Science, statistics and facts in Irish forestry

Achieving an objective view on Irish forestry a major challenge for the sector as the lines between perception and reality become increasingly blurred, writes Donal Magner.

Donal Magner

23 January 2019

Science, statistics and facts in Irish forestry

Commercial forests enhance landscape values if well planned and designed. \ Donal Magner

If we are to do something about flooding, we are going to have to plant trees in the right place and we are going to have to plant the right sort of trees. All of that is really difficult because the right trees are not the trees which the public think of when there is talk of forest trees. They are not broadleaf trees. The right trees are actually conifers... John Selwyn Gummer, Lord Deben, chair of the UK Committee on Climate Change

John Selwyn Gummer, Lord Deben, chair of the UK Committee on Climate Change

The above statement by Lord Deben was part of a reply to Green Party leader Eamon Ryan on land use during the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action debate last December. This committee, which had been examining the Third Report of the Citizens’ Assembly, How the State can make Ireland a Leader in Tackling Climate Change had invited Lord Deben and Chris Stark, CEO of the UK Committee on Climate Change (CCC), to take questions. The CCC is an independent statutory body that advises the UK government on climate change and monitors progress in reducing emissions across all sectors.

While Lord Deben has his critics in relation to fracking and beef consumption, there is little doubt that he values the independence and objectivity of the CCC. He told the committee “it wasn’t an NGO” but had to establish “a reputation for being accurate and scientifically based and not be a campaigning group”.

For example, the committee’s views on the role of conifers in flooding were shaped by reports such as the 2015 study The Role of Productive Woodlands in Water Management. These reports run contrary to “what the public thinks” but are accepted by the CCC because the information is “absolutely correct according to the statistics and the science”.

There is no forum in Ireland that has this objective approach and which is prepared to challenge some of the criticisms of production forestry but also ready to acknowledge them where they are justified.

The following is a cross-section of views expressed by activists, politicians and MEPs over the past year and are likely to be aired again this year, especially during the lead-up to the European Parliament elections. Many relate to production forests and increased afforestation – some justified, but most are inaccurate.

Irish forests are monocultures comprising one species. Monocultures were established up until the early 1990s in Ireland. As a result, 25.9% of Irish forests were identified as monocultures in the National Forest Inventory (NFI) 2017. However, three-quarters of forests have two or more main tree species and nearly half consist of three or more. No monoculture forests are established in Ireland because all afforestation projects must include at least 30% broadleaves to qualify for grant aid.

Irish forests are dominated by conifers, especially Sitka spruce. Conifers are the dominant species representing 71% of the stocked forest area while broadleaves account for 29% according to the NFI. Sitka covers 44.6% of the total Irish forest estate (Table 1) compared with 46.7% in 2007.

The landscape will be covered with Sitka spruce within a few decades. At current planting rates, 90,000ha of Sitka spruce are likely to be planted by 2050, bringing the total land area under Sitka spruce to 6.2%. During the same period, 1.9% extra of the land area of the five Connacht counties will be planted with Sitka spruce, bringing the total land area cover of Sitka spruce to 7%.

Irish production forests and Irish timber processors are over-reliant on Sitka spruce. Even though less than half the estate is under Sitka spruce, its growing stock represents 59% of total volume and may be over 70% of all harvested timber due to its high yields. It is accepted that Ireland needs to diversify towards ‘minor’ conifers such as Douglas fir, Norway spruce and the native Scots pine, while the 30% broadleaf planting requirement will result in increased hardwood production in the long-term.

Sitka spruce is an unprofitable low-value wood. Sitka spruce grown in Ireland is the most profitable species in Europe providing incomes as high as €30,000/ha for clearfells, especially in highly productive forests in Leitrim in addition to thinning revenues. It is a fit-for-purpose versatile timber used in construction, fencing, pallet and panel board manufacture while broadleaves or hardwoods are better suited to high added-value markets such as furniture, joinery and panel work.

Hardwoods rather than softwoods provide the best wood for construction. Virtually all wood used in buildings has been conifers or softwoods for over a century. This trend will continue as innovative architects are using softwood engineered or cross laminated timber (CLT) as the primary structural load-bearing element in multi-storey buildings over 50m in height. All the CLT green buildings in countries such as Canada, Austria, Germany, Norway and Finland use softwoods – Douglas fir in Canada and Norway spruce in Europe – while research work is being carried out in NUI Galway on the suitability of Sitka spruce for CLT construction.

Commercial forestry does little to enhance landscape values. Poorly planned and designed conifer forests have been rightly criticised but well planned diverse commercial forests can enhance landscape values. The 30% broadleaf requirement for grant aid and setback areas especially in riparian zones will result in a much better and more natural woodland design.

Broadleaves are better species to plant for flood control: The Confor report The Role of Productive Woodlands in Water Management maintains that conifers provide the greatest benefits for reducing water flows including larger evaporation or interception of rainwater which can reduce the volume of rainfall landing on the ground by 25-45% on an annual basis, compared to 10-25% for broadleaves.

Employment in forestry is small and makes little impact economically or socially. Total employment generated by activities in the forest and wood products sector is “12,000 full-time equivalents” according to COFORD and the annual value is estimated at €2.3bn.

As forestry has been singled out as a major land use in climate change mitigation, we plan to address issues such as the compatibility of forestry and agriculture as a land use, tree species selection, the kind of forests best suited to carbon sequestration and the role of commercial forests in biodiversity and climate change mitigation.