www.bioequipmentltd.co.uk

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FORESTRY & ENERGY REVIEW

PRODUCT NEWS WHY THERMAL MASS HEATERS SHOULD BE IN YOUR PLANS surface temperature of the heater being much lower than that of a steel or cast iron stove.

• High efficiency due to the concentrated, reflected heat within the combustion chamber.With much higher temperatures than conventional steel or cast iron stoves gasification is achieved faster for potentially carbon neutral emissions and more environmentally friendly operation.

• Reduced loading times due to stored heat.As the heat is gradually distributed from the thermal mass the fire does not need to be in constant operation ensuring the user can enjoy the heat without constant supervision. he masonry heater is an age old concept going back hundreds of • Having a stone / ceramic fire in your living space creates a more years in Scandinavia and Europe as well as the USA and Canada.The natural feel and becomes more of a part of the room and home. Often a concept is simple, create a high combustion temperature for maximum masonry heater will become the heart of the home due to these efficiency then channel the waste gases through heat absorbent material characteristics and those who have used them are much less to reduce wasted heat loss to the atmosphere.The heat is then stored in likely to revert to conventional products. the material and then slowly released over a time period dependent on The Ecco Stove® has been in development over the last 7 years the retention properties of the material (The Silicon Carbide Ecco and is rising fast as an alternative solution to the traditional stove Stove® E678 will still release 25% of its charged heat 12 hours after the by those looking to get more out of their fire. Manufactured in fire has gone out). the UK and exported to Belgium, France, Germany, Japan, USA & The benefits of this type of heating are high.

Canada with certification for both EN13240 and EN15250 in • Lower chimney maintenance requirements due to low emissions Europe along with EPA exemption and the Washington and and reduced heat loss and condensation which can cause the chimney Colorado EPA parallel in America and also satisfying Din Plus in lining to break down give a longer life span to the flue system.

Germany (further testing listed on the website).

• As stone, Silicon Carbide, ceramics and similar heat retaining products If you would like to find out more about thermal mass release the heat over a longer period of time without overwhelming the heating and further benefits they can provide you can go room by the sudden and rapid change in temperature of the living space. to the Ecco Stove ® website www.eccostove.com • A safer environment is created for pets and children due to the Email: sales@eccostove.com or Tel: +44 1527 857814.

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FORESTRY & ENERGY REVIEW

PRODUCT NEWS PAT LEE ELECTRICAL PUMPS & ENGINEERING grown on the land around the house, while the homes can be chilly without sufficient heating. Pat Lee Logburners have transformed the lives for these people giving them warm and comfortable surroundings where they no longer have to be carefully turning down thermostats and turning off radiators. The boilers are designed and made in Ireland to suit people who have access to timber and this obviously includes those engaged in forestry.

Thinnings can be used to fuel our boilers as, providing the timber is seasoned, it will be an ideal source of energy for heating.

The boilers are robust and have roomy fireboxes that will allow timber up to 36” long, so logs do not have to be cut to small lengths but can be left longer.

The boiler is installed outside in a shed or garage, usually together with a buffer vessel that allows the boiler to be used as a batch burner and loaded once a day. The boiler charges the buffer vessel with energy and this heat source is then used to supply heat to the radiators and hot water cylinder as required. The buffer vessel improves the efficiency of the boiler and allows the heating system to work from a timeclock.

Forest owners can be self-sufficient in securing their own fuel supplies and planning for the future, independent of fossil fuels. at Lee Electrical Pumps & Engineering manufacture a range You can fly the green flag as timber is a carbon neutral fuel and of Logburners to heat the homes and commercial premises of customers all over Ireland, the UK and indeed further afield. so is not a net contributor to greenhouse gasses, also timber is The boilers range is from 46kw – 500kW and so is capable of usually used locally as a fuel source and transport is not an issue. meeting the requirements of virtually any application. These boilers If you are interested in discussing this range of Irish are installed to heat cottages, holiday villages, large country homes made, robust logburners, then contact Pat Lee Electrical and to dry grain commercially. Large country homes in particular Pumps & Engineering Ltd at Tel: 059 6481370. benefit from biomass boilers as the fuel source is accessible and Email: info@patlee.ie Website: www.patlee.ie

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FORESTRY & ENERGY REVIEW

NEWS LAUNCH OF PILOT FORESTRY KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER GROUP O

amongst participants of the value of their forest and, in particular, the potential value of biomass. Three existing forestry groups are taking part in the pilot and there will be multiple KTGs within n 1st March Andrew Doyle TD, Minister of State at the Department each group; these forestry groups cover counties Limerick,Tipperary, of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for Clare and Donegal. It is intended that the pilot will have up to forestry, launched a pilot Knowledge Transfer Group scheme for 300 forest owners participating across 15 KTGs. forestry at the AGM of Limerick and Tipperary Woodland Owners The Minister of State acknowledged the input of the Group, Ltd., in Hollyford, Co. Tipperary. noting, “My Department had done extensive research on the Introducing the new pilot scheme, Minister of State Doyle commented, feasibility of KTGs for forestry during 2015 but it was a result of “Management of your forest asset enhances your ability to derive a meeting between the Limerick and Tipperary Woodland Owners a good return. While there are a number of support schemes group and my Department back in June last year that the idea of available from my Department such as the Forest Roads Scheme, a KTG for forestry started to take shape. I understand that this my Department is also seeking to assist forest owners in other group along with the other forestry groups involved in the pilot, ways. One way is the development of a Knowledge Transfer with the assistance of Teagasc, have been contributing to the Group (or ‘KTG’ as they are known in other sectors) for forestry, development of the scheme.” the pilot scheme of which we are launching here today. By removing He also commented on another initiative by his Department in the knowledge gap that exists amongst some forest owners, the the area of Forest Certification and the recent launch of the new Department hopes to assist forest owners to become forest “Felling Guidance Tool” which aims to help maximise returns ‘managers’. Forests managed pro-actively by their owners will, I from forestry. In concluding his address to the Group, he added, believe, result in more productive and more sustainable forests.” “We currently have forest cover of 10.5% of Ireland’s land area, The pilot project is to test the feasibility of a Knowledge Transfer compared to the EU average of 34%. We are working together to Group (KTG) scheme for forestry, the focus of which will be on expand this forest area in a sustainable way so that the many mobilisation of timber and biomass and will be modelled closely benefits that it brings can be realised to the full extent possible. on the Department’s existing Knowledge Transfer Groups for You, as forest owners, and this Group make a huge contribution beef, sheep and other sectors of agriculture. The aim of the KTG to achieving that objective and I am sure that our efforts, combined scheme is to increase the level of forest management activity with those of others in the sector, will assist in the ongoing amongst participating forest owners, and to increase awareness development of forestry in Ireland.”

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COUNTY TRACTORS: COMMERCIAL FEATURE

COUNTY TRACTORS – IN THE BLOOD AT OSBORNE have the best restoration credentials bar none.

Restoring these unique tractors forms an integral part of Osborne companies, AT Osborne Ltd rebuilds and repairs County tractors, sells and maintains Moheda trailers/cranes and Fransgård winches, and does general forestry and agricultural engineering. County Tractor Spares Ltd supplies spares for all models of County. This company doesn’t simple supply off-the-shelf parts though. If necessary they will engage specialist companies to manufacture parts from the original drawings, and they will even build things like wiring looms in house from the original spec components.

Mark told me that although they can and do build new wiring looms that are much better than the originals, the popularity of the County tractor range as show machines means that they still produce looms that are exact copies of the originals, although some of the components are of a higher standard whilst retaining the same outward appearance. He showed me a batch of looms that were just about to be dispatched to New Zealand.

The restorations are carried out in a very atypical fashion nowadays.

The client is given full control over how the work proceeds. Everything is discussed as the work progresses, nothing is done without reference to the client and nothing is taken for granted. This leads to the ounty tractors – most contractors will have had one, when finished tractor being exactly as the owner wants it to be, within we were doing endless small thinning and people were falling their specified budget. over themselves to have a go at felling timber.

Mark’s knowledge is truly encyclopaedic and he is a very entertaining It has been remarked to me over the years that Osbornes (as conversationalist. Mark gave me a good insight into the way the the company is usually known) is quite low-key as companies go. Osbornes work. He explained that at one time he had a full team This is borne out by their premises; it all looks a little rural and of 17 staff and he spent much of his time chasing work to keep

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“Mark’s knowledge of county tractors is truly encyclopaedic” maybe slightly secretive. The premises are actually the family farm, but as with everything about Osbornes, the surprises keep coming, and once I got through the gates and into the workshops, I quickly realised everything I was seeing fitted perfectly with my own ideas about business.

AT Osborne doesn’t do razzamatazz. There’s no fancy buildings, no flashy signs and nothing wasted on trying to make false impressions.

The workshop space is full of things needed to do the job. The stores are full of parts, and the main office has what the staff need to provide a good, efficient service, to clients who get in touch from all over the world for parts and advice for all things County. The gem though, for me, was Mark Osborne’s office, where he holds all the engineering drawings from the original County design and production department. It is from these originals, some of them dating back to that bleak period just after the Second World War, that they can reproduce any of the original County tractor components, whether it be the smallest cable bracket or the almost 700kg front end weight they were preparing to fit to the 1474 undergoing a full restoration in the workshop.

In the enormous workshop building there were three tractors undergoing total restoration – an 1124-7F that was being prepared for a client in Yorkshire, an 1164-8F and the 1474 that was just a skid frame. This was the one that had been missing its front weight, a substantial 660kg casting that had been created from the drawings by a specialist foundry in the midlands, it was a hugely impressive piece of workmanship with a similarly impressive price tag, but is a unique item that just wouldn’t be available at any price without the dedication of the people at Osbornes.

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them all busily employed. From time to time, he would price work at a loss, buying work I call it. He realised that they couldn’t continue doing that, so now he prefers to pick and choose the jobs his smaller, more efficient operation takes on. It’s a view I take too, so I find it difficult to argue. I really admire the way the businesses mesh together too, especially the restoration and the parts business.

Where else can you find a company doing global business and restoring vintage machinery out of the same premises?

AT Osborne Limited. Telephone: 0044 2380 814340 or 0044 2380 814343