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Forestry & Energy REVIEW Volume 11 Issue 1 Spring/Summer 2021 Price €4.95. £4.50 (Stg)

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Foreword/Contents/Credits

Forestry & Energy REVIEW Volume 11 Issue 1 Spring/Summer 2021

Features 14 A Key Moment in Time For The Survival And Recovery of Irish Forestry

Teige Ryan Director Of None So Hardy sets out the massive damage caused to their nursery by the complete collapse of afforestation in Ireland. Solutions outlined include streamlining the approval system, a planning grant to enable satisfactory completion of environmental reports and an overall customer service charter.

20 Smartdeer Project

A new smart approach to monitor deer populations in Ireland and set the scene for all Island, evidencebased deer management. A team from UCD have set out to map the distribution of deer across the country with the assistance of the relevant stakeholders and the general public can also participate.

28 - Forests, Climate Change and the Green Deal

42 Forestry In Focus

Foreword

elcome to the Spring/Summer Edition of Forestry & Energy Review Magazine. Many forest owners, particularly those of a certain age, find it impossible to understand why it is so onerous to get licences for tree felling, road building etc. Having been encouraged to plant forests 25-35 years ago with the express intention of harvesting those forests they cannot understand why they are now facing so many obstacles. Forestry Def: “the craft, science and practice of managing trees for a specified purpose” as used by Jo O Hara. In this case the specified purpose is harvesting of those trees. “In 2018 over one million cubic metres of roundwood was harvested from private forests and this Is set

Publisher: Denis Lane Tel. + 353 91 777222 Email: dlane@dawnmedia.ie Production: Derbhile Dromey Colin Brennan Contributors: Larry Cummins (Pic Accreditation, The Examiner) Noel Kennedy Teagasc Ciaran Nugent DAFM

Marie Doyle UCD Sarah Keenan UCD Charles Harper UCD Killian Murphy UCD Virginia Morera-Pujol UCD Barry Macmahon UCD Dr Simone Ciuti UCD Maarten Nieuwenhuis UCD Tom Kent WIT Tom Houlihan Teagasc Michael Somers Teagasc John Casey Teagasc OLIVER Sheridan Teagasc Jonathan Spazzi Teagasc Dr. Ian Short Teagasc Dr. James Moran GMIT

A Brief outline of the changing role of Forests in our landscape and lives towards 2050 by Fergus Moore (Head of Division, Forest Sector Development) The role of Forestry in achieving a carbon neutral continent by 2050.

to increase to nearly 5 million cubic metres by 2035.” These trees are already in the ground. With the best will In the world the present system cannot be expected to cope, not only with the backlog, but with this increase in demand, not to mention the planned increase in afforestation. The system needs to be simplified, streamlined, properly resourced and automated. Too many livelihoods depend on it. Hoping you all keep safe during these challenging times. We trust you enjoy reading this publication which will continue to provide a voice for the Forestry and Energy sectors. The Publisher Forestry & Energy Review

Dr. Daire Ó hUallacháin UCD Dr. John Finn UCD John O’Connell LTWO Jonathan Sykes LTWO Fergus Moore DAFM Eugene Curran DAFM Dr Kathryn O Donoghue FOCS Teige Ryan None So Hardy Jack Brehony WIT Conor Noonan WIT Declan Little Coillte Nature

Distribution: EM News Newspread Published by: Dawn Media Ltd, 2 Barrack St Clarinbridge Co Galway Tel. + 353 91 777 222 Email: dlane@dawnmedia.ie

Forest Owners CO-OP: Dr Kathryn O Donoghue calls for the Government to address the needs of the Forestry Sector as seen from the perspective of existing, and potential, farm forest owners. In particular the Forestry sector needs to get a fair hearing in CAP negotiations.

44 The Irish Birch Improvement Programme Improving the genetic quality of one of our best loved native trees. Improvements in the genetic quality of our native Birch trees is raising its profile as an important native species for planting under the Afforestation Scheme writes Oliver Sheridan, Broadleaf Researcher, Teagasc.

54 Afforestation Of Cutover Peatlands In Ireland

This project by Coillte Nature and Bord na Mona has the potential to be the largest native woodland area in Ireland. Jack Brehony, Conor Noonan, Tom Kent of WIT, and Declan Little of Coillte Nature explain the detail.

60 Project Woodland

Developing a New Framework For Irish Forestry. By DAFM Forestry Division.

64 Implementation of the Mackinnon Report

Advice to the Minister of State For Land Use and Biodiversity on improving the delivery of forestry licensing processes. This advice was adopted in full by the Minister. This report by Jo O Hara tackles the issues identified by Mackinnon and suggests pathways to progress on everything from a changing Eu regulatory framework to bottlenecks in processing of permits. It is best read in conjunction with the previous article Project Woodland.

All material contained in this edition is copyright of Forestry and Energy Review 2021 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.

Forestry&Energy

News

2027 Forestry Road Map

A new Teagasc 2027 Sectoral Road Map for Forestry has been published. It was one of a new series of Teagasc Sectoral Roadmaps 2027 published in 2020. Described as a “best estimate projection” of where each sector is headed based on the current known mix of economic, social and policy, the Sectoral Road Map for Forestry addresses: • The shape and size for the forestry sector • Environmental and land use implications • Technical performance of the forestry sector Based on the sectoral issues addressed the road map summary comments are: • By 2030, national timber output has the potential to reach 6.6 million m3 per annum, and to continue increasing thereafter. • The wood energy market is well developed and technologies are being adopted to optimise the benefits of engineered wood, value-added wood constituents and forestry side-streams to the

• • • •

bioeconomy. The non-timber benefits of forestry have enhanced importance and value. These include environmental services, tourism and recreation. The collaborative actions of forest owner groups through knowledge transfer (KT) has led to the adoption of sustainable management practices. More private forests close to thinning stage are certified, demonstrating sustainable forest management to the market. There is increased awareness of both short-term and long-term environmental and economic consequences associated with various tree species and their management system requirements.

To view the Teagasc 2027 Forestry Sectoral Road Map and the other Teagasc Sectoral Road Maps go to https://www.teagasc.ie/ publications/2020/teagasc-sectoral-roadmaps-2027.php

Teagasc Forestry Events Calendar 2021

Date

Event

Venue

April 12 – 23, 2021

Virtual Forest Walks 2021: why it is essential to care for young forests

Nationwide webinars - Registration before your local event is required. See: www.teagasc.ie/virtualforestwalks

June 15, 2021

Talking Timber – Marketing Conifers

Webinar or local venue

July 20, 2021

Managing Broadleaves Event

Webinar or local venue

August 08, 2021

Tullamore Show 2021

Blueball, Tullamore, Co. Offaly

September 15 - 18, 2021

National Ploughing Championships

Ratheniska, Co. Laois

October 07, 2021

Talking Hardwoods – Marketing Broadleaves

Webinar or local venue

October 21, 2021

Thinning Conifers Event

Webinar or local venue

Forestry&Energy

2019-2020

News

Towards integrated pest management for pine weevil in Ireland

anaging Pine Weevil Methods and Options’ is a new publication in the Teagasc Farm Forestry Series. This publication is a practical guide for professional foresters and forest owners on the most appropriate methods of establishing trees on a reforestation site in the context of potential damage to trees by the large pine weevil (Hylobius abietis). The Large Pine weevil is one of the most important economic pests in Irish forests. With the area of clearfelling and subsequent reforestation set to increase dramatically, particularly in the private sector, as total timber production is forecast to increase to 6.6 million cubic metres by 2030, this is a timely and important publication. This publication is an output of the project “Towards integrated pest management for pine weevil in Ireland” and was funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Competitive Research Funding Programmes with support from Coillte. The leaflet outlines • The lifecycle of the pine weevil • Risk factors and methods to decrease the risk of pine weevil damage • ‘Stump hacking’ methodology to monitor risk of damage (including a stump hacking recording form) • Protection methods against damage using Integrated Pest Management Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the coordinated use of multiple control agents and other control factors in a way that minimises economic, environmental and health risks. Everyone using plant protection products must adhere to the principles of IPM to minimise the overall levels of plant protection products used. In the case of pine weevil, silvicultural practices can often avoid damage while chemical protection should only be used when no other possibilities would be successful.

L-R Frances McHugh, Teagasc, Frauke Fedderwitz, Teagasc and Ken Sweeney, Coillte with the new Teagasc “Managing Pine Weevil” publication Pine weevil damage -Substantial tree plant mortality occurs regularly in Irish conifer reforestation sites. These losses are attributed mainly to damage caused by the large pine weevil as it feeds on the bark of young trees. Felling a conifer crop produces a large number of freshly cut stumps which are ideal breeding material for pine weevil. Young trees planted for reforestation are liable to be heavily attacked by the newly emerging adult pine weevils feeding on the stem from the root collar upwards and this can cause plant death. European estimates indicate that the pine weevil is the most important pest of reforestation sites in Europe. Managing Pine Weevil – Methods and Options (Teagasc Farm Forestry Series No.24) can be found at https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/ Ecosystem services crops/forestry/advice/Managing-Pine-Weevil---Methods-and-Options. pdf . Alternatively hard copies of the leaflet can be obtained by emailing your names and postal address to emer.eagle@teagasc.ie.

Carbon sequestration is the net removal from the atmosphere of carbon dioxide (CO2), and its storage in plant biomass and the soil. It is estimated that the net removal of carbon in Irish forests from the atmosphere is 3.6 MT CO2 per year. Establishing a farm forest can contribute to the global environment and benefit the farm in terms of carbon sequestration.

Launch of New Teagasc Forest Carbon tool ARBON STORAG

If a forest is clear-felled and replanted, significant levels of carbon can be stored in the harvested timber if used in construction (e.g. roof of a house). Carbon can also be released and recaptured as the new forest grows again. Forests offer carbon storage through on-site storage, removal from harvested wood products and emission avoidance by substitution of fossil fuel energy.

How does the Forest Carbon work? The Forest Carbon Tool takes user-defined descriptive information on the forest and combines it with existing growth models to estimate potential carbon storage over the lifetime of the forest. This tool provides indicative information only and is not intended to provide definitive estimates on any particular forest. Landowners, farmers and forestry companies who are thinking of planting land can use the tool to estimate the potential volume of carbon that forestry might sequester. It can be varied if they wish to model with different species types or afforestation schemes, for example, to model conifers and broadleaves on different land types, soils and grant category including agroforestry. For farmers this information The Forest Carbon Tool will also have important awareness raising and decision support functions, providing indicative data on the role of different planting options and their capacity to contribute to farm level mitigation. The tool will also contribute to the provision of general information on the capacity of forests to store carbon. It also highlights the complexities and challenges of estimating carbon across different species, soil types and ages. 6

Forestry&Energy

C Indicative C- sequestration The planting of new forests is a highly significant land-based measure to help CO2 address the effects of climate change. Forests play an important role in the capture O2 and removal of carbon dioxide from the C C C atmosphere and subsequent storage in forests biomass and soils, a process called sequestration. The model indicates that mean annual sequestration rates can range from 1 to 9 tonnes of CO2 per hectare and is influenced by the species, age and soil types entered. Importantly the Forest Carbon tool highlights that all types of forestry have a key role to play in mitigating climate change. Conifer species can return high sequestration rates especially when harvested wood products are taken in account while broadleaved forests also cumulatively remove large amounts of CO2 over their lifetime. Carbon sequestration is one of a range of important services being provided by sustainably managed forests. These include timber production, water quality protection, landscape and biodiversity enhancement. Factors such as landowner’s objectives, species choices and forest management approaches are central to determining the specific mix of services that farm forests can provide. This is the first iteration of the Forest Carbon Tool and incorporates a range of assumptions and system boundaries for the data provided. There is an ongoing need to further develop knowledge on the impact of a range of factors such as forest types, species choices, rotation lengths and management approaches on sequestration potential. To this end, it is anticipated that updates and enhancements can be incorporated into future iterations as new data and research becomes available. E

In January, the Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for forestry, Senator Pippa Hackett launched Teagasc’s new Forest Carbon Tool. Forests play a major role in the capture & removal of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The new Forest Carbon online tool is a user-friendly way for existing and potential forest owners to calculate how much carbon can be removed in woodlands and highlights the important role of harvested wood products. The tool was developed by Teagasc with specialist input from FERs Ltd with the support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and developed.

Sustainable Benefits of Forests

The Forest Carbon Tool can be accessed on the forestry section of the Teagasc website at www.teagasc.ie/forestcarbontool

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News

Successful Teagasc New Planting Workshops

uring February and March Teagasc ran a series of online workshops “Planting a new forest - Getting started”. The workshops proved very successful with close to 600 people registering and each workshop session attracting well over 300 participants. Aimed at landowners considering forestry, the workshops, organised by Teagasc Forestry Development Department, provided participants with the opportunity to gain an understanding of what a new forest can offer, learn what’s involved and how to get started in the planting process. The online one hour workshops were run over three weeks via Zoom with each Teagasc forestry adviser presenting the workshop for their regional area. The workshops were designed to allow plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion to be incorporated with the presentation. The focus of each workshop session was as follows: Workshop session 1 – Benefits of forestry In this session, landowners learnt about the many benefits of forests – environmental, economic and social. However it was also highlighted that it is essential that an owner knows and understand their own objectives of why they wish to plant and what they want from their forest. Workshop session 2 – Working through a case study This session focussed on how the soil, environment and location of land influences not only the species selection or forest type but also the practical and economic viability of the proposed project. Using a

case study participants were introduced to the site assessment criteria central to the preparation of an afforestation grant application. The process highlighted factors influencing species selection and planting area and also if there are some areas that cannot be planted. Workshop session 3 – How to get started The final workshop addressed the practical steps involved in getting organised to plant. This included an overview of the afforestation grants and premiums and forest options, explaining the environmental assessment process and importantly for farmers how forestry interacts with other schemes including the Basic Payment scheme. Following the conclusion of the successful workshops Dr Nuala Ni Fhlatharta, Head of Teagasc’s Forestry Development Department commented on “the strong interest among landowners in creating new forests, as evidenced by the numbers participating in the workshops. This reflects an increasing awareness of the multiple benefits that a forest can provide on a farm; including a secure annual income from premium payments, a pension pot for the future from timber sales and an on-farm natural resource for amenity and enhanced biodiversity.” John and Angela Davitt from Newport, Co Mayo who attended the workshops found them very useful – “ We found them informative, well-paced and well-designed to help our decision-making process.” Noel Kennedy, Forestry Development officer with Teagasc noted there has been a very positive response to the workshops and that “The online model of workshop delivery using Zoom worked well – both technologically and more importantly as an effective means of interacting with landowners to provide the information they need about planting a new forest.”

Exclusive Insurance Scheme for Forestry Contractors and Tree Surgeons

Forestry&Energy

Teagasc Forestry Services

Research

Advice

Training

Our research covers many aspects of the life cycle of a forest from seedling to sawdust. Research is carried out in Teagasc research centres in state-of-the-art laboratories and growing facilities and on privately owned farm forests throughout Ireland.

Teagasc provides objective and independent advisory services to all private landowners on forestry related matters. Teagasc forestry advisors provide free, independent and objective advice on any technical or financial aspect regarding forestry.

Teagasc offers a wide range of QQI certified practical courses. Topics can include formative shaping of broadleaves and timber measurement. A forestry qualification from Teagasc enables students to develop wide ranging and interesting careers.

For more information: Visit www.teagasc.ie/forestry Follow @teagascforestry on social media

News

Sligo photo wins inaugural Teagasc ‘Celebrating Our Forests’ Photo Competition

n December from the beautiful location of the Phoenix Park, Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity, Senator Pippa Hackett announced the overall winner of the inaugural Teagasc forest photo competition - ‘Celebrating Our Forests’. The winning photo , titled ‘The Beauty Around Us’, was taken by Jane Walsh from Rosses Point in County Sligo while she was on a ‘simple yet beautiful walk on a gorgeous day in Hazelwood’ just outside Sligo town on the shores of Lough Gill. As the overall competition winner, Jane received vouchers to a value of €1,000. Ian Short, Teagasc Forestry Researcher, is pictured with Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity, Senator Pippa Hackett in Phoenix Park. Our forests provide us with great settings to connect with and appreciate nature, particularly in challenging times. So in September 2020, the Teagasc Forestry Development Department launched the ‘Celebrating Our Forests’ photography competition, inviting people to capture and celebrate our forests through images. The competition really captured the imagination, with well over 1,000 wonderful images submitted by enthusiastic participants of all age. The competition featured four different forest themes during October and November with winners for each individual theme. The four themes were: Forest Landscapes, Trees on the Farm, Forest Animals and Plants and Enjoying Our Forests. The themes were selected to highlight many important forest benefits and to create awareness of our forest resource across a wide audience. Many photos were accompanied by comments putting them in perspective with many saying that local forests have been a great resource of enjoyment and relaxation during the current restrictions. The images clearly show why trees, in combination with other features such as water, wild plants and animals and our own interactions are so important to our lives, our surroundings and our wellbeing. In congratulating the competition winner, Minister Hackett said: “Jane’s photograph is just beautiful. It shows clearly why trees and 10

Forestry&Energy

water are so important to our lives, our surroundings and our wellbeing. The scene is tranquil, the colours are stunning and we are left wanting just to be there! I want to congratulate Jane and thank both Teagasc for organising this photography competition and my Department for its promotion of the many positive aspects of trees.” Teagasc Forestry Specialist Tom Houlihan, who co-ordinated the initiative said: “Teagasc sincerely thanks all participants who submitted such a range of high quality images for each of the four categories in this competition. I would also like to thank the competition judging panel who had such a challenging task in selecting the winning images. Based on the success of this initiative, Teagasc plan to launch a new photo competition in 2021 that will incorporate new themes and further competition categories.” The winning photos from the Teagasc Photo Competition, along with a selection of highly commended forest landscape photo entries can now be viewed on the forestry section of the Teagasc website at www.teagasc.ie/forestphotos

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) provides a range of information on forestry, associated grants and felling licences. The COFORD, Wood Technology Ireland and Wood Energy websites listed below are hosted by DAFM and provide a range of information important for the development of the forest sector. The relevant websites are: www.agriculture.gov.ie Forestry grants and premiums • Felling licences • Online management tools

www.woodtechnologyireland.ie Independent advice on the speciﬁcation and use of wood products, and on timber standards

www.woodenergy.ie Advisory service on the wood biomass supply chain and wood fuels

www.coford.ie Download COFORD publications and Connect Notes

For up-to-date and detailed information on forestry grant schemes, visit

https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/forestservice/grantsandpremiumschemes2014-2020/ For contact details of your local Teagasc Forestry Advisor, visit www.teagasc.ie/crops/forestry/

For Sales & Service please contact: John Deere Forestry Ltd. Ballyknocken, Glenealy, Co. Wicklow, Ireland Tel: +353 (0)404 44969 Sales Contact: Ed Power +353 (0)87 2542570

www.johndeere.ie/forestry

Irish Forestry

A Key Moment In Time For The Survival And Recovery Of Irish Forestry

Urgent Implementation of Mackinnon and Financial Aid required to prevent total collapse of Sector. By Teige Ryan

one So Hardy (Forestry) ltd is the largest private nursery in the country, employing 85 staff across the companies three bases in Wicklow and Wexford with a production area of over 530 acres. The company has expanded and developed over 35 years in business, gaining experience and expertise along the way and has created a unique forestry nursery culture in Ireland. Significant investment in the nurseries infrastructure over the years has been crucial in keeping with the growing demand for forestry saplings as previous governments committed to expanding Ireland’s tree cover, currently below 11%. Afforestation targets set out in the programme for government were met with optimism from a nursery perspective to ensure plants grown over a three year cycle were in supply to underpin demand. DECLINE IN PLANTING However, there has been a significant decline in planting for the last ten years due to the forest services inability to administer the planting programme, resulting in a total collapse over the last four planting seasons. The nursery cannot survive without afforestation and afforestation cannot happen without the nursery, yet if it wasn’t for a very fortunate external event the nursery would already be out of business, and a forestry nursery culture built up over 35 years lost.

Forestry&Energy

Afforestation in Scotland has increased substantially within the last 4 years so luckily there is demand for our saplings overseas. The Scots achieved 11,000 hectares of new woodlands in 2020, compared to a record low of only 2,400 hectares in Ireland, which would have left the nursery with no outlet for stock. The key to Scotland’s success is attributed to political will to increase afforestation and the full implementation of the Mackinnon review. To that end, this is now a key moment for Forestry in Ireland. SOLUTIONS Following the example of Scotland, Jim Mackinnon CBE was commissioned in 2019 to carry out a report on Ireland’s forestry approval system and make recommendations to streamline the process, and a subsequent implementation plan was produced. The carrying out of Mackinnons ways forward is vital if the industry is to recover and key recommendations within the plan (below) will address much of the problems within the departments licensing system, but these must be executed quickly. • New requirement for Environment report supported by a Planning Grant - A Woodland Environmental Planning Grant is urgently needed as the new requirements for additional environmental reports are making many woodland projects cost

Irish Forestry

•

prohibitive. The costs associated with these reports would be paid by the applicant at the outset and claimed back through the grant when the site is planted, which would ensure only committed applicants would proceed. This grant would enable registered foresters to acquire ecology expertise and submit applications of excellence. Files of this standard should pass quickly through the departments ecology section which is currently log jammed and not producing licenses for the sector, which is very evident in each weekly dashboard. Most of all the availability of this grant would inject some confidence back into the industry and lift morale, which has never been lower. Develop a customer Service Charter - The development and publication of a customer service charter for Forestry would address the core issue of delays within the licensing system. Appropriate timelines set out in a charter will give applicants some indication of how long the process will take, and remove uncertainty and anxiety from practitioners who can never tell their client how long it will be before the license is issued. Unlike the timelines set out in the forestry act and current farmers charter, there must be accountability and these timelines built on a meaningful footing.

The implementation of the Mackinnon report in full will put the industry in very good stead for the future, but focus must remain on the current situation, as the inadequate supply of licenses from the department continues to threaten the survival of the industry. Continuous delays in issuing licenses will see further drop out as applicants lose patience with a system which is currently not fit for purpose. Article by Teige Ryan Director None So Hardy ( Forestry) Ltd

Forestry&Energy

Felling Licences

Forest Machinery Distributor Backs Call To Increase Felling Licences Birdhill-based Komatsu Forest equipment distributor, McHale Plant Sales has given backing to efforts aimed at increasing the number of forest felling licences.

Field Service Engineer Position McHale Plant Sales, Distributor of Komatsu Forest Equipment in Ireland are recruiting for a Senior Field Service Engineer to join their team.

riting to An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin in what he called his capacity as ‘a leading distributor of timber harvesting machinery to the forestry contracting sector’, company director, Michael McHale referred to the ‘impact’ that the fall-off in the issue of forest felling licences is having on forest harvesting contractors and businesses engaged in the distribution of tree felling equipment. In his letter, McHale asked that An Taoiseach would join with Ministers Charlie McConalogue, Pippa Hackett and the Forestry Service in ‘tacking and resolving’ issues that have led to the reduction in the number of tree felling licences being issued. As a company impacted by the reduction in demand for new forest harvesting machinery that has resulted - a situation that he said is shared by his competitors as evidenced in the year gone by - he endorsed the campaign being conducted by the Cork-based Forest Owners Cooperative Society and the Limerick and Tipperary Woodland Owners organisation. In that regard, he pointed to comments broadcast by a Littletonbased contractor who complained of having expensive machines laid up for want of work for them to do. In addition, he asked that concerns being expressed relating to the spread of Ash Dieback disease would also be addressed. Also recognised are the intensive representations on the issue that are being made by FCI, the Farm Contractors Ireland organisation. 16

Forestry&Energy

As a Field Service Engineer you will play a key role, supporting the service department through completing routine servicing work, and maintaining and repairing machinery onsite, whilst providing an excellent level of service to our customers. .

Requirements: • Forestry background, with experience in repair, maintenance and set-up of Harvesters & Forwarders. • Good knowledge of electrical, hydraulic and mechanical troubleshooting and repair and competent in following electrical and hydraulic schematic diagrams to diagnose faults. • Competent in welding and fabrication. • Computer Literate. • Full drivers licence and willing to travel throughout Ireland. Benets: • A comprehensive remuneration package • Overtime premium • New company service vehicle • Company pension scheme • Phone & Laptop • Ongoing training will be provided for the successful applicant. Additional Info: McHale Plant Sales has full sales and service depots located in Dublin and Tipperary. They are also national distributors for Komatsu Construction Equipment, Merlo Telescopic Handlers, Metso Outotec Crushing and Screening Equipment, Terex Ecotec Waste Processing Equipment and Topcon Machine Control Systems. Email: recruitment@mchaleplant.com www.mchaleplantsales.com

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Tree Surgery

Ireland’s Largest Tree Surgery Company:

Dermot Casey Tree Care

Dermot Casey Tree Care is a family-owned tree service that started out in 1972 as a small company. Over the last four decades, our tree service has perfected its skills and blossomed into Ireland’s largest tree company.

t comes as no easy feat, however, as our passionate team has put in hard work and dedication to reach high levels of professionalism in the tree industry. Are you interested in getting your trees serviced and want to learn more about our company? Below, we talk about what we’re doing to continue to provide Ireland with the best tree care available today. DERMOT CASEY TREE CARE IS CHANGING THE TREE INDUSTRY Change is progress here at Dermot Case Tree Care. We understand and appreciate the dynamic changes within the tree industry as new machinery and safety regulations are made. In response to change, we adapt. Here are just a few ways that we continue to provide the most current, innovative tree industry services. High Safety Standards and Accreditations Dermot Casey Tree Care is up-to-date on the highest safety standards and accreditations. And it shows, as we have received ESB Network’s Platinum A safety rating three years in a row. We are I.S.O. Safety Management accredited. This means that we strictly adhere to the progressive guidelines set up to provide our employees, clients, and the general public with the safest tree services possible. We are driven by high performance and the utmost safety. As such, we also follow all of the Health and Safety Authority guidelines, being sure to be entirely compliant with the safety legislations in place. We are also the biggest tree service company for ESB Networks’ Overhead Network Vegetation Management Program. In this program,

Forestry&Energy

we oversee the safest ways to perform services. Before we perform any tree services, each project is risk-assessed and planned by our strategic team to determine the safest ways to conduct our services. There is no safer tree service company in Ireland! PROFESSIONAL TEAM OF EXPERTS Our team of highly-trained tree professionals are rigorously trained to perform all tree services in the most methodical and expert way. We offer first-class services because we’re not afraid to push our team members to perform to the best of their abilities. Our staff are our pride and joy, as they know the importance of our extremely specialized industry. Here at Dermot Casey Tree Care, staff are continuously updated and trained as new standards come into play. We have changed a lot over the course of the past 40 years, but one thing that has not changed is our ambitious team of arborists. Providing services nationwide, our crew is checked regularly by qualified supervisors to make sure that they are keeping up with our extensive in-house training program. In training, each member of the team is taught the vital skills necessary for upholding our reputation as the best tree service Ireland has to offer. We even have an in-house safety officer who conducts ongoing audits of all of our staff, our equipment, and the safety procedures that keep our community safe and thriving. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT At a time when environmentalism is becoming ever more prominent, Dermot Casey Tree Care has stayed up-to-date on the most environmentally-friendly ways to provide tree services to the community. Environmental protection is key to our business’s mission.

Tree Surgery

All of our services use energy-efficient techniques to reduce pollution and lower our carbon footprint. We comply with all legal requirements for environmental responsibility within the tree service sector. Even our large diameter chippers are environmentally-friendly in that they produce Biofuel, which is a form of renewable energy.

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MODERN, UPDATED EQUIPMENT Technology is an ever-changing world. In order to keep up with the changes within the tree service industry, we continuously update our machinery as technological advancements emerge. We were Ireland’s first company that used insulated platform equipment in working with dangerous power lines. We also were one of the first on board for using self-propelled mulching machines that have grown in popularity across Ireland in recent years. Currently, we have invested in the best of the best when it comes to equipment. Examples of our latest machinery include: • Purpose-built forest tractors. • Felling grapples. • 20” self-propelled chippers. • Site clearance tracked mulchers. • Excavators with telescopic booms fitted with sip mulcher or bio harvesting shears. Having current machinery increases performance, ensuring that we get projects done in a timely manner.

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TREE SERVICES WE PROVIDE Dermot Casey Tree Care provides tree services to both residential and commercial areas, playing a prominent role in the landscaping and tree maintenance of many communities within Ireland. We value our community’s safety, and trees are an important part of that safety. Here are the numerous services that our tree company provides:

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Tree Surgery- tree branches are carefully and safely removed using professionally-approved practices. Stump Removal- unsightly tree stumps are removed completely and properly disposed of Hedge Cutting- aesthetic hedge maintenance makes your hedges look professional and attractive Tree Services- this includes state-of-the-art tree removal, pruning, and trimming Site Clearance- high-tech robotic mulchers remove trees from domestic and commercial sites Landscaping- planting, shaping, and other landscape maintenance is conducted year-round, for every season and occasion 24-Emergency Works- dangerous trees that pose safety hazards to passersby are removed around the clock

SAFETY YOU CAN TRUST We understand the hazards that come with performing specialized services such as tree surgery. That is why we are 100% committed to the reduction of any harm that might befall our team, clients, and general public. When you work with us, you know you are in safe hands. GET YOUR FREE EXPERT QUOTE If you’re ready to have your trees serviced by Ireland’s first and biggest tree surgery company, then look no further. Dermot Casey Tree Care is here to help you every step of the way. With our professional team of tree experts, we will work with you from start to finish to provide your trees with the best tree care services available. Contact us today via telephone 022-55000 or email at treecare@ dermotcasey.com to get started with a free quote.

Forestry&Energy

Deer Population

Smartdeer

A new smart approach to monitor deer populations in Ireland and set the scene for evidence-based deer management, compiled by Charles Harper, University College Dublin

hile there are a number of sources of data describing deer distribution in Ireland, they are stored in different locations and formats, they have been collected at different spatial and temporal scales with inconsistent methodology. The SMARTDEER project aims to collate all existing spatial data on deer across the country and most importantly to introduce two novel online tools able to collect new deer data in a nationally coordinated fashion. Combined with environmental and climate data, the project team led by Dr Simone Ciuti of University College Dublin will develop models to describe current distribution of deer and predict their future shifts in distribution and abundance, highlighting where in the country we are likely to expect hotspots. The data and models will then be used to create an empirical basis and set the scene for evidence-based deer management.

Background

Four deer species live in the wild in Ireland: red deer, sika deer (including sika x red hybrids), fallow deer and Muntjac (Figure 1). With no natural predators and favourable habitat conditions, deer populations have rapidly expanded in both numbers and range across the country over the last decades, availing of the expanding area of suitable woodland habitat. However, we do not really know what the changing distributions and population densities of the four deer species look like. Our current understanding of the deer population dynamics across the country is indeed very limited and based on fragmented information from disparate sources, with data being currently stored in a variety of formats, locations, bias and methodologies. Scientists have suggested that future deer populations in Ireland and across Europe will be affected by the changing climate and land use. We urgently need an empirical basis to be prepared and meet

Figure 1: The four species of deer found in Ireland are shown: a) red deer, the only native species, b) sika deer, c) fallow deer and d) Muntjac deer. Credit: Rory Putman & Jackie Pringle. 20

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Deer Population

the upcoming challenges of deer management. This is particularly true in Ireland where we know little about our deer populations’ structure and dynamics. Although deer are considered by many to be an important part of the countryside and the Irish biodiversity, some of their activities result in financial and environmental damage to forests and agriculture as well as a risk to road safety. Through browsing, fraying (damage caused by male deer when rubbing antlers on young trees) and bark stripping, deer may have a significant negative impact on timber quality and yield, which has to be added to the costs of deer damage prevention (fencing/culling) as well as potential losses through restricted tree species selection and a lack of natural regeneration. Additional consequences of excessive deer populations are damage to agricultural and horticultural crops, and to sites managed for biodiversity or conservation habitats. Deer have also been associated with the transmission of livestock diseases – although, again, we urgently need empirical data to draw final conclusions on the role of deer on disease reservoir and spread, if any. Finally, deer are becoming increasingly involved in road traffic accidents in those areas where deer occur at higher densities and roads intersect important connectivity corridors. The monitoring of wild deer is therefore a national priority when it comes to creating an empirical basis able to steer deer management decisions in the future. The National Parks and Wildlife Service have statutory responsibility for the protection of wild deer under the Wildlife Acts 1976 and Amendment Act of 2000. However, there is currently no national body with responsibility for the development and implementation of a national strategy or initiative to monitor and manage deer populations in Ireland. The wide diversity of interested stakeholders makes this a complex issue. The SMARTDEER project was born to provide better quality information about deer populations in Ireland. Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), from January 2020 to December 2021, SMARTDEER is coordinated by Dr Simone Ciuti of UCD. Other members of the team are: Professor Maarten Nieuwenhuis, Dr Barry MacMahon, Dr Virginia MoreraPujol, Ms Sarah Keenan, Mr Killian Murphy and Mr Charles Harper. One of the aims of this project is to identify the key stakeholders and their information needs and to listen to their issues of concern to

develop a pathway towards an integrated deer management strategy and to ultimately inform deer centric land-use management, including silviculture. For years, different people have been collecting localised data related to the distribution of deer. When brought together, harmonised and analysed, this data can be of huge benefit in providing the evidence we need to support deer management decisions in the future. SMARTDEER introduces new cost-effective tools able to guarantee a steady flow of deer data for years to come. The main challenge will be to encourage the stakeholders to share deer data and adopt our web tools to provide for the first-time deer density estimates at a spatial resolution never attempted before. A key aspect of the SMARTDEER project is protection of sensitive deer data. Deer data shared by stakeholders will be protected by data sharing agreements and the SMARTDEER team will use them to predict current and future deer distribution and abundance across the nation without the need to reveal the raw data. SMARTDEER is original in its scope and it will have a significant impact in demonstrating to stakeholders the utility and effectiveness of nationally-coordinated data to facilitate deer management at local and national level.

Our Approach

Collating deer data - Our SMARTDEER project has been designed for stakeholders to set the scene towards an evidence-based management of deer in Ireland. At present, the only national coordination is the collation of culling returns at the spatial resolution of counties, by the NPWS, the rest of the data are spread among other stakeholders. Our first main goal is to gather the deer data from individual stakeholders and create a robust deer empirical basis able to train statistical models predicting deer distribution and abundance. We have identified a variety of deer data that have been collected by different organizations in Ireland over the last 25 years and we are in the process of analysing these data banks to provide, for the first time, the basis for habitat suitability models able to identify hotspots of deer presence in Ireland. Part of the push to obtain existing deer data is a series of online workshops to present the project and data collection efforts. At these workshops, stakeholders have the opportunity to contribute with data, ideas and

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Deer Population

feedback. Do contact the SMARTDEER project coordinator if you wish to participate in one of these workshops. Modelling - We know that the distribution of deer is (and will be) affected by what is happening in their environment. Habitat suitability is affected by soil type, aspect and slope and the species of vegetation that they support, including increasing forest cover, the rate of habitat loss, vegetation productivity and in the longer term, climate change. If we gather sufficient data on these aspects and pair them with deer dynamics data, then, using recent advances with species distribution modelling, we can predict how the deer’s environment will change in the future and eventually, we will be able to predict the distribution of deer in Ireland into the future under various climate and land use change scenarios. The gathering of this data will allow the team to develop models of current and projected distributions and abundance of all species of deer using for the first time an all-island approach. Results of modelling exercises will be visualised with dynamic maps available online. Collection of New Data - Good quality data collected using recent advances in technology with consistent bias and methodology across Ireland is very important to reduce uncertainty of distribution models, hence, the importance of the cooperation with the stakeholders. This approach will allow us to show with greater confidence, the present and projected distributions of deer populations. To support the provision of new data from different stakeholders, the project has built two online tools. The first one is the expertise-based National Mapping Survey using a web survey application developed for this project. Expert stakeholder knowledge will be used to generate distribution maps of known deer presence. The first survey regarding distribution of deer for the period 2015-2020 is currently ongoing (you too can complete the survey right now by typing smartdeer.ie in your web browser), and this will be followed by new data collection campaigns arranged on a yearly basis, therefore recording the locations where stakeholders have sighted deer in the previous 12 months. The second tool is the smartphone application SMARTDEER (Figure 2). Aimed primarily at deer stalkers to report the number of deer observed while hunting, the same app can be used by others, including land-use managers and the general public while out in the countryside. Our smartphone application is already being used to collect deer density data, culling returns and random sightings, among others. Download the app if interested in contributing to this process! Available on Google Play and App Store as SMARTDEER.

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Figure 2 The new SMARTDEER app, designed to assist deer data capture.

Deer Population

Expected Impact

SMARTDEER’s goal is to provide an empirical basis that could be used to support evidence based management strategies for deer in Ireland for years to come. The results of the SMARTDEER project will allow for the implementation of a national deer management policy that is driven by scientific data and analysis. Agencies, companies and all other stakeholders managing lands where deer occur should benefit from having a scientific basis from which to develop collective strategies to maximise the benefits and minimise the costs to society associated with wild deer populations in Ireland. We aim to provide a clear picture of what is known about the distribution, status and trends in deer species distributions at national level in Ireland. This knowledge will make the country ready to monitor the status and health of our deer populations and to face upcoming challenges with deer management under climate and land-use change scenarios. This project will benefit the deer hunting community, estate deer managers, National Parks and Wildlife Service ecologists, foresters, the farming community, the National Roads Authority and the general public.

Next Steps

Contact the SMARTDEER coordinator if you wish to contribute to the project. Now all stakeholders can have an active role in the project by (i) downloading and using our SMARTDEER phone application regularly, (ii) taking the survey at smartdeer.ie where they can share their local knowledge of deer distribution for the period 2015-2020 and (iii) supplying the SMARTDEER team with any additional deer data. Soon we will finalize the modelling phase. There will be a final workshop (hopefully face to face) to be held by the end of 2021 where all key stakeholders will be invited to attend. Final results of the project will be presented there and shared with the broader audience via media releases, newspapers and scientific publications. Project Website: https://sites.google.com/ucd.ie/smartdeer-ireland/home For project inquiries, email: simone.ciuti@ucd.ie

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Liebherr specialist machines for the timber industry

For effective timber harvesting and handling Liebherr offers a broad portfolio of powerful and efficient machines. Liebherr-Ireland LTD Unit 23n Greenogue Industrial Estate Rathcoole, Co Dublin, Ireland Tel : +353 (0) 87 202 9906 E-Mail : robert.macnaughton@liebherr.com Web : www.liebherr.com

Handle More with Liebherr.

A reliable partner for your timber and forestry needs With over 50 years’ experience in the UK’s material handling and earthmoving market, Liebherr-Great Britain is the first port of call for operators wanting a professional, reliable and productive solution to their timber handling and forestry requirements. Liebherr manufactures a wide range of tele-handlers, wheeled loaders, wheeled and crawler material handlers, excavators and dozers for use in the initial harvesting stage through to the loading of finished products and residues. Our range of equipment can be supplied in standard material handling specification or designed to suit your application, and comes with full support from the manufacturer.

Hypro manufactures the fastest and most effective tractor processors on the market. A range of machines designed to appeal to all contractors, farmers and land owners. The machines include on board load sensing hydraulics, a radio controlled winch, crane and a digital measuring system. There is a Hypro model to suit every application on budget.

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Forests

Forests, Climate Change and the Green Deal A Brief outline of the changing role of Forests in our landscape and lives towards 2050 By Fergus Moore.

orests provide many different roles, from acting as carbon sinks and stores, to protecting biodiversity, to providing timber and fuel for energy. Depending on where we live forests can have a positive impact on our lives. In prehistoric Ireland forests were the dominant feature in our landscape covering as much as 80% of the country, giving way only to areas where soils could not support trees. However, forests and trees are slowly returning, with current levels reaching just over 11% today. Although our national forest area is low by European standards it is still higher than it has been for over 350 years. The Government*s recently announced “Project Woodland” aims to re-energise woodland creation and will prepare a new Irish Forest Strategy which will reflect and align with the Green Deal to ensure that our woods deliver the many functions we know they can deliver when managed sustainably. “Project Woodland” has also established a number of workstreams which will examine areas such as tackling the backlog in licensing applications, streamlining the process and ensuring that organisational structures are fit for purpose. Forests and trees and the positive role they have in reducing the impacts of climate change are recognised both nationally and internationally. The Programme for Government and the recently published Climate Action Amendment Bill 2020 sets out the objective to achieve a ‘climate neutral economy’ and forests will play a role on that journey. This aligns with the Paris Agreement, where Ireland and other countries have committed to limiting temperature rise to less than 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels and will pursue efforts to limit temperature rise to less than 1.5 degrees. A challenge that can only be achieved by global action. Recently the European Commission published the new European Green Deal. One of its main objectives is to establish the EU block as the world’s first climate neutral continent by 2050. The EU is also increasing the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to at least 55% below 1990 levels by 2030. The main reason for global warming is the rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere mainly resulting from human activities. This Green Deal is an ambitious agenda. It is framed as a new growth strategy where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050, and where economic growth is decoupled from resource use. To achieve this ambition will require action across several areas to reduce emissions

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and increase removals from the atmosphere. Forestry is well place to carry out these functions by a combination of sequestration, carbon storage and displacing and substituting products made from fossil fuels.

WOODLAND CREATION AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION Forests are important sinks and stores of carbon and are recognised as being central to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. Forests generally sequester more carbon dioxide than other land uses, thereby directly reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In 2019 based on the latest available figures from the EPA, Irish forests are a net sink for carbon dioxide, sequestering close to 5 million tonnes of CO2, including the carbon stored in harvested wood products. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM), through various afforestatation measures over the last 30 years, has funded landowners to plant new forests that are already contributing to the Green Deal ambition. Since the 1980s, over 300,000 hectares of forest have been successfully established. Although afforestation levels have been low in recent years, significant improvements have been achieved in the species diversity of new forests planted.

Mark Mobile: 086 2261901 Office Number Cora: 0863643858

Forests

Since the beginning of the current forestry programme 20142020 over 1,650 hectares of new native forests have been created, helping to reverse biodiversity loss and contributing to the ambition of the Biodiversity Strategy 2030. These forests, in addition to other broadleaves and commercial woodlands, will make a positive contribution to our landscape. WOOD PRODUCTION AND STORING CARBON IN WOOD PRODUCTS The biggest opportunity for Ireland’s 23,000 forest owners is from the growing demand for timber which is matched by increased production from Irish forests. In 2018 for the first time ever over one million cubic metres of roundwood was harvested from private forests and this is set to increase to nearly 5 million cubic metres by 2035. The total timber forecast on the Island of Ireland, including timber from Coillte and Northern Ireland forests is forecast to reach 8 million cubic metres by 2035.

The Green Deal recognises the importance of timber products and by substituting for less climate friendly products in construction and elsewhere, we can impact our carbon footprint positively. Timber stores carbon dioxide in the wood for the life of the product so it is important to increase the use of timber and materials made from wood in our everyday lives. Rebuilding a culture of wood use is important and products made from fossil fuels can be replaced with timber and related products. However, increasing the use of wood also needs to consider the principles of circularity and we need to reduce, reuse and recycle wood where possible. The Green Deal focuses on the circular economy where the priority is about reducing and reusing products and reducing waste.

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BIOMASS AND DISPLACING FOSSIL FUELS There has been much debate recently about the sustainability of burning biomass for energy and the impacts on carbon emissions. It is important to point out that producing biomass for energy is an important part of sustainable forest management. As forests grow and mature, they require thinning of small diameter trees to allow the remaining trees to develop into larger sizes. These small diameter thinnings are not suitable for commercial timber but can be chipped and sold for biomass for energy. Likewise, when forests are clearfelled, a proportion of trees and branches that are not big enough for timber can be sold for energy. The Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) also sets out detailed sustainability criteria for wood biomass for heat when supplying installations above a certain size and feedstocks must achieve minimum greenhouse gas savings. Wood for energy is an important part of the product mix when trees are harvested. Most recent figures available in 2018 indicates that approximately 40% of the wood biomass harvested in Ireland was used for energy purposes. The sawmilling sector also use residues such as sawdust which is created when sawing timber. These residues are used to heat the timber drying kilns and to generate heat for the manufacture of wood-based panels. This is circularity in action and is well demonstrated by the sawmilling sector. Burning firewood is also an excellent source of heat and contributes by providing market outlets when woods are thinned. Issues have been raised about the levels of small particulate matter when burning certain fossil and wet fuels which can cause pollution. However, it is important when preparing wood for burning that it is dry which has a substantial impact on reducing emissions. In addition, recent changes and innovation in stove design has also led to increase efficiencies in combustion with further lowering in particulate matter emissions. In summary burning dried wood in a closed and efficient stove is a more green alternative than using non-renewable fossil fuels. The EU Ecodesign Directive which aims to lower emissions from a range of products will require all new wood stoves manufactured after 1st

Worrell Harvesting Ltd. Tel: 045 529574

Worrell Harvesting are looking to secure timber from clearfells, thinnings, fire damaged wooded areas, Christmas trees, etc – and roadside timber. We buy both hardwood and softwood. You will receive prompt payment and a professional approach. Our timber removal is 100% traceable through our docketing and text system.

GET YOUR FREE QUOTATION Farmers don’t burn bushes there may be Value in them Contact us today for higher prices per hectare and reduced reforestation costs in clearfells.

Get extra revenue with BIOMASS HARVESTING

Forests

January 2022 to comply with new requirements on fuel efficiency and combustion. The Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) administer the Wood Fuel Quality Assurance Scheme which has an increasing number of suppliers where the quality of firewood is certified and complies with the EUTR regulation and has a moisture content not exceeding 25%. In addition, the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH) will also provide incentives to produce heat from biomass boilers generating markets for forest owners. All these actions will have a positive impact on our climate. BIODIVERSITY AND PROTECTING FORESTS Our climate change ambition must also be grounded in protecting carbon stores, preventing deforestation and maintaining biodiversity. Natural disturbance, windblow, fires and disease can also result in forests emitting CO2 as trees die and decay. Protecting biodiversity is central to sustainable forest management and reducing the threats of pests and diseases is ever important as international trade increases. Forests are an integral part of the planet accounting for over 31% of the earth’s surface. The recent Forest Resource Assessment published in 2020 provides a 5-yearly update on the state of the world’s forests. Some key findings state that deforestation is continuing but has slowed

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in recent years. The report states that the rate of net forest loss declined to 4.7 million ha per year in 2010–2020. However, it is worth noting that the world still has at least 1.11 billion ha of primary forest where no clearly visible indications of human activities are evident. Actions we take at the EU level such as creating deforestation free supply chains do impact on reducing the rate of deforestation globally. The EU Timber Regulation also has a beneficial impact on reducing deforestation internationally by ensuring that operators who place timber on the EU market for the first time have due diligence systems that demonstrate that products have low risk of illegal deforestation.

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Forests

CONCLUSION Growing and actively managing forests sustainably will help contribute to achieving the ambition that is set out in the Green Deal to have a carbon neutral continent by 2050. However, forestry on its own can’t achieve this and it will rely on significant changes in how we work and live our daily lives. The national forest estate of over 770,000 ha is an important resource that has the potential to contribute to the greening of our economy. If we look closely at many of the Scandinavian countries, we see forestry and wood products at the centre of a growing bioeconomy where materials are not made from fossil fuels. In Ireland we too can make those changes. The Green Deal and the strategies that are being developed position our forests and the new forests we create at the forefront of positive 34

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change. Let us hope that by 2050 we will see collectively the vision of a climate and carbon neutrality across the whole of the European Union. Our forests in all their forms are providing social, environmental and economic benefits not only to woodland owners but to the greater wider society. The EU Strategies in place and the delicate balance of regulation and incentives will nudge us individually and collectively to make the right decisions for our generation and more importantly for the generations that have yet to be born. Fergus Moore, Head of Division, Forest Sector Development, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

GALLINAGH FINN VALLEY NURSERY LTD, GARDEN CENTRE Email: sales@gallinaghnursery.ie Web: www.gallinaghnursery.ie

GROWING & STILL GROWING SINCE 1986 THE MAIN PRIVATE GROWERS & PROVIDERS OF HARDWOODS, CONIFERS, ORNAMENTAL, TREE SHRUBS & ROSES - We also grow and provide Christmas Trees - The ONLY PRIVATE GROWER OF HAWTHORN * LAUREL * BEECH * ESCALLONIA * GRISELINIA AND OTHER SEASIDE & INLAND HEDGING IN THE NORTHWEST We also stock Peatmoss, compost, barkchips, tree stake, tree ties, windbreak (netting) & ground cover

Backleas, Stranorlar, Co. Donegal, F93AD62 Proprietor: John Gallinagh Tel: 0749132612 Contact Conor Gallinagh, BAgrSc, Horticulture, 087 6496887 John Gallinagh: 087 6988481

Commercial Feature Commercial Feature

Rabaud Launch new Xylor range of Forest Mulchers Now available for Demonstration at Home Forestry LLP

ome Forestry llp, UK agents for Rabaud Forestry and agricultural machinery have launched a range of Forest mulchers and mowers. The Rabaud Xylor range of Forest PTO mulchers offer 4 fixed teeth Mulchers with a power requirement from 80-300hp with helical rotor design and changeable counter knives. Working widths range from 2.0 -2.2m. The Rabaud Xylor cutting capacity ranges from 200-400mm diameter material depending on the model. Hydraulic folding rear door and anti-wear adjustable height skids, Front and rear chain protection. There is the option of a Hydraulic clutch to offer protection to the two larger models and hydraulic branch pusher with or without rake teeth. Home Forestry llp will take delivery of the XYLOR 2200/250 T for 175-250hp tractor in June and have it for demonstrations. There are also 3 heavy duty mowers requiring 80-125 hp. A helical rotor with swinging teeth, deigned to mulch material up to 150mm, they come with 1 set of counter teeth as standard with an option for an additional set. Working widths range from 1.8 -2.2m, front and rear chain protection are standard with a fixed scrub pusher frame is an

optional extra. The range is completed with excavator mounted mulching heads designed for excavators from 8-15 and 14-21 tonne. Both have the helical rotors with fixed teeth. The mulcher heads have a capacity of 14cm on the smaller unit to 25cm on the larger head. Working width of the head is 140cm. For more info and prices contact Home Forestry llp, www. homeforestry.co.uk, email nathan@homeforestry.co.uk. 07966365157, 01746718456

Suppliers of new and used forestry firewood and fencing machinery Contact us for a demo at our Forestry Yard

Alstor mini forwarders • Rabaud Firewood processors • Saw benches • Kindling machines • Chain winches • Farma cranes and trailers • Log peelers & pointers • Log splitters 14-80 tonnes • Forest mulchers • Cleaving splitters • Grader blades

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MASTER.indd 41

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Forest Owners

Family Tree Impact Investments to invest €50m in acquiring harvesting rights over next 3 years Forestry management company brings valuable income stream to private forest growers.

new forestry investment platform, Family Tree Impact Investments (“FTI”) recently announced the launched plans to deploy €50m into the private forest estate over the next 3 years. The FTI platform, operated by sustainable forestry manager NewGen Forestry, will acquire forestry harvesting rights from existing plantation owners, both farmers and private forest owners. STRUCTURE OF FTI/NEWGEN PARTNERSHIP FTI and NewGen Forestry have secured backing from institutional investors and private offices and is targeting the acquisition of harvesting rights of 2,000 hectares of land in its first year of operations, with plans to build a minimum portfolio of €50m of assets by the end of 2023. NewGen Forestry is led by John O’Reilly, former CEO of one of Irelands largest forest management companies. Seed investors in FTI and NewGen include the O’Kane Family – the founders of Mercury Engineering. INCOME STREAMS OFFERED TO FOREST OWNERS FTI offers a new and innovative income stream to forest owners, whilst also taking a long-term view compared to the traditional forestry

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model, with greater focus on the environmental benefits that the forests can deliver for communities and investors. In return for the acquisition of harvesting rights from the landowner or farmer, FTI offers landowners the opportunity to receive up to 30% of the forest value upfront, with the balance being paid over 20 years in an annuity-like, inflation linked income stream. NewGen will focus initially on forests that have come to, or are close to, the end of the Government’s Forest Service Premium scheme (i.e. plantations that are 15 years old or more.) Unlike a traditional forest sale, the owner does not have to sell the underlying land: instead NewGen will simply take over the management of the existing forestry. It will remove all future operational costs that the forest owners traditionally incur, including insurance costs, managing the licensing process, attaining environmental approvals and general reporting costs. Under the terms of the deal, NewGen will also provide a reforestation payment to replant the forest along with offering the landowner the option of an innovative payment mechanism to secure the second rotation.

Forest Owners

WHY NEWGEN CREATED THIS OFFER NewGen believes its offer will help forest owners leverage the potential income of their forest plantation. The forestry sector is extremely lucrative and contributes €2.3 billion to the Irish GDP. The annual turnover of the wood processing sector was €800m in 2019, and this is expected to double by 2035. 11% of the country’s landmass is covered in forest. Almost half of this forestry (49%) is in private hands. However, the average size of the private forest plantations that provide this wood is just 8.6 hectares, and more than 80% of these plantations are owned by farmers. By purchasing the harvesting rights to these plantations, NewGen will offer the plantation owners a guaranteed annual revenue that reflects the true value of their forestry plantation. It will also help to consolidate the forestry available in Ireland, ensuring it is managed more efficiently and in a more environmentally sustainable manner.

If you would like to discuss your options for converting the future value of your forest into income now, then please contact us. You can get in touch with NewGen’s regional representatives and CEO using the details below. For Leinster and Ulster contact: • John O’Reilly - 087 408 4998 / john@newgenforestry.ie • Andrew Dowds - 087 451 0178 / andrew@newgenforestry.ie For Munster and Connaught contact: • Ned Heffernan - 087 668 8832 / ned@newgenforestry.ie • Thomas Fogarty - 087 443 8605 / thomas@newgenforestry.ie

HOW PURCHASE OF HARVESTING RIGHTS WORKS NewGen Will Help Forest Owners: • Retain ownership of their land – no need to sell. • Unlock the future value within their forest now. • Convert future harvesting revenues (possibly 10 to 20 years away) into either: - An immediate upfront payment plus 20 years of annuity payments. - Annuity payments alone. BENEFITS OF OFFER NewGen’s scheme will bring significant benefits to forest owners and to the forestry sector as a whole, which include the following. • Forest owners will receive tax-efficient payments and will have the chance to retain any outstanding premium payments that may still be due from the Forest Service. • NewGen will manage the forest in accordance with best-in-class sustainability practices to enhance the biodiversity and biological growth and ingrowth of the forest. • Forest owners can transfer the cost, timing and financial risk associated with applying for licenses to fell and related environmental reporting. • Forest owners can unburden themselves from all further management costs, insurance, road construction, day-to-day management, and harvesting costs. The proposed model addresses some of the major concerns voiced by forest owners, such as: how do I manage my forest when I stop receiving premium payments from the Government, and how do I pay for the replanting of my forest? Commenting on the launch, John O’Reilly, Chief Executive of NewGen Forestry said: “NewGen and FTI provide the perfect match between landowners looking to obtain a hassle-free income from their forestry, this offering is all about giving forest owners options, allowing them to make real time decisions, and moves away from the traditional model of waiting until clear fell to receive income from your forest. NewGen will carry out an onsite inventory and will make an offer to the forest owner based on real and achievable returns. We do not lowball forest valuations; we value what we find on the ground”. The acquisition of harvesting rights from private growers is a common international practise and the model is also consistent with the aspirations of the Programme for Government to help drive the consolidation of management of privately owned forestry in Ireland. This will make it easier for the forestry sector to deal with the increasing regulatory, environmental and compliance demands. ABOUT NEWGEN Established in 2020, NewGen will bring a fresh and innovative approach to Irish forestry. Through its deep forestry and sustainable investing expertise New Gen will deliver real options to forest owners. The NewGen approach will channel institutional investment funds to deliver benefits to landowners in rural Ireland, a solid return for investors, and a strategy consistent with Government policy objectives. http://newgenforestry.ie/

Forestry&Energy

ECO LOG 1250F THE COMPLETE ALLROUNDER WITH A TRACTIVE PULLING FORCE OF 200KNM AND SMOOTH OPERATING EPSILON CRANES ITS LEADING THE WAY IN A FIELD OF MANY.

ECO LOG AND GREMO MERGE

Eco Log and Gremo, two of forestry’s most innovative brands, have strengthened their relationship and have merged to produce the most diverse range of harvesters and forwarders that has ever been produced. This range can cater for any contractor’s needs and demands. The combined experience of the two teams have created a perfect range of machines for every terrain and every forest. All machines will be branded in the Eco Log colours and name. The machine Line-up consists of no less than ﬁve forwarder models with a loading capacity from 8.5 to 20 tonnes. Forwarder Type

Load Capacity

Eco Log 750

8.5 tonnes

Eco Log 1050

10.5 tonnes

Eco Log 1250

12.5 tonnes

Eco Log 574F

14 tonnes

Eco Log 584F

16 tonnes

Eco Log 594F

20 tonnes

The already-wide range of Eco Log harvesters will be complemented with a small eight-wheeled harvester; Eco Log 1058, 16 tonnes weight.

UNIT B NURE HOUSE CLONCOLLIG INDUSTRIAL ESTATE TULLAMORE CO OFFALY

CALL LIAM BERGIN 086 607 9564 EMAIL: LIAMBERGINGREMO@HOTMAIL.COM WWW.LBGREMO.COM

ECO LOG IRELAND

Sales and servicing for all Eco Log machines is provided on a nationwide basis. Same day or next day service is facilitated by our team of outstanding ﬁtters and by our strategic location in the Midlands in Tullamore Co Offaly. We have a wide range of parts in stock at all times and have developed a very efﬁcient supply chain that enables overnight delivery of parts when required ensuring that there is minimal disruption to your operations. We provide complimentary advice to all of our customers by phone or video conferencing to enable you to get the most from your machines and to be your partner in business. Contact us to discuss your needs and requirements so that we can develop a bespoke product solution for you and be your trusted partner in forestry. Call us on 086-6079564 to speak with our sales department.

CALL LIAM BERGIN 086 607 9564

Forestry In Focus

Call for Government To Address Needs of Forestry Sector by Dr Kathryn O Donoghue

he long bright evenings that we enjoy at this time of year send a signal that this is a time to plant the seed for new growth. We look forward to the years that lie ahead and we are focused on nurturing a forestry crop that brings economic value to the local community. What a time of reflection and growth it seems to be. We are living and working through Covid-19, working our way through forestry ‘red tape’ and the ‘lack of ’ forward innovative economic focused planning in the Department of Agriculture and the forestry sector. While Covid 19 dominates our thoughts, we have major challenges in the forestry industry. Climate change, felling licence backlogs and Ash Dieback have not gone away, while the question of carbon sequestration is an alien word to woodland owners. ACTIVITIES OF FOCS The Forest Owners Co-op /Limerick Tipperary Woodland Owners Partnership (FOCS/LTWO), in its 2021 work programme manifesto, pledged to be a strong all Ireland voice ‘of and by’ private forest owners and to take power into their own hands for the benefit of their forestry enterprise, economic community, environmental protection, and future of the planet. FOCS are a forward-thinking progressive forestry co-operative; we have in our manifesto of 2021 work programme committed to resolving issues, protecting forests, communicating with members. FOCS is clearly motivated to work with government at national and EU level to place forestry firmly in the frame of the new CAP programme. The FOCS/LTWO partnership invests its time, energy and resources in people and communities. We are done with the Forest Investment Vulture Model of blinkered, misinformed, un-sustainable blanket covered land area forestry. ‘Small is beautiful’, states Dr Kathryn O’Donoghue, CEO of the FOCS Partnership. ‘The grower needs a voice not an Investment forestry model which takes control out of the hands of the landowner. Every farmer throughout Ireland who is being allowed to embrace forestry in its environmental, climate and local economy has a future. ‘The value is rich and ripe for farming, rural communities, and Ireland, if only the Minister for Agriculture, An Taoiseach and this

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Government would wake up to our call for dialogue and engagement for forestry inclusion in the CAP strategic plan.’ CALL FOR GOVERNMENT TO TAKE ACTION Irish agriculture faces some of the biggest challenges that it has seen for a long number of years. Minister Charlie McConalogue has been on many farm forestry commentators’ radars regarding the all-important forest crop since his appointment to the office of Minister. Every forest grower and potential grower on the Island of Ireland is understandably angry with being ignored as there is no measured engagement with the sector on how forestry has been marginalised in CAP discussions. Furthermore, the way in which Ash Dieback plantation holders are being edged out with a RUS scheme that is not fit for purpose has led to forest owners becoming disillusioned, confused, alone, and let down by the system. OPINION OF FOCS ‘The Department of Agriculture and the Minister are failing in their duty to address the devastating crises within the forestry sector, and I am not just talking about the fiasco with felling licences, ash dieback or inefficiency of service regarding appeals and licences. I am talking about today and the future into 2030,’ said Dr O’Donoghue. ‘The positive impact of forestry on our environment, climate, economy, the health and wellness of our population and economic potential is endless, but the vision is being lost because we have a Minister and Government who fail to engage with private forest owners. We are calling on Minister McConalogue to engage with FOCS/LTWO Partnership and be the leader in safeguarding the forestry industry as an unlimited farming rural enterprise, in the context of CAP allowing for rural family farm stability, diversification, and growth.’ We have a problem; we have a Department of Agriculture in which Forestry is a significant player and it is a forgotten sector. We have a Minister who since taking office has constantly ignored the FOCS call for engagement with forest owners regarding the CAP development plan negotiations. He is uninformed on the role of forestry in the present CAP framework, which is due for decision shortly. It is critical

Forestry In Focus

that forestry is included in this framework, as it severely threatens the direction of agriculture, forestry, and its engagement with environmental and climate plans. WORKING TOWARDS A SOLUTION The Forest Owners Co-op has a proven track record at local, national, and European level. The fact that FOCS is managed under the ethos of ’ by the grower for the grower’ means all members have their say in combining forestry with crop cultivation and livestock. it is a land management system that has been adopted across the world and here in Ireland we should be open to challenging its scope and investing in its economic future growth. The solutions to our crisis in forestry are obvious, but challenging. The implementation of these solutions depends on a cohesive response from the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine, which has responsibility for Forestry under the leadership of Minister Charlie McConalogue and Minister Pippa Hackett. Our future option needs careful and urgent attention. The window of opportunity to recognise the significance of forestry to a local rural economy within the CAP strategic plan is narrow and getting more critical by the minute. To achieve its forestry environmental targets, Ireland has committed to increase its forest cover from 11% to 18% by 2046. To this end, the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine has established several schemes to encourage forest cover. As well as afforestation, there is the establishment of native woodlands and forestry for fibre, and the agroforestry scheme. The benefits of an agroforestry scheme in Ireland would be huge. The Forest Owners Co-operative collaboration with France has shown us that agroforestry increases the nutrient value in soil therefore producing better crop growth. Other benefits include an increased biodiversity in land use for the owners. This initiative is designed to encourage farmers to apply environmentally conscious measures in farming that support reductions in carbon emissions and achieving climate goals. POTENTIAL FOR FORESTRY SECTOR Forestry has some huge growth potential in Ireland, with the added incentive that forest establishment costs are covered, along with an attractive premium that is payable for up to 15 years. The CAP strategic plan and funding will have massive implications

for our rural economy. Ireland is heavily-dependant on farming and forestry, and we must embrace a cohesive CAP plan to include all disciplines of the outlined CAP programme. Minister McConalogue needs to recognise the value of the family farm forestry model and protect the land resource and rural economy on the Island of Ireland. The factory investment model of forestry around the country must be rejected outright. This country fought hard for its Independence; this land is our land. FOCS can assist farm forest owners retain a viable healthy living in rural Ireland by sustaining a forest crop. CALL FOR FAIRNESS IN CAP NEGOTIATIONS FOCS urges the Minister to make forestry representation central to the CAP strategic plan negotiations. By not considering forestry in the CAP plan, we are facing ‘catastrophic’ implications for farm forestry, and any new agri-environmental impact is highly likely to result in negative return. FOCS have been calling on Minister McConalogue to address this issue with us, and here again we call on him to urgently arrange a meeting with us. We call on him to credit and include the contribution forestry in Ireland can make in the CAP framework going forward into 2046. FOCS, from its research platform, believes forestry is a key player as a life blood service provider to environment, climate, farming, and a rural economy. Always remember the multiplier effect of the farm forest family spend. This is the unit where spend is constantly rotating, going back into a rural development strategy and local economy. ‘The converse of that is equally true,’ says Dr O’Donoghue. ‘If farm forest families don’t have revenue to spend, then the negative effect is very disproportionate, and everybody has to understand that getting a fair and reasonable CAP is absolutely necessary for all the Island of Ireland.’ If you would like to get in touch with Dr Kathryn O’Donoghue about this article and about the work of FOCS, here are her contact details. Kathryn O’Donoghue (+) The Old Post Office, Aughadown, Skibbereen, Co. Cork, Ireland +353 (0) 28 38933 +353 (0)86 3435164 info@focs.ie

Forestry&Energy

Birch

The Irish Birch Improvement Programme improving the genetic quality of one of our best loved native trees Improvements in the genetic quality of our native Birch trees is raising its profile as an important native species for planting under the Afforestation Scheme. Oliver Sheridan, Teagasc broadleaf researcher, Teagasc Ashtown explains.

or the past 10,000 years birch has been one of the most common native trees in the Irish landscape. In the Brehon times when trees were revered for the special role they played in everyday life, it was one of the letters (birch/beith) named after trees in the ancient Ogham alphabet While birch is widely used in other countries for timber production, surprisingly, it was excluded from Ireland’s afforestation grant scheme for commercial timber production over concerns about the poor stem quality of naturally regenerated birch and the poor survival and growth rates of birch grown from imported seed. However as a result of the Irish Birch Improvement Programme this situation has recently changed and birch can now be planted for commercial timber production under the Afforestation scheme. BACKGROUND Experience from abroad indicated that birch had improvement potential. The development of birch as a commercial forest tree species

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supported government policy in the desire to increase diversity in Irish forestry, to increase the forest area in Ireland and to increase the broadleaf component of Irish forestry. The birch improvement project began with an initial study ‘Pilot project for genetic improvement of Irish Birch’ in 1998. The aim of the project was to promote biodiversity in Irish forestry and develop a breeding programme to improve the two native species of birch including the production of quality planting stock for the Irish forestry industry. BIRCH IN IRELAND There are two species of birch native to Ireland - silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) and downy birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh). Both birches occur naturally throughout the country and they comprise 7% of our forests. Downy birch is the more common of the two species and tolerates a wider range of soils than silver birch. Downy is tolerant of wet or

Birch

WHAT IS A SEED ORCHARD? Seed orchards are often referred to as output systems for the production of superior seed for breeding programmes and forestry establishment. While not the only means of seed production they are probably the most widely used system. There are two main types of seed orchards: • Clonal seed orchards. This type of seed orchard is raised from selected phenotypes (plus-trees) propagated vegetatively i.e. grafting, cuttings, layering, tissue culture etc. • Seedling seed orchard. Seed orchards raised from seedlings produced from selected phenotypes through natural or controlled pollination. Extraneous pollen can cause contamination in tree breeding so seed orchards use different methods to reduce potential contamination. These include (i) locating orchards in isolated areas (ii) creating isolation zones which entails the removal of all trees in a strip around the seed orchard. The width of the strip is up for debate with some early studies recommending up to 125 m, while others recommended up to 500m. More recent studies however, have argued that pollen can travel even greater distances and that these isolation zones may not be adequate to prevent contamination. The result of significant contamination from non-orchard parents can result in production of poorly adapted seed and a significant reduction in expected genetic gain. Establishing seed orchards in greenhouses is another method that can be used to reduce pollen contamination. This method has been used and developed in Finland for over six decades, mainly for silver birch. The genetic gains achieved from indoor silver birch seed orchards for second and third generations were up to a 29% increase in volume, 13% reduction in relative tapering and 10% reduction in relative branch diameter.

waterlogged conditions, heavy clays and wet peatlands but will also grow well on fertile mineral soils. Silver birch grows best on wellaerated fertile soils such as light mineral soils and sandy soils. They dislike compacted, water-logged, infertile soils and on these sites they grow poorly. The general appearance of silver birch and downy birch is very similar, they are both white stemmed with fine branches and small leaves. In Ireland, there has been an interest in birch for many years mainly for ecological reasons with its timber generally confined to lower value pulpwood and firewood markets. In more recent times however there has been more of a focus towards the potential for higher value timber production. Birch produces a light coloured timber which has the potential to be used for high quality sawlog, turnery and veneer and every year Ireland imports high value birch furniture and flooring products. Although they are alike in terms of their general appearance there are differences between the species in the morphology of the leaves, twigs, bark, seeds and catkin scales. However it can still be difficult in some

cases to distinguish between the two species. This poses a challenge in terms of seed and tree production and therefore vital that the correct species of birch can be identified before seed and subsequent seedling production begins. If the species of birch is not correctly identified it could result in young trees being planted into the wrong type of site resulting in slower growth and reduced timber yield with potential negative economic and biodiversity implications. Fortunately a simple chemical test is available to test samples taken from the inner bark that allows researchers to detect chemical markers that can distinguish between downy and silver birch. THE IRISH BIRCH IMPROVEMENT PROJECT In 1998, the COFORD funded Pilot Study for the Improvement of Irish Birch began with a survey which confirmed that silver birch was less common than downy birch. In autumn 1999, seeds were collected from the best selected birch trees (Plus trees) located throughout Ireland. A collection was made of 27 downy birch and 16 silver birch

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Birch

provenances, representing a total of 94 downy birch and 27 silver birch families. In addition to the seed collections, scion wood (shoots) was also collected for grafting to establish an indoor clonal seed orchard. The seed orchard was used to produce seed of known parentage for testing in order to obtain information about genetic parameters of Irish birch growth. The plants in the orchard were used to carry out controlled and polymix crosses and the seeds produced were used to provide plant material for inclusion in field trials. In 2001, three field trials were established at different locations, in Counties Offaly, Carlow and Tipperary. TEAGASC CLONAL INDOOR SEED ORCHARD In 2011, following a 10 year assessment of the downy and silver birch growing in the field trials, the best 100 trees were selected consisting 70 downy and 30 silver birch. Of the 30 silver birch 15 were of Irish origin and 15 were of mainly UK origin. Scion wood was collected from the selected trees and grafted. In 2012, the grafted clonal material was used to establish an indoor clonal seed orchard, initially located at the Teagasc Research Centre, Kinsealy, Co. Dublin and later relocated in 2017 to a new purpose built facility at the Teagasc Research Centre, Ashtown, Co. Dublin. SEED PRODUCTION Grafted birch will start to flower within three years - much earlier than plants grown from seed. Flower and seed production will increase as

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the plants mature and the amount of seed produced will depend on the growing methods and management techniques employed. Two growing options can be employed: (i) Plant the selected clones directly into the soil. The height the trees are allowed to grow will depend on the roof height of the polyhouse and the equipment available to reach the top of the trees during the seed harvest. (ii) Grow the trees in large containers (50lt-150lt). This system of production has the flexibility to move plants around the polyhouse with ease. The system also allows for the simple and quick removal of poorly performing parent trees from the seed orchard. Birch seed is harvested in July. The average seed yield for downy birch in the Teagasc seed orchard over a two year period was 8 kg or approximately 480,000 plants. (1kg seed will conservatively yield c. 60,000 saleable plants.) QUALIFIED DOWNY BIRCH In 2013, the Teagasc indoor downy birch seed orchard was awarded the improved designation ‘qualified’ under an EU Council Directive on the Marketing of Forest Reproductive Material (FRM) (1999/105/ EC). Qualified is the second highest quality category of four categories of FRM that must be used in the sale of Forest Reproductive Material (FRM) within the EU.

BROPHY TIMBER SERVICES

Forestry Services Site Clearance (excavators 5T – 24T, tractor & dump trailer) Standing Timber Purchasing and Marketing of both broad leaves and softwoods General Haulage and Timber Haulage Weekly Reports & Machine Printouts available on request Public Liability Insurance

Mechanical Engineering Services Engineering services in our in-house facilities Stockists of Alfagomma Hydraulic hoses and fittings

Contact Office: +353(0) 870640161

Harvesting & Extraction: +353(0) 872236454 Email: bts@live.ie

Website: www.brophytimberservices.ie

Birch

OVERVIEW OF SEED CATEGORIES • Tested - Tested seed derives from the selection of individual trees or stands which have been evaluated for genetic quality or, in comparison to accepted standards, have been shown to be superior. • Qualified - Qualified seed derives from the selection of superior individual trees. No testing has been carried out. • Selected - Selected seed is collected from stands showing superior characteristics: e.g. better form, growth rate, health. • Source Identified - Source identified seed comes from general or specific locations. No specific superior qualities recognised. COMMERCIALISATION OF IMPROVED DOWNY BIRCH By 2014 the Birch Improvement programme reached an important milestone with the production of downy birch material suitable for commercial exploitation. Teagasc then entered a commercial partnership with a private forest nursery, None So Hardy Nurseries, with the objective of scaling up the production of the improved downy birch for planting under the Afforestation programme. Supported by funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Seed Stand and Seed Orchard Scheme, None So Hardy constructed a new purpose built, highsided polytunnel to house the qualified downy birch seed orchard trees supplied to them by Teagasc. The first improved downy birch plant material was available from None So Hardy Nurseries for the 2016/2017 planting season. Significantly, DAFM has recognised the long-term research outcomes of the Birch Improvement project by including improved

Forestry&Energy

downy birch as a grant aided species in a new Afforestation Grant and Premium Category (GPC) 8 with Alder. Only qualified or selected downy birch can now be planted under GPC 8 as a pure timber crop for commercial timber production. For the planting of downy birch in new Native Woodlands under GPCs 9 and 10 trees grown from ‘source identified’ seed is also allowed. The research to date has brought about the commercial supply of improved Downy birch through the establishment of a partnership between Teagasc and a commercial nursery, None So Hardy Nurseries, ensuring that a sustainable supply of improved birch seed will be available to farmers and land owners wishing to plant broadleaves. FUTURE PLANS Progeny testing is an important link with clonal seed orchard establishment to test the value of the parents. In 2017, two birch progeny field trials in Waterford and Sligo were established with plant material raised from the Teagasc indoor seed orchard. The ongoing assessment of the field trials will continue for the foreseeable future. The data collected will facilitate the progress of the birch orchard from qualified to highest seed quality ‘tested’ category. The availability of high quality tested Irish Downy birch plants will provide farmers and landowners with more opportunities to grow quality native and sustainable birch timber crops together with native woodland restoration and environmental enhancement. Teagasc research on silver birch is progressing with the establishment of an indoor seed orchard with selected plus trees. The Birch Improvement Programme is ongoing and currently being funded by Teagasc. For more information about the project contact Oliver Sheridan, Teagasc Broadleaf Researcher by email: oliver.sheridan@ teagasc.ie.

Commercial Commercial Feature 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. Our Customer Mission 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.

Trailers & Cranes

Background Robinson is an ambitious family owned and managed business with a long and proud history of transport, agri–products and forest machinery. Throughout its history, Robinson’s has been an innovative company with continuous research and development being at the core of the business. Our track record of trailer and crane design and manufacture provides us with a strong competitive advantage in terms of new product development. All our trailers and cranes are designed and customised by our team of experienced engineers. Each product is manufactured to meet the specific needs of the operator which is backed up by our strict quality procedures. Our attention to detail enables us to build a product that will simply outlast others with superior strength and durability. Our success has been built on an ethos of serving our customers with quality transport solutions, efficiency, and reliability and also by ensuring there is a complete focus on customer satisfaction at the core of everything we do.

“Our state of the art production plant is one of the most modern trailer manufacturing facilities in Ireland”

Robinson manufactures a wide range of trailers and cranes, all designed to meet the specific needs of our customers, with specifications across three main categories including; On Road Trailers: Bulk Tipper Trailers, Platform Trailers, Container Trailers Timber Trailers: Centre Axle Drawbar Trailers, Semi– Trailers, Super Structures, Turntable Trailers Cranes: The company also supplies, custom manufactures and fits cranes, including brands such as Robinson, Loglift, Kesla, Liv. Our new timber cranes are now operating out in the Irish forestry industry with very positive feedback from our customers. We manufacture two models of crane to choose from, a 9 tonne and a 12 tonne. These both come in a single and double extension model. Our cranes have the highest quality finish with investments in our own forms for castings in Scandinavia, Swedish Steel, Parker Hydraulics, Indexator Rotators and Links, Tamtron and Maxi Cap Weighting Systems and high power LED working lights. The high standard of finish extends to the main components as they are blasted, primed and painted which presents a huge advantage over competing products. Robinson also supply their own grapple with its crane. This is a Robinson 42 Grapple which has a gripping area of 0.42m2. Robinson’s also manufacture their own Robinson One Piece Timber 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.

Facilities & Competencies

With ongoing investment, research and development; the company has continuously developed a modern manufacturing facility designed to manage the expectations of today’s transport sector. Our state of the art production plant is one of the most modern trailer manufacturing facilities in Ireland. 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

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 Forestry&Energy

Industry News

Ponsse launches a new generation Scorpion harvester range

onsse launches a completely modernised range of Scorpion harvesters, which meets all the requirements of forestry today. The new PONSSE Scorpion takes harvest productivity and ergonomics to the next level and sets a new standard for the operator’s working environment. The Scorpion harvester was first introduced to the general public in 2013 and has since become Ponsse’s flagship product. Soon after its launch, the Scorpion became a global sales success and an international symbol of responsible forestry. Over 1,200 Scorpions have already been made and can now be found in more than 25 countries around the world. Now, eight years later, the Scorpion has shed its skin. The stability of the PONSSE Scorpion is in a class of its own and provides power and productivity on environmental terms with small surface pressure. In product development, attention has been paid above all to even better work ergonomics, safety, cabin visibility and usability. “As earlier, development of the new Scorpion range has been based on feedback from forest machine users, which we have utilized to put the upgrades now being introduced into production. The cabin workspace is now more practical, and the quiet Scorpion landscape office has been developed specifically with the operator’s comfort and ability to keep working in mind,” says Jan Kauhanen, Product Manager, Harvesters, at Ponsse. The Scorpion is characterised by its visibility and manoeuvrability. One of the most visible improvements is the new one-piece front window, which reaches all the way up to the cabin roof to offer even better visibility and safe working in any weather condition. In addition, the unique crane solution provides excellent visibility in all directions. Fifth generation PONSSE Opti information system

Forestry&Energy

Besides numerous new features, PONSSE Scorpion and Scorpion King harvesters have been fitted out with an advanced fifth generation PONSSE Opti 5G information system and a completely upgraded user interface. The user-friendly information system is the most modern on the market and its smoothness and speed take the user experience to a completely new level. “The fully upgraded Opti 5G user interface together with the recently launched Opti8 computer sets a new standard for the usability of Ponsse forest machine information systems. It’s also quick and simple for operators who have used the earlier Opti generation to switch over to using the new Opti 5G system,” explains Markku Savolainen, Product Manager, Equipment Automation at Ponsse. The Opti 5G information system also enables the PONSSE Harvester Active Crane management system, which gives the harvester a new way to control the crane and work more efficiently. The operator can use Active Crane to control the movement of the harvester head instead of individual crane functions. This allows the operator to concentrate on timber processing rather than crane work. Active Crane is easily controlled using two levers, one of which controls the harvester head height from the ground, while the other controls the direction of the movement. The system also ensures that the crane’s functions slow automatically before the range of movement ends, thereby preventing irritating hits to the mechanical structures and operator. When the operator indicates the required location, Active Crane performs the lift and uses the boom and extension automatically. The PONSSE Opti 5G information system will initially be available at PONSSE Scorpion harvesters at Finnish and Swedish markets, with other areas to follow later. Watch and read more: www.ponsse.com/ponsse-studio-live#/

Peatland Afforestation

Afforestation Of Cutover Peatlands In Ireland

This project by Coillte Nature and Bord na Mona has the potential to be the largest native woodland area in Ireland By Jack Brehony, Conor Noonan, Declan Little & Tom Kent

he Midlands Native Woodland (MNW) project was announced in October 2019 as a not-for-profit collaboration between Coillte Nature and Bord na Móna, and complements the Bord na Móna plans to rehabilitate degraded, industrial cutaway raised bogs in the Midlands region. The primary objective of rehabilitation focuses on re-wetting cutaway areas to re-instigate bog formation and create wetlands. Coillte Nature is a new entity within Coillte with a focus exclusively on biodiversity and climate-change mitigation projects of scale, and this project has the potential to be the largest native woodland area in Ireland. Initially the project will focus on the Littleton Bog Complex, Co. Tipperary, 5% of which is considered suitable for afforestation as it is above the high water table mark amounting to 220 hectares of a total

of 4,193 hectares. Potential exists to extend afforestation to upwards of 2,600 hectares this decade in the Midland region. The objective of this project is to mimic and accelerate existing, naturally regenerating woodland on the cutaway bogs, dominated by native woodland trees and shrubs. The primary reasons for undertaking this initiative are to support national climate and biodiversity policy areas. Establishing woodland where appropriate, is expected to significantly reduce or perhaps even reverse carbon dioxide emissions arising from peat decomposition, wind and water erosion. However, the most significant environmental benefit this project brings is in terms of biodiversity: it could result in the establishment of a very large fragmented native woodland in a matrix of wetland and bog habitats across the entire Bord na Móna

Figure 1: View of deep peat ridges and lower ground which has been rewetted in the cutaway bog in Baunmore Co. Tipperary. 54

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AGRI

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Peatland Afforestation

Figure 2: Colonisation of early successive plant communities on bare peat. This is a typical view of a cutover bog which has ceased production.

estate. Indeed, the biodiversity and recreational ecosystem services values – which are very difficult to assess accurately - are the most significant benefits arising from this project. Upon project completion, a range of socioeconomic benefits are expected to be delivered through recreational opportunities and eco-tourism development. The MNW project aims to establish native woodlands (including native birch, rowan, alder, willow and Scot’s pine tree species) over the next five to eight years and accelerate the natural development of rehabilitation, amenity, and biodiversity projects. Peatland researchers agree that peatlands in their undisturbed, intact state are massive stores of, and moderate sinks of carbon and methane. Methane has a higher global warming potential than carbon 56

Forestry&Energy

Figure 3: A view of the moderate peat seeding plots in the foreground. These plots are divided into scarified and nonscarified sections.

dioxide and when peatlands are drained for forest establishment both gasses are emitted, but in particular significant stores of carbon. These processes are somewhat offset by renewed uptake of carbon dioxide in the growing stock of the developing plantation and in the accumulation of forest litter. However, there is a growing body of evidence that peatlands are best left unafforested where greenhouse gas budgets are concerned. Nevertheless, in industrial cutaway peatlands where there is no possibility of rewetting areas that are above the water table, the development of predominantly native woodland presents the possibility of reducing or possibly reversing the greenhouse gas emissions that occur due to peat decomposition, wind and water erosion. Woodland stabilises the bog surface and sequesters carbon dioxide in the woody

Peatland Afforestation

Figure 4: A view of the planted plots in the moderate peat trial. This is one of three peat depths, the other two being shallow and deep. In the background rewetting of the bog is visible. biomass, roots and woodland litter. Hence, establishing low density native woodlands on these industrial cutaway peatlands could be a good strategy for mitigating climate change as well as enhancing biodiversity. Another aspect to be considered about the afforestation of cutaway peatland is the change in albedo, the amount of solar radiation reflected from the land back into the atmosphere. A dark surface like cutaway peatland absorbs more solar radiation than it reflects thus contributing towards global warming. Afforested peatland has a better potential to reflect more of this radiation. Scientists in Finland have shown the mean albedo in July on open cultivated peatland to be half that of a Scot’s pine (Pinus sylvestris) forested peatland, meaning the open peatland reflects half as much light, and so absorbs more light as heat. Cut-away peatlands are a denuded landscape with minimal species. The species that do grow there include; various mosses (Sphagnum spp.) and rushes (Juncus spp.). However, after harvesting ceases, it is not long until nature starts to reclaim the landscape, with sheltered pockets soon becoming oases for various species of grass, heather (Calluna vulgaris), perennial weeds such as cat’s ear (Hypochaeris radicata), and ragworts (Senecio spp.). Finally trees such as birch and willow emerge. Slowly these pockets spread out more and more covering the more hospitable areas of moderate and shallow peats. The aim of tree establishment is that the methods involved with establishing trees will also promote the growth of ground vegetation. Researchers have shown a positive correlation between rock phosphate applications and vegetation growth on various peat sites. This can create a positive feedback loop, the availability of light, water and nutrients is conducive to an explosive development of herbaceous and woody vegetation. However, this is also where potential problems due to the competition may arise. Techniques such as vegetation reintroduction and fertilization showed positive results in encouraging ground vegetation on North American peatland. Another major benefit of an emerging ground layer is the stabilization of the soil, as disturbed peat is a net source of greenhouse gas emissions. It could be argued that disturbance of tree roots in the peat could speed up decomposition and gas release but this can be mitigated by correct species choice and establishment practices aimed towards developing more fibrous root systems. Also, it should be noted that any greenhouse gas release is going to be offset by the tree’s ability to sequester carbon over its lifecycle and disturbed peatland is a net emitter of two to four tonnes of carbon per ha per year whereas recolonized vegetated peatland is a net sink of three tonnes of carbon per ha per year. Thus on sites where rewetting is not possible, native woodland afforestation is a viable alternative land use. Authors: Declan Little (Coillte Nature), Jack Brehony, Conor Noonan & Tom Kent (Waterford Institute of Technology) 58

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Figure 5: Overhead view of a scarified seeding plot, where a quadrant is being used to assess ground vegetation colonisation. Rushes (Juncus bulbosus & Juncus effuses) are the dominant species here.

Figure 6: Overhead view of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) in a planting plot, showing trees with and without shelters. A quadrant is being used here to assess the ground vegetation.

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Project Woodland

Project Woodland – Developing a New Framework For Irish Forestry By DAFM Forestry Division

n February, The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Mr. Charlie McConalogue T.D. and the Minister of State Senator Ms. Pippa Hackett announced ‘Project Woodland’, an initiative to tackle issues in forestry in Ireland and drive forward the planting of trees. The Ministers accepted a report on reforming the Irish Forestry Licensing system, and committed to its immediate implementation. “Project Woodland” is an integrated project aimed at addressing ongoing issues with the forestry licencing systems and at developing a vision for forestry into the future.. The project is based on recommendations to the Department by Ms. Jo O’Hara, who was engaged to develop an implementation plan for the Mackinnon Report, which in turn was delivered by James Mackinnon in late 2019. This project represents one of the most significant reviews of forest policy and direction since the foundation of the state. MACKINNON REPORT The involvement of Ms. O’Hara and Mr. Mackinnon is no accident the recent experience in Scotland, where the same parties conducted a similar analysis and reform of the approval process, which resulted in very significant improvements in planting levels, has been central to informing and shaping a similar review for Ireland. The Mackinnon

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Report commissioned by DAFM during 2019 has mirrored work completed by the same author in Scotland and highlighted many issues that warrant change, if similar improvements are to be delivered here in Ireland. The aims of this review were: • to examine the process for approving afforestation proposals and the linked issues for other forestry related operations i.e. forest road works and tree felling. • to make recommendations which will address any issues identified and which will improve the process. The review was informed by discussions with the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine, and direct engagement with all relevant stakeholders including the forestry sector, farming organisations, other State bodies and the Environmental Pillar. This review resulted in a report - Review of Approval Processes for Afforestation in Ireland - Mackinnon 2019 which contained 23 individual recommendations across a number of thematic areas that could potentially provide a way forward. These recommendations in turn required further analysis and an implementation plan, to bring these to action.

Project Woodland

O’HARA REPORT Ms. Jo O’Hara was engaged to develop an implementation plan for these recommendations. Ms. O’Hara is a private consultant who was formally a British forestry commissioner; the chief forester for Scotland; and the chief executive of Scottish Forestry, and was previously involved in the successful implementation of the Scottish Mackinnon Report. The terms of reference for this work were: • To advise the Minister on an Implementation Plan based on the Mackinnon Report, setting out measurable and deliverable actions and timelines for their achievement; • To engage with all relevant stakeholders in the development of this Plan; • To submit her recommendations on an Implementation Plan to the Minister and the Forest Policy Group by end-February, 2021 All of these terms have been met or exceeded and the project proposed divides the Mackinnon recommendations into four separate ‘workstreams’, each tackling a different area. These workstreams are: 1. Addressing the current backlog in licence applications; 2. Improving the licencing process; 3. Developing the organisation and structures in the Department that deals with forestry; 4. Developing a “shared national approach”. WHAT WILL THE WORKSTREAMS DO? Four workstreams have been developed, based on the recommendations of the Mackinnon report, and these recommendations have been grouped around common themes and stakeholder issues identified in both Mackinnon and O’Hara reports.

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Project Woodland Workstream 1: Reducing the backlogs

This workstream caters for a single recommendation in the original Mackinnon Report, and covers all licence types – roads, afforestation and felling. The objectives of this workstream is to reduce the current backlogs of all types of licence in breach of agreed processing times to an acceptable level, whilst ensuring that regulatory standards are maintained; and to ensure that any future growth of a backlog is identified and managed. The key actions outlined to reduce backlogs in Jo O’Hara’s report are: • Clarifying the definition of ‘backlog’ to ensure it includes all licencing activity and only refers to applications beyond the customer charter standard for approval; • Specifying a target number for each type of licence and an acceptable scale of backlog. There should also be transparency about the prioritisation of applications; • Addressing the differences in performance of department teams to maximise efficiency and ensure resources are properly applied; • Improving communication between department staff and stakeholders to explain the basis for the calculation of the backlog.

Workstream 2: Shared national approach

This workstream accounts for seven of the recommendations from the MacKinnon Report. The O’Hara Report groups these recommendations together as they are all aimed at raising the profile of forestry and encouraging development in the sector as a whole. The objectives of this workstream, as set out in the O’Hara Report, are to “establish a cross-society vision” for the role of forestry, aligning the actions of public organisations to that purpose; and establishing an assessment of the suitability and availability of land for different types of forestry. This includes: • Development of a forestry strategy underpinned by evidence and supported by an increased promotion of the Irish Forest Standard, Code of Best Practice and associated environmental guidelines. • Engagement with stakeholders and wider society will be particularly significant in this workstream, and will need to go “well beyond” the working-group model recommended for the other workstreams.

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Workstream 3: Organisational development and Communications

This workstream accounts for seven of the recommendations from the Mackinnon Report. It concentrates on streamlining the Department’s forestry resources and organisational structures and developing a communications programme for Forestry in Ireland. The objectives of this workstream are to ensure staff, structures and systems in the department can meet the requirements of Irish forestry; and that the Department, COFORD, Teagasc and Coillte work better together. The key actions outlined by O’Hara here are as follows: • A review of the structure, skills and culture across the combined forestry teams is “urgently required”; • Updating structures and capabilities in order to “drive out inefficiencies” and to develop a culture of “positive shared responsibility”; • A much clearer explanation of the roles and responsibilities of the department (including the Forest Service), Coillte, Teagasc and COFORD [Council for Forest Research and Development] is needed; • Identifying shared skill needs and training providers between the private and public sectors; • Customer relations “must improve”, with a clear statement of performance expectations; • More effective key performance indicators should be established and incorporated into the Department’s corporate management.

Workstream 4: Process improvement

This workstream accounts for eight of the Mackinnon recommendations, and concerns improving the licencing processes into the future. The objectives are to ensure that the licencing processes deliver better results; fully address legal and regulatory requirements; and deploy resources more effectively. • Key actions here are as follows: • Reviewing legal aspects is “urgently needed”, involving wider expertise on both EU and domestic legislation aspects; • An end-to-end process review using professional systems analysts to identify further improvements, including a tightening of

Project Woodland

• • • •

procedures for “rejecting poor-quality applications”; The introduction of targeted pre-application discussions; The proposal for an environmental report with an associated grant should be developed and piloted in advance, and should ensure quality across applicant types; A feasibility study should be carried out to explore the potential for single consent associated with a management plan; All work in this workstream should be undertaken on a partnership basis, and should be “considered alongside, or part of, the wider transition process to introduce the next CAP”.

WORKGROUP COMPOSITION All of these workstreams are working concurrently and are being supported by a working group made up of stakeholders drawn from Minister of State Pippa Hackett’s existing Forestry Policy Group. These stakeholders are drawn from Industry, the Environmental Pillar and other relevant NGO’s. Each working group is being chaired by an experienced independent person and in in turn overseen by a project board. The Project Board itself is being chaired by the Secretary General at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Mr. Brendan Gleeson. The workgroup chairs are as follows: Matt Crowe served as a Director of the Irish Environmental Protection Agency from April 2010 to April 2020 with responsibility for the Office of Communications and Corporate Services from 2010 to 2013 and the Office of Evidence and Assessment from 2013 to his retirement in 2020. Michael Cantwell is a former Director of Enterprise Ireland. He was appointed as Director of the Food Division of Enterprise Ireland in 2011 and during his time there, managed many industry sectors departments, including Telecoms, Media and Education. Professor Thia Hennessy is Dean of School and Chair of Agri-Food Economics at Cork University Business School. Professor Hennessy is a member of a number of international research consortia examining issues such as the economic performance of farms, the sustainability of food production and the impact of climate change on agriculture. Michael Layde is a former Assistant Secretary General in the Department of the Environment having led the Department’s Housing Division prior to his retirement. WILL PROJECT WOODLAND WORK? The project represents a very holistic review of the forestry system in Ireland. There are a great many very critical success factors already

in place, not least the very high level of stakeholder inclusion and engagement and the involvement of experienced external chairs together with the continued involvement of Jo O’Hara and the benefit of the Scottish experience. The work of the project is now well under way. Several Project Board and Working Group meetings have already taken place and the experience of these is reportedly already very positive. These working groups are expected to continue their work through 2021 and into 2022. The development of many of the workstream objectives will require a substantial effort and a high degree of cooperation between various stakeholders. The stakeholder mix involved is very diverse, however the project does provide a useful opportunity to develop greater understanding and cooperation between these stakeholders and to assist in developing better stakeholder relations in the long term. As separate measure, the Minister has requested Irish Rural Link to undertake a study of the effects of forests on communities, continuing from the work of Professor Aine Ni Dhubhain from UCD during 2018. This work will then feed into the “Shared National Approach” workstream in due course. The timing of Project Woodland, and in particular the inclusion of its forest strategy is critical in relation to the role of forestry into the future. An effective forestry sector is recognised as an important component of overall responses to climate and biodiversity challenges within the Agri-food sector, and well as contributing to economic and recreational objectives. The attitudes and role of landowners towards planting are extremely important in this regard and are critical to maintaining planting levels. The thoughtful inclusion of planting on farms, with clear benefits in relation to climate, water quality and biodiversity on farm holdings, as well as offering an additional income stream, has potential to be an integral part of a productive farming enterprise. CONCLUSION As Minister Hackett has stated “Project Woodland was established to look at the complex issues the forestry sector is facing. The context in which we have to operate for resolving these issues is a combination of environmental, economic and social needs. I am therefore very grateful for the ongoing commitment of all the participating individuals and organisations for giving their time and expertise to plot a brighter and more sustainable future for forestry in Ireland. We are making real progress here and I will continue to work with all stakeholders to implement this.”

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O’Hara Report

Implementation of the Mackinnon Report Advice to the Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity on improving the delivery of forestry licensing processes EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.

This report contains advice to the Minister on the implementation of the ‘ways forward’ proposed by Jim Mackinnon in his review of forestry licences completed in November 2019. Due to the pandemic, this work was undertaken remotely – primarily through interviews with stakeholders from the Forestry Policy Group (FPG) and staff within DAFM. Subsequent to the publication of the report, and throughout the first half of 2020 there was a significant increase in appeals against licensing decisions and declining confidence within the forestry sector. The resulting further delays in processing felling licences in particular led to serious threats to business continuity along the supply chain to timber processors, which only started to be mitigated by the end of 2020. (Section 2) Support within the forestry sector for the recommendations in the Mackinnon report has grown over the past year. Awareness of the report and its implementation amongst other stakeholders is much lower and support more nuanced, however discussions with stakeholder representatives from across the Forestry Policy Group suggest broad-based support and no fundamental disagreement with the proposals. Stakeholders placed particular emphasis on the recommendations relating to the backlog(s), national strategy, land availability, the impacts of European legislation and preapplication discussions (Section 2) Some notable progress with implementation has been undertaken by DAFM and the incoming administration. In particular the impressively swift legislative changes, the substantial increase in specialist staff resources and the strengthening of the Forestry Appeals Committee. (Section 2) The pace and progress seen on legislation and resourcing has not been matched for other recommendations. This is partly explained by the protracted election process and pressures on DAFM resources arising from Brexit and Covid, but also due to failures in departmental project management and communications, as well as poor dialogue and relationship-building between stakeholder groups. (Section 2) DAFM now needs to act swiftly to address weaknesses in project management and communications, establishing a clear pathway to delivery of the Mackinnon recommendations. This should be delivered through a project with particular clarity around scope; accountability and governance; objectives; deliverables, and monitoring and reporting. (Section 3) The project should be structured to address the breadth of the Mackinnon recommendations and to improve communications. It is therefore recommended that it is managed as 4 workstreams covering: the backlogs; strategy and national approach; licensing processes and organisational development within DAFM. Each workstream should include an appropriate working group, including members from beyond the forestry teams in DAFM. Detailed outlines of the recommended content and outputs from each of these workstreams is covered in section 4 The legal issues impacting this work are complex and are impacted by domestic and European legislation, as well as recent case-law. The significance of these issues is not widely and consistently understood by stakeholders. Whilst it is not within the scope of this report to comment on legal matters, it is clear that better communications and discussion of the reality of extant legal constraints would help stakeholders to engage with the process more effectively. (Workstream 4) The lack of dialogue between different stakeholder groups is particularly notable. The government’s ability to improve this is limited, and it will require action by the stakeholders themselves to improve engagement. The establishment of the FPG is a welcome development to help address this, and the work to develop a

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national vision and strategy will help to build trust. If sustained and sustainable progress is to be made however, it is vital that these groups also find ways to engage directly with each other more effectively: to find common ground and to better understand each other’s positions. (Workstream 2) 10. A number of related issues were raised by stakeholders during discussions (e.g. management of ash die-back and opportunities arising from the growth in carbon markets). Whilst these are out of the scope of this report, the Minister may wish to further consider how these are addressed either within the proposed project structure or in parallel work. (Annex 4)

SECTION 1 – BACKGROUND Introduction and definitions 1. This advice was commissioned by the Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity in December 2020. The terms of reference are: • To advise the Minister on an Implementation Plan for the Mackinnon report, setting out measurable and deliverable actions and timelines for their achievement • To engage with all relevant stakeholders in the finalisation of this Plan • To submit her recommendations on an Implementation Plan to the Minister and the Forest Policy Group by end-February 2021. 2. Different groups interpret the word forestry in different ways, with some reserving it to a specific type of management for financial return, whereas others take a broader perspective incorporating all types of woodland management, including native woodland and urban forestry. Throughout this report, the term forestry is used in its broadest sense, and is defined as “the craft, science and practice of managing trees for a specified purpose”. Background and scope 3. Ireland has long held ambitious plans for increasing forest cover (e.g. ‘Forests, products and people – Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’, 2014) and yet planting rates have been declining steadily over the last twenty years. The pace of this decline has increased since 2014, as is seen in Fig 1.

The pace of this decline has increased since 2014, as is seen in Fig 1. 4. Jim Mackinnon was therefore commissioned in August 2019 to: • Examine the process for approving afforestation proposals and the linked issues for other forestry related operations • Make recommendations which will address any issues identified and which will improve the process

O’Hara Report

5. The report of the review was completed in November 2019, and the recommendations accepted by the then Minister Doyle. Subsequently DAFM issued a draft implementation plan for consultation in January 2020. The recommendations in the Mackinnon report which form the basis for this implementation plan are included at Annex 1. 6. National and international conditions have clearly changed significantly since the publication of the initial implementation plan: with the pandemic, the establishment of a new Irish government and Brexit in particular. However, the responses to these events combined with strengthened international commitment to tackle the escalating climate and biodiversity crises, have served to reinforce the need for Ireland to do more to develop sustainable forest management to deliver environmental, economic and societal goals. 7. The current Programme for Government includes 29 individual references to forestry. This clearly demonstrates the political significance of the subject and builds on previous administrations’ commitments to increase tree cover and the contribution of trees to the country’s economic, environmental and social well-being. In particular, increasing emphasis is being placed on the significance of trees in combatting climate change at both the Irish and EU level (e.g. the ‘AgClimatise’ roadmap for agriculture re-states the 8,000ha annual target for new woodlands and a new EU Forest Strategy is due to be delivered soon). 8. The scope of this report therefore remains bounded to the recommendations included in the original report. Additional issues that were raised or that emerged during interviews have been included in annex 4. Progress with the current Implementation Plan 9. Responses to the consultation on the initial implementation plan were dominated by forestry interests (seven forestry organisations, one farming organisation and 12 department personnel). No responses from environmental or community interests were received. 10. The key messages in the consultation response were: • Support for the suggested ‘ways forward’ in the Mackinnon report • The need for a much clearer plan of action (especially around the backlog and KPIs) • Concern regarding the lack of detail, ambition or pace 11. A substantial number of people interviewed as a part of this report were unaware of the implementation plan or the consultation. This was particularly apparent amongst those who are less close to timber-producing interests. This highlights a difficulty surrounding communications and engagement which is not directly addressed in the recommendations of the Mackinnon report. 12. Clearly the plan was drafted before the pandemic hit, and as with so many things, progress has been inhibited by the wider crisis. 13. In addition to more visible political recognition of the significance of forestry, rapid action by the incoming administration has resulted in legislative amendments as recommended by Mackinnon (r20), as well as a number of key appointments within DAFM (r9). The impact of these actions is being observed at the time of writing with key indicators for 2020 as follows: • Afforestation: 4342ha approved and 2,488ha planted (provisional data) against a target of 8,000ha, • Harvesting (including thinning): approx. 5,023,366 m3 approved (target unclear but COFORD forecast of gross annual production for 2021 is approx. 4,500,000m3) • Roading: 130km approved (125km target in Climate Action Plan) 14. In the ten months following the publication of the original implementation plan, the rate of approvals for harvesting, planting and road creation in 2020 had not improved sufficiently to stabilise the sector or generate sufficient activity to meet targets. This was particularly acute for harvesting, and during the Spring and Summer of 2020 the situation developed into a full-blown crisis which threatened the ongoing operation of the forestry sector as a whole. Owners were unable to harvest their timber, and timber processors unable to access sufficient Irish timber, resorting to imports to maintain throughput. This has seriously undermined confidence right across the forest and woodland sector and has been raised several times at the Oireachtas. 15. Since November 2020, a concerted effort by DAFM and the FAC

with a focus on larger approvals has mitigated the most immediate threat to the processing sector by releasing volume. As a result, there now appears to be a reasonable forward pipeline of licensed volume (provided associated road licences have been granted). As this has resulted in a greater focus on Coillte licences, many private sector growers have not seen equivalent improvements and remain deeply frustrated at the slow and uncertain rate of approval. These difficulties are also counteracting parallel efforts to promote afforestation to landowners. There are extremely high levels of dissatisfaction with the lack of approval of licenses in the private sector, and constraints on owners being able to realise the capital value of their forest assets. This is generating negative focus in the media which is further eroding interest in new planting amongst land-owners. 16. Underlying many of the current difficulties with licensing are changes to the operating and legal environment since 2012 (see Annex 3). There are currently 4 judicial reviews of FAC decisions underway, and there is significant pressure from the EU for improved environmental performance across Ireland (not just forestry-related). Whilst it is beyond the scope of this report to comment on legal matters, the lack of wider understanding (or possibly acceptance) of environmental legislation and its potential implications for the achievement of climate-change targets is clearly a source of antagonism. Sustainable improvement in the practice of forestry regulation will need better shared understanding of this issue and an improvement in how stakeholders work together.

SECTION 2 - REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTS SINCE JANUARY 2020 Discussions with stakeholders 17. Thirty-six interviews were held with stakeholders from the Forestry Policy Group and DAFM staff in December and early January, to explore developments since early 2020 and to seek additional views not expressed during the consultation process. The purpose of the discussions was NOT to repeat the process carried out by Jim Mackinnon, but to ascertain whether other significant issues had arisen since November 2019 which would impact on the findings. Key messages from these stakeholders in relation to Mackinnon were: • The recommendations in the original report are still appropriate (if not more so) • The awareness of the Mackinnon report and its implementation is much higher amongst stakeholders with an interest in commercial forestry • Internal and external communications by DAFM are not working well – including between the department and other parts of the public sector. • Engagement between different stakeholder groups is not functioning well, with social media and newspaper articles apparently the main basis for ‘dialogue’. This is exacerbating the existing low levels of trust between stakeholders. Individual organisations all expressed a desire for constructive engagement. • Confidence across the sector – but particularly amongst farmers and environmental stakeholders – has been declining for several years and has dropped further since the report was written. There are a number of reasons suggested for this including: the lack of the ‘low-hanging fruit’ of attractive, uncontentious sites for planting; no broadly-understood rationale for current regulatory processes; concerns that commercial operators do not respect environmental values and boundaries; concerns that eNGOs wish to halt all non-native forestry in Ireland and finally that DAFM is unable to regulate effectively, and that the government as a whole is not consistent in its view of status of forestry in comparison with other land uses. 18. Amongst these discussions, the following recommendations were highlighted the most frequently or with the greatest emphasis: Recommendation 2 – reduce the backlog 19. For those with a stake in the growing of trees for timber, this is the single most important recommendation. The failure to provide any

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O’Hara Report level of confidence in the timeframe for the issuing of planting, roading or harvesting licences has had a significant impact on landowners’ views on forestry. There is only a partial comparison with Scotland in this regard, where felling or roading licences were neither particularly contentious nor in the scope of the review carried out there (other than generically with Environmental Impact Assessment procedures). The Department has been right to focus resources primarily on this recommendation, and improved performance of the FAC and in felling approvals is noted, however there has been little visible progress in addressing the difficulties with afforestation approval. Recommendation 12 – develop a forestry strategy for Ireland 20. This was the issue raised by the most stakeholders from across the spectrum of interests. In spite of numerous public statements of ambitious forestry and planting targets in the last decade, it would appear that these are not embedded and shared and have failed to galvanise the requisite public support and collaborative action across multiple actors. The significance and importance of this recommendation therefore appears to be understated in the original report. Recommendation 21 – conduct pilot studies on land availability 21. This was raised extensively by stakeholders across the spectrum, with a wide breadth of views which ranged from ‘there is a large excess of land suitable for trees’ to ‘compliance with the EU directives means that we have insufficient land to meet our targets’. Amongst the concerns raised, there was particular confusion about the rules relating to unenclosed land and the suitability of land for different types of forestry – beyond timber production. Recommendation 6&7 – clarify the situation with regards to European Directives and forestry operations in Ireland 22. Stakeholders from across the spectrum are not fully persuaded that the current interpretations of the European Directives as they apply to forestry are correct - but for a range of different reasons. A common complaint is that the 2012 update of domestic legislation did not adequately take into account the advice provided by a number of bodies, however it is noted that this is a common in drafting legislation. In addition, many stakeholders believe that the legislation could be applied more efficiently, although it is not clear that this is belief is based on a solid understanding of current EU requirements. Recommendation 3 – Introduce pre-application discussions with Issues / Action log 23. A broad range of stakeholders (including many DAFM staff) support this recommendation. Concerns were raised about significant resource implications if preapplication discussions were compulsory and site-based, however the potential benefits of reducing the number of unsuitable or poor applications were seen to be considerable. OTHER IN-SCOPE MATTERS RAISED 24. In addition to the views relating to the Mackinnon recommendations, a number of other common themes emerged that are pertinent to future forestry policies in Ireland and have a bearing on the recommended approach to the implementation outlined below. These are: European and International perspectives 25. There are a number of European aspects beyond the Natura and Water Framework Directives that have a direct relevance to this work. These are mostly beyond the scope of this report, however the development of new European biodiversity and forestry strategies; the rules associated with the new CAP and any further climate change and biodiversity commitments under the Green New Deal must be borne in mind as future policies, initiatives and regulations are developed. In addition, the postponed Biodiversity and Climate COP meetings are 66

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likely to stimulate further focus on forests and forestry. Leadership, partnership and engagement 26. Clear leadership to weave the various interests together into a single narrative has been missing. This is partly to do with the lack of a shared national narrative and strategy (r12) with buy-in from across the stakeholder community, but also the complex ecosystem of public / publicly funded / private and 3rd sector interests. Scotland has a slightly longer history of widespread afforestation, and also had the Forestry Commission as a legacy body to fulfil the leadership and convening roles – with the latter coming increasingly to the fore as the whole sector matured over the last 20 years or so. The expectation from some stakeholders that DAFM is responsible for delivering this does not appear to match with the Department’s current role. 27. The boundaries between the roles of the core department, Teagasc and Coford are somewhat opaque. There was a commonly held view that Coillte has considerable potential to do more to provide leadership more generally for forestry, and to promote itself as an exemplar of modern multi-purpose sustainable forest management. However, it is also important to note that concerns were also raised about unfair competition between Coillte and the private sector and an over emphasis on single purpose ‘industrial’ forestry with Coillte. Farmer / land-owner perspectives 28. A number of interviewees felt that the viewpoints of the landowners most likely to deliver afforestation (i.e. farmers) need more consideration, and are not given due prominence by the FPG. Experience in Scotland highlighted the need to recognise the multiple facets in farming communities and to address these specifically (e.g. different views between different geographies, farm types, tenures and age groups). The role of farm advisers – both public and private sector – is crucial in this regard, and there is a clear appetite for further engagement from their representatives. 29. A number of additional related but out of scope issues were raised by stakeholders. These are included in Annex 4 for information.

SECTION 3 - DEVELOPMENT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN APPROACH 30. The recommendations in the Mackinnon report are wide-ranging in terms of their timescale, scope, impact and deliverability. This contrasts with the implementation plan for the Scottish report, where the 24 recommendations were mostly limited to process and cultural improvements which could be largely completed within a year. Furthermore, the Scottish implementation plan was a part of a much wider comprehensive programme of change for forestry in Scotland that covered policy, legislative and organisational aspects, as well as technical and process changes. 31. Considering these differences, learning from the Scottish approach and having listened to stakeholder feedback, my advice is to structure the implementation plan as a defined project with particular clarity around: • Scope • Accountability and governance • Objectives • Deliverables • Monitoring and reporting 32. To ensure transparency and good communication, clear project documentation following standard project management procedures (eg. Project Initiation Document, Project Plan, stakeholder engagement, milestone plan) should be completed by the Project Manager and approved by the Project Board once it is established. This should include the deployment of suitably experienced project and change management staff to support the Project Manager

O’Hara Report SCOPE 33. Many of the recommendations are linked or can be addressed by a single action. I therefore suggest that they are organised into four complementary workstreams to enable the work to be distributed effectively whilst maintaining coherence and enabling management oversight. The suggested allocation of recommendations to workstreams are included in Table 1 below. The table also provides a subjective assessment of how important the recommendation is (with 1 being the most important and urgent), this is based on my judgement of how fundamental the recommendation is to improving the overall performance of the approval process. 34. These workstreams are important for organising the work and engaging meaningfully with others. They should be used as a basis for building coalitions of key actors (not just DAFM staff) so that the process of forestry approvals can re-gain good levels of trust and acceptance. This need for collaborative working cannot be over-emphasised: the current situation cannot be addressed without constructive action from many stakeholders. 35. Initial deliverables and milestones are suggested for each workstream in the subsequent section. The Project Board will need agree the firm deliverables and the timing of milestones based on resource availability (in DAFM and elsewhere). I suggest the process to firm-up deliverables and milestones should take 4-6 weeks. ACCOUNTABILITY AND GOVERNANCE 36. As discussed above the delivery of the transformation required to deliver Irish targets would benefit from clearer accountability and leadership. Responsibility for the delivery of this implementation plan should be allocated clearly and named individuals ascribed to the various roles. A suggested structure is described in Fig 2 below. This is modified from the model used in Scotland to minimise resource allocation. The Project Manager should be supported by relevant admin, project management and communications specialist resource. 37. The Project Board should be chaired by the senior Project Sponsor and two or three others, including from outwith DAFM. The role of the board is to oversee delivery of the project: • Championing the project and raising awareness at senior level. • Approving strategies, delivery plan, project scope and milestones. • Support the project manager and securing resources. • Resolving strategic and policy issues and responding to major issues. • Driving and managing change through the organisation. • Prioritising project goals with other ongoing projects. • Communicating with other key organisational representatives • Overseeing risk and mitigation processes

Table 1: Allocation of Mackinnon recommendations to proposed workstreams

38. As this project needs to stimulate and drive action within and beyond DAFM, it is particularly important that communications and engagement are considered at each level in the governance structure. At the Workstream level, working groups should be established to bring in appropriate breadth of expertise and resource from beyond the department. These are likely to include technical and customer experts drawn from the FPG members who can work with DAFM staff to develop and stress-test proposals and deliverables. At the Project level, the project manager needs to carefully manage the network of internal and external stakeholders to ensure that they have clear visibility of the work of the project and understand how to feed in views. At the Ministerial level, the Forestry Policy group (FPG) will provide a vital cross-interest reference group to monitor progress, offer advice and improve dialogue between stakeholders. Clear terms of reference will need to be provided for all groups that are established, including an update to the existing FPG terms of reference to reflect the project and other groups. 39. It may also be worth considering establishing a delivery partnership group to support the Project Board. This group would comprise of publicly funded organisations outwith DAFM who have a role to play in delivery (e.g. NPWS, EPA, Coillte). 40. The Project Manager has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the delivery of the project, allocating resources and overseeing risk management. The Project Manager is also responsible for overall co-ordination of internal and external communications. This role is heavily loaded and will need access to additional support (e.g. project administration, communications) 41. Each Workstream should have a named departmental Workstream Lead responsible for delivering the agreed tasks and outputs from each workstream and for reporting progress and issues to the Project Manager. Once leads are identified for each workstream, a set of agreed deliverables and milestones should be produced and combined into an overall project milestone plan to track progress with implementation. The cross-sector working groups for each workstream will form a vital basis for ensuring robust solutions with broad-based buy-in. 42. The following sections suggest initial deliverables and milestones for each workstream. These deliverables and milestones are suggestions which will need to be refined and dates agreed with the Project Board to reflect resource availability, critical path dependencies and operational practicalities. It should be noted that not all deliverables and milestones will be the responsibility of DAFM, and will require action and commitment by other stakeholders if the whole project is to succeed. 43. Detailed progress should be tracked monthly by the Project Board, quarterly updates provided to the FPG, and the whole project should undergo a rapid review after 6-8 months to ensure it is delivering the desired outcome and make any necessary changes.

Figure 2 Proposed project governance structure

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O’Hara Report WORKSTREAM 1: REDUCING THE BACKLOGS SCOPE 44. This workstream addresses a single recommendation – r2. It covers all applications for licences (roads, afforestation and felling) that have been in the system longer than the agreed target processing times. OBJECTIVES 45. The objectives of this workstream are: • To reduce the current backlogs of all types of licence in breach of agreed processing times to an acceptable level, whilst ensuring that regulatory standards are maintained. • To ensure that any future growth of a backlog is identified and managed expeditiously. PROGRESS TO DATE 46. A project is already established and is starting to make inroads into the backlog of files ‘referred to ecology’ for processing. Evidence indicates that whilst the growth of the backlog has been halted since the project started, the rate of progress is not sufficient to reduce the backlog quickly enough to achieve appropriate levels of approval. 47. There has been recent confusion relating to the scale of the backlog due to over-lapping definitions of different backlog categories. This should be urgently addressed by expanding the scope of this work to cover all delayed applications and to improve the reporting and communication of progress against clearer targets. 48. The production of the weekly dashboard has been welcomed by stakeholders; however it should be clearer and provide better information regarding progress towards the achievement of targets. 49. A number of stakeholders expressed concern that the current efforts to reduce the backlog may result in poorer decision-making in relation to the most sensitive applications. However, discussions with the FAC chair indicated that overall, the quality of applications that are being considered by FAC have improved over the last few months which may suggest that these concerns are unfounded. In spite of this reassurance, it is therefore important that in addition to speeding up the assessment process, particular care must be taken and be seen to be applied to sensitive cases. KEY ACTIONS 50. Clarify the definition of ‘backlog’ to ensure it includes all licensing activity and only refers to applications that are beyond the customer charter standard for approval (other metrics covered in workstream 2). 51. For each type of licence specify a target number and area for an acceptable scale of backlog (eg. backlog should be no greater than 5% of the rolling 5 year average annual total applications), then plot a credible trajectory to achieve this target. This trajectory should include transparency about the prioritisation process so that applicants get a realistic indication of likely turnaround for their application. 52. Continue with the intense activity currently underway in DAFM and address the variability in performance between different teams to improve efficiency; standardise quality assurance, and ensure that resources are sufficient and appropriately applied. 53. Ensure excellent staff and stakeholder communications to explain the basis for the calculation of the backlog and the target and update the dashboard and associated report to show weekly performance and progress. SUGGESTED DELIVERABLES •

Targets for backlog agreed and incorporated into the Customer Charter (WS3) Published process for reducing the backlog to achieve the targets including prioritisation and scheduling Monthly publication of the number, type and area of applications within the backlog against target trajectory

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SUGGESTED MILESTONES (DATES TO BE PROPOSED BY WORKING GROUP) • • • • •

Publication of new baseline dashboard incorporating new backlog definitions Sufficient harvesting licences issued to cover 18 months of predicted demand for wood processors Backlog of private sector harvesting licences reduced by 50% (by number) Backlog of each licence types reduced to levels agreed in Customer Charter Monthly dashboard published on website by end of the first week each month

WORKSTREAM 1: REDUCING THE BACKLOGS SCOPE

OBJECTIVES 54. The lack of a shared national view of what Ireland wants from her trees, woods and forests is fundamental to resolving the current challenge. Many stakeholders spoke of conflicting policies – particularly environmental, climate, agriculture and forestry. This is not uncommon internationally, however, given the very young and rapidly changing nature of Ireland’s forest and woodland ‘sector’ it is a particularly important gap that needs to be closed. 55. The national imperative to increase tree cover and the production of wood-based products does not appear to be widely ingrained - even across government – with many stakeholders pointing out historically conflicting policy agendas, and an over-association of DAFM and Coillte with commercial forestry (although there was widespread praise for the recent Coillte Nature initiative). 56. The development of a shared national approach extends well beyond the government. Engagement between stakeholder groups appears under-developed compared with other sectors in Ireland (e.g. dairy), and compared with the forestry sector in Scotland. Improving the relatively weak engagement of the forestry sector with other stakeholders (and vice versa) is therefore necessary and should be strongly encouraged. 57. Allied to the lack of an overall shared vision for forestry, the breadth of opportunity for a wide range of forest types and silvicultural practices is not currently being recognised or well supported. The focus on single-purpose forestry (either wholly commercial or wholly for biodiversity) hugely limits the realisation of the potential contribution trees can make to the overall success of the country. This also has an impact on the question of land suitability, as current assessments – whilst excellent - appear to take a narrow view of forest type based on productivity. The role of native and mixed woodlands is underplayed, as demonstrated by the very low proportion of broadleaves planted in recent years (excepting 2020, which reflects a concurrent major reduction in commercial forestry applications). This gap is particularly important in the context of new markets for carbon and demand for other ‘ESG’ goods and services currently increasing rapidly internationally. 58. The objectives of this workstream are therefore to: • Establish a cross-society vision of the role of trees, woods and

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forests in Ireland’s future – including social, environmental and economic outcomes in alignment with the UN’s sustainable development goals and the EU Green Recovery Plan. Align the actions of key public organisations to the delivery of the vision Build and support a coalition of stakeholders to support, champion and promote delivery of shared forestry objectives Establish a shared, objective assessment of the suitability and availability of land for a range of different types of forestry across Ireland.

• •

Review of the current suite of Forest Standard documents and identification of areas for update Agreement with forestry representatives on combined approach to promotion of sustainable forestry

WORKSTREAM 3: ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCOPE

PROGRESS TO DATE 59. It is fair to say that the political profile of forestry is extremely high at the moment – unfortunately not in the way that Jim Mackinnon had hoped. Other recommendations in this workstream have received less attention as the new government has bedded in and DAFM has focused on tackling the licensing crisis. 60. There are excellent reports, information and data on land availability which are not being used as effectively as they could be. As is often the case, the transformation of scientific data and information into knowledge, wisdom and action on the ground is imperfect. In particular the analysis of this data with regards to planting where there isn’t a primary (or sole) objective to produce timber or woody biomass seems underdeveloped. 61. The establishment of the Forestry Policy Group by the minister has been widely welcomed as a means of opening up discussions on forestry across a wider group of stakeholders and encouraging different groups to listen to each other’s concerns. The terms of reference for this group are very high level and the pandemic has inhibited constructive engagement, therefore some frustration is developing amongst attendees, whilst recognising that only so much could have been achieved in two meetings. KEY ACTIONS 62. Develop a new forestry strategy for Ireland, underpinned by strong evidence and supported by an increased promotion of the Irish Forest Standard, Code of Best Practice and associated environmental guidelines. This should feed into any work on the proposed new Land Use Strategy, and the prioritisation of forestry in the successor to the current CAP. 63. The landscape of initiatives and organisations associated with forestry is confused, with gaps (e.g. promotional function) and overlaps (e.g. advisory roles). A much clearer explanation of the roles and responsibilities of DAFM (including any reference to ‘The Forest Service’), Coillte, Teagasc and Coford is needed – especially with regards to the actions described in Workstream 3 64. Engagement with stakeholders and wider society will be particularly significant for this workstream, and will need to go well beyond the working-group model recommended for the other workstreams. A key role of the working group here will therefore be to support and ensure effective wider engagement with people beyond the FPG groups. SUGGESTED DELIVERABLES • • • • • •

Forestry Strategy Refreshed Irish Forest Standard and associated documents Updated terms of reference for the Forestry Policy Group reflecting other changes, including a forward agenda Website / web-pages to explain the landscape of forestry bodies in Ireland Refreshed mandate and profile for Coford Communications programme for Forestry in Ireland

SUGGESTED MILESTONES (DATES TO BE PROPOSED BY WORKING GROUP) • • •

Timetable for the development of a new forestry strategy (including public engagement) First draft of forest strategy Publication of forest strategy and associated publicity

OBJECTIVES 64. As mentioned above, many stakeholders felt that problems in the department go beyond the specifics identified by Jim Mackinnon, and this is perhaps borne out by considering how the current situation has arisen. A common theme amongst stakeholders has been that the Department is “always reacting”, appears to be taking an “ad hoc” approach to issues and “lacks visible leadership”. 65. In addition, there is clearly confusion about the corporate persona of the forestry teams: is there a Forest Service and what is its role? 66. The primary objective of this workstream is therefore to ensure that the staff, structures and systems of the forestry team within DAFM are developed to meet the requirements of Irish forestry from 2021 onwards. 67. A secondary objective – which is strongly linked to workstream 2 (and in particular recommendation 13) – should be to ensure that the Department, Coford, Teagasc and Coillte work better collectively as the key public organisations responsible for the development, promotion, regulation and delivery of forestry policies. PROGRESS TO DATE 68. There has been a universal welcome to the Department’s large-scale recruitment of technical staff (10 new inspectors and 14 ecologists since January 2020), deployment of contract ecologists and the introduction of the weekly dashboard publication. 69. Evidence from the most recent dashboard (wk 1 February 21) shows that the area of felling licences issued each month has nearly doubled since October compared with the previous 7 months. There are also some limited signs of increases in the rate of afforestation approvals. Outputs from the FAC (and associated subcommittees) have also increased dramatically and are on track to have dealt with the backlog in appeals by June. However, judicial reviews of 4 FAC cases are underway, and information on the performance of the department with regards to throughput rates is poor. It has therefore not been possible to judge the proportional impact of the additional resources. Evidence from the dashboard suggests that the additional resource is not yet leading to a rapid enough increase in approvals to meet targets for afforestation. 70. Discussions with staff have highlighted a number of issues that go beyond the Mackinnon recommendations but are fundamental to moving things forward. Morale is low but there remains a strong shared sense of purpose, desire to improve things, and plenty of insight and ideas for what should be done. In particular, there is a sense that the full team could be deployed more effectively, and that management should be seeking help from within the organisation and from external experts (e.g. in comms and leadership development). KEY ACTIONS 71. Whilst additional staff have been recruited within the Inspectorate, their deployment has not yet yielded the necessary results to meet targets, and there are concerns about the overall management of

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O’Hara Report deployment (e.g. induction, line management support, forward job plans etc). Part of the explanation for this is that the department has also had to contend with the impact of the pandemic, the change of administration and handling the not-insignificant pressures resulting from Brexit, and so senior staff in particular have been spread extremely thinly. The leadership and management of the teams under the Assistant Secretary General is very concentrated on a small number of individuals with wide spans. This is high risk and also appears to be resulting in internal inefficiencies, low morale and an unhelpful personality-driven ‘blame culture’ externally. A review of the structure, skills and culture across the combined forestry teams relative to the outputs sought is urgently required. This should include recommendations on training needs. 72. Once the process review in Workstream 4 has been completed the structure and capabilities will then need to be updated to ensure that form follows function, to drive out inefficiencies and to develop a culture of more positive shared responsibility. This review should also include consideration of the roles of Teagasc, Coford and Coillte in delivering forestry outcomes. This action will provide the basis for delivery of r9, r15 and r19 within the public sector. 73. The training needs of the public sector are likely to dovetail in some regards with the needs of the private sector (e.g. alternative silviculture, forest planning). It is therefore recommended to work with Coford to identify shared skills needs and potential training providers. A more fundamental review of forestry education has been suggested and probably has merit, but is out of scope of this report. 74. Customer relations must improve, and the root of this should be a clear statement of performance expectations embedded within a concise and readily available customer charter. This has to link to r13 in workstream 2 – commitments from prescribed bodies to agreed turnaround times within the memoranda of understanding are needed to deliver overall performance. 75. To monitor and drive progress, and to instill a culture of customer service, more effective KPIs must be established and incorporated into the Department’s performance management. These must be meaningful and targeted on what needs to be managed rather than what is easiest to measure – for example there should be an indicator of the number of licences in the system that exceed the customer charter commitments. 76. It may be worthwhile considering this whole workstream within the context of a quality management system such as EFQM.

WORKSTREAM 4: PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS SCOPE

OBJECTIVES 77. The overall objective of this workstream is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the various licensing processes, so that they deliver better results, fully address legal and regulatory requirements and deploy resources more effectively. 78. Achieving the overall objective will require action by applicants and their representatives as well as by DAFM to drive out poor practice (e.g. inappropriate ‘cut and paste’ applications) and speculative applications which are the source of considerable inefficiency in the system. PROGRESS TO DATE 79. Recommendation 20 has been implemented and has already addressed concerns about potentially vexatious third-party appeals. Some stakeholders have raised concerns about this, with regards to impacts on individuals’ rights of appeal. However, appeals have been submitted since the new fees were introduced, which suggests that this change will have the desired effect of focusing effort on the most contentious or risky projects.

SUGGESTED DELIVERABLES

KEY ACTIONS

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80. Concerns about the legal context for the current licensing processes continue to be raised by staff and consultees. Many believe that current legislation and process has been introduced in a reactive and somewhat ‘ad hoc’ manner. The result is that there is low confidence in the efficiency of the application of current legislation and processes. 81. Reviewing legal aspects will deliver recommendations 6, 7 and 22 and is urgently needed before substantive changes to process can be fully implemented. This review needs to involve wider expertise on both EU and domestic legislation aspects (it may be useful here to draw in officials with relevant development planning expertise). This work should be supported by a working group that includes environmental specialists as well as the forestry sector to ensure that operational realities are taken into account and to increase the level of understanding within the sector of the legal position with regards to the European Directives. This review should also address the question of the usefulness and long-term applicability of the 20% rule. 82. An end-to-end process review using professional systems analysts is likely to be helpful in identifying further improvements. This was a very useful investment for tackling similar regulatory challenges in Scotland and would address some of the ‘personality- driven’ issues that have inevitably arisen in such a small and specialized sector. Part of this review should include a tightening of procedures for rejecting poor quality applications. 83. Following the previous two actions, the introduction of straightforward new procedures (including associated training) will deliver Recommendations 3, 4 and 5. The introduction of targeted

Renewed organisational structure, job descriptions and capability review for all DAFM forestry teams Customer charter Set of KPI’s and associated targets New suite of training courses (ideally run jointly between DAFM and others)

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SUGGESTED MILESTONES (DATES TO BE PROPOSED BY WORKING GROUP) •

Completed review of DAFM organisational structure, roles, responsibilities and capabilities Completed review of respective roles and capabilities of Coford, Teagasc and Coillte Draft and final customer charters published Initial suite of KPI’s and targets published and reported to Minister quarterly Completed training needs analysis

• • • •

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O’Hara Report pre-application discussions and issues and action logs is fundamental to improving the efficiency of the application process and can be done without waiting for the legal review discussed above. In spite of concerns from some within DAFM, there was strong support on all sides that local inspectorate staff should be included in these discussions. Concerns about the risk of this threatening the independence of inspector assessments are recognised, but ought to be addressed administratively (Scottish Forestry may be able to provide advice on how to approach this). The potential resource implications of this recommendation are noted, given the large number of smallscale applications. This additional cost could be reduced by making the pre-application discussion optional, providing advice by phone and by tightening the process for rejecting sub-standard applications. 84. The popular proposal for the environmental report with associated grant should be developed and piloted early and needs to ensure equity across applicant types as well as fitness for purpose, focusing on the genuine risks and not a ‘worry and wish list’. Given the high rate of ‘speculative’ applications resulting in low conversion rates, suggestions from FII should be given greater consideration. 85. A rapid feasibility study could be carried out into Recommendation 23 (single licence) as it was pushed for by a number of stakeholders. It may be best if this work is commissioned by a third party. There are however considerable concerns about the feasibility of this approach given the very long timescales involved (>30 years). An alternative approach for larger holdings whereby a 5 - 10 year approval for planting, felling, thinning and roading may be more suitable. 86. All of the work in this workstream MUST be undertaken on a partnership basis, drawing on the considerable expertise of the staff and testing with stakeholders and proscribed bodies. These new processes should be considered alongside (or as part of) the wider transition process to introduce the next CAP. SUGGESTED DELIVERABLES • • • • • • •

Clearer explanation of the statutory basis for forestry regulation process Pre-application meetings and Issues Log process Updated licensing process Pilot of environmental report process and recommendation for where this should be used, alongside grant support Training courses established for DAFM staff, prescribed bodies and registered foresters to embed new processes for pre-application meetings, issues log and environmental report Feasibility and cost-benefit study into single application process Improved processes for registered foresters to keep abreast of changing environmental regulations

problems of uncertainty, timescales and lack of trust and confidence. 89. Awareness of the Mackinnon report and the subsequent implementation plan was notably lower amongst stakeholders with interests beyond softwood timber production. The most vociferous advocates of full and rapid implementation were primarily those with commercial interests as growers, managers or processors. This imbalance needs to be addressed by all sides if sustained and sustainable progress is to be made. 90. Many of the issues tackled in the report are the result of: the growth, success and maturation of the commercial forestry sector; long-standing stakeholder concerns about the environmental impacts of different types of forestry; legacy woodlands which do not meet current standards of sustainable forest management, and a changing regulatory environment within the EU and domestically. These issues will not be solved by government action alone and will need additional concerted effort by stakeholders if the potential of Irelands trees, woods and forests is to be realised. 91. A summary of the full recommendations contained in this report are included at Annex 3 and are summarised as follows: • Transparent, inclusive and systematic progress with the Mackinnon recommendations will best be achieved through the establishment of a formal project with clear scope, governance, deliverables and reporting. The project needs to be resourced appropriately and should include key stakeholder input and engagement through working groups and other mechanisms (recommendations 1-7) • The project should be organised to establish a more coherent strategy and vision for trees, woods and forests in Ireland; to address the problem of the backlog; to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the licensing process and to ensure that the organisational structure, culture and systems within DAFM are suited for the requirements of the future strategy and processes (recommendation 3) • Clear deliverables and milestones need to be agreed as soon as possible with the Project Board – including commitments to milestones and deliverables from stakeholders outwith DAFM (recommendations 8-11) • Progress with the project should be monitored monthly and updates provided to the FPG quarterly (recommendation 12) • A rapid overarching review of project progress should be undertaken within 6-8 months of initiation and advice provided to the Minister on any changes required to secure success (recommendation 13) ANNEX 1: RECOMMENDATIONS OF ‘WAYS FORWARD’ FROM THE MACKINNON REPORT

SUGGESTED MILESTONES (DATES TO BE PROPOSED BY WORKING GROUP) • • • • •

Pilot of pre-application process completed Targeted pre-application meetings and issues log introduced for new applications End to end licensing process review completed Pilot areas for environmental report and grant process identified and work initiated CPD events for registered foresters introduced

SECTION 4 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 87. The recommended ways forward in the Mackinnon report remain pertinent in spite of the delay in full implementation. Actions by DAFM to tackle the backlog are starting to bear fruit, and the concerted effort to reduce the pressure on timber supplies to processors has been welcomed. 88. The delay in full implementation of the Mackinnon report has led to increased tension throughout the network of people, communities and organisations with an interest in forestry. Visible progress (to the end of January) has not been sufficient to address the underlying

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O’Hara Report ANNEX 2: SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS 1. The implementation of the ways forward recommended by Jim Mackinnon should be managed via a clearly defined project, adopting standard project management techniques (Para 31) 2. DAFM should deploy suitably skilled and experienced project management staff to support the project (Para 32) 3. The project should be structured around 4 workstreams to cover: reducing the backlog; developing a shared national approach to forestry; improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the various licensing processes, and to ensuring that DAFM staff, structures and systems are developed to meet the requirements of Irish forestry from 2021 onwards. (Para 33) 4. Governance of the project should be established to ensure clear responsibilities, lines of accountability and appropriate stakeholder engagement. (Fig 2) 5. The Project Board should be chaired by the senior Project Sponsor / Senior Responsible Officer and two or three others, including from outwith DAFM. (Para 37) 6. A Project Manager should be nominated with overall responsibility for co-ordinating delivery, allocating resources and overseeing risk management. (Para 40) 7. Each workstream should have a nominated Workstream Lead responsible for delivering agreed tasks and outputs from each workstream and for reporting progress and issues to the Project

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Manager. (Para 41) 8. Each workstream to have objectives and key actions as outlined in paras 44 - 78 9. Each workstream to consider what assistance is needed from outwith DAFM to achieve the objectives and to establish appropriate working groups to secure this. (Para 38) 10. Firm commitments from stakeholders for contributions to milestones and deliverables should be secured. (Para 42) 11. Deliverables and milestones for each workstream should be agreed with the Project Board by 1/4/21 building on the suggestions included in this report. (Para 42) 12. Progress against the agreed milestones should be reported monthly, with summaries published on the DAFM website each month, and the FPG updated quarterly. (Para 43) 13. A rapid overarching review should be undertaken within 6-8 months of initiation and advice provided to the Minister on any changes required to secure success. (Para 43) ANNEX 3. TIMELINE OF KEY LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS (PROVIDED BY DAFM) •

1992 - Habitats Directive Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. Article 6.3. Any plan or project not directly connected with or necessary to the management of the

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[Natura] site but likely to have a significant effect thereon, either individually or in combination with other plans or projects, shall be subject to appropriate assessment of its implications for the site in view of the site’s conservation objectives. In the light of the conclusions of the assessment of the implications for the site and subject to the provisions of paragraph 4, the competent national authorities shall agree to the plan or project only after having ascertained that it will not adversely affect the integrity of the [Natura] site concerned and, if appropriate, after having obtained the opinion of the general public. 2009 - Birds Directive (Original Birds Directive 1979) updated in 2009. Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds. 2009 - NPWS issued ‘Appropriate Assessment of Plans and Projects in Ireland Guidance for Planning Authorities’ 2011 - Transposition of Habitats and Birds Directive into Irish law. S.I. No. 477/2011 - European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011. 2012 - Forest Service, DAFM introduce screening for Appropriate Assessment. Assessment required Inspectors to examine effect on European sites. 3km and hydrologically linked. 2017 - Forestry Act 2014 commenced – statutory appeals system set up and Forestry Appeals Committee established with independent chair. 2018 - People Over Wind, Peter Sweetman versus Coillte Teoranta 12 April 2018. Question referred by Irish High Court to CofJ: “Whether, or in what circumstances, mitigation measures can be considered when carrying out screening for appropriate assessment under Article 6(3) of the Habitats Directive?”. ECJ Judgement C323/2017: Article 6(3) of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora must be interpreted as meaning that, in order to

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determine whether it is necessary to carry out, subsequently, an appropriate assessment of the implications, for a site concerned, of a plan or project, it is not appropriate, at the screening stage, to take account of the measures intended to avoid or reduce the harmful effects of the plan or project on that site. 2019 - Change in procedures in DAFM. IFORIS automatic listing of all European sites within 15 km to be considered when screening, in addition to Inspector considering hydrologically linked sites outside 15 km. (15km had become norm for considering sites in other sectors. 2019 - Eoin Kelly versus An Bord Pleanála 15 April 2019. The High court did not find that Sustainable Urban drainage Systems (SUDS) and other mandatory standards and best practice environmental measures can be considered in every screening for Appropriate Assessment. It is always necessary to analyse whether the measure, however described and whether or not it has another purpose is proposed with the intention of avoiding or reducing a harmful effect on a European site. If there is a Source-pathway -receptor connection between the proposed development and the qualifying interest of a European site and potential harmful effects have been identified, measures to avoid or reduce those effects must be excluded from the screening analysis 2019 - Heather Hill management Company CLG versus An Bord Pleanála 21 June 2019. The court held that the Board had relied on a commitment to comply with ‘best practice measures’ during construction in order to minimise any emissions into the Trusky Stream, which was identified as being a potential pathway to the Special Protection Area (SPA) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in Galway Bay. The court held that this commitment to comply with ‘best practice measures’ represented an avoidance or reduction measure that must be excluded for the purposes of reaching a screening determination. 2019 - Change to DAFM procedures to take account of Court

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cases, and in particular that mitigation measures including best practice measures could not be taken into account when making a screening decision. 2020 - Amendment to Forestry Act – payment for 3rd party appeals

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OTHER RELEVANT CASE LAW INCLUDES • •

Case C-258/11 Peter Sweetman and Others v An Bord Pleanála Case C-164/17 Edel Grace and Peter Sweetman v An Bord Pleanála Case C-461/17 Brian Holohan and Others v An Bord Pleanála

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ANNEX 4. RELATED AND RELEVANT ISSUES RAISED BUT OUT OF SCOPE 1. There are clear parallels with the conditions in Scottish forestry between the 1990’s and 2010’s which present learning opportunities for Irish forestry. However there are significant differences – particularly in relation to land tenure, legislation and recent landuse policies and practices. At the most fundamental level, an issue common to Scotland, Ireland and elsewhere is the need for a societal ‘licence to operate’ for forestry to be sustained in the medium to long term. This societal licence demands that the public benefits are clearly accepted as exceeding the public costs and risks associated with forestry operations. Without this, political, financial and legislative barriers will not be overcome. The recommendations in the Mackinnon report go some way to addressing this, however additional work to improve local and 74

Forestry&Energy

regional community engagement with their local forests would help to mitigate the risk of similar issues arising in future. 2. A number of stakeholders raised questions about forestry education (current and historic) and the potential for skills gaps to develop as policy and practice changes. 3. There are significant silvicultural opportunities offered by the site conditions in Ireland. The over-reliance on a single species is unnecessary and short-sighted when one considers the threat of further environmental change due to climate change or new pests and disease, or the future potential of the bioeconomy. The development of the forestry strategy must therefore include the consideration of a much broader range of silvicultural approaches. 4. The concentration of risk within the forest nursery sector is a key node for the whole forestry system which should be better understood and appropriate mitigation considered. 5. The impact of wild deer on forestry is significant and growing. You may wish to consider the most cost-effective means of containing this threat, otherwise the costs on forest establishment, habitat condition and silvicultural options will increase considerably (as is seen in Scotland). 6. The global carbon economy is advancing at pace, and Ireland could be well-positioned to benefit from this, given the good growing conditions. This could stimulate new business models and provide additional funding for woodlands that may not be at ‘maximum’ timber production levels. 7. A number of stakeholders raised the handling of Chalara in Ash trees as an area of considerable concern.

RECYCLING FORESTRY solution solution

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