Programme for Government strong on forestry

Minister of State, Michael Healy-Rae will be well aware of the challenges he faces, if as expected, he takes responsibility of forestry this week. He was a regular contributor on forestry matters to the Joint Oireachtas Agriculture Committee while Dáil question time featured serial questions on forestry from him.

While this political experience may have been the deciding factor in landing the forestry portfolio, it will be his local knowledge that is likely to influence him in his decision making during his tenure as minister in the 34th Dáil. A forest owner and a forestry contractor earlier in his career, he will be aware of the challenges facing farmers with forests, tree nursery owners, foresters and sawmillers as well as those operating in construction and related areas of the forestry and forest products sector.

A glaring issue will be the challenge to reverse private afforestation, which averaged 15,580ha yearly in the mid 1990s. During this period, Co Kerry alone achieved an annual planting programme of 1,736ha, more than the country has achieved in recent years.

Programme for Government

Minister Healy-Rae has a Programme for Government to work with and while it is vague in places, it makes a significant case for forestry.

The following are a number of commitments by Government:

Construction

Construction and timber processing are inextricably linked, so the Government’s commitment to achieve an annual public-private finance package of €24 billion “to build 60,000 homes annually by 2030” is especially welcome by Irish sawmillers and timber growers.

There are opportunities for home grown timber when the planned new regulations are implemented “to encourage the use of timber in new building projects”. The programme outlines Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) initiatives to “promote the use of timber in new buildings and ensure multi storey timber frame residential units can be built”.

Minister Healy-Rae takes over at a time when DAFM has launched a robust forestry promotion programme and at a time when there has been a modest improvement in the licensing system. He has an opportunity to advance his climate change credentials by taking the Climate Action Plan recommendations on board. For example, the plan acknowledges “afforestation is the single largest land-based climate change mitigation measure available to Ireland,” while timber in construction and renewable energy generation are also promoted.

The Programme for Governemt makes no mention of the key role outlined for afforestation in the Climate Action Plan. However, he could use the plan as an ally in achieving a viable afforestation programme and in areas such as the section on Sustainable Transition in Agriculture. Here, the Government t commits to supporting “activities such as forestry planting that deliver carbon abatement”.

While stakeholders contacted by the Irish Farmers Journal were extremely positive about Minister Healy-Rae’s appointment, they also acknowledged that he will ultimately be judged on his performance in achieving a viable afforestation programme. We wish him well in his new role.

Afforestation, licensing and a forestry development agency prioritised

We asked stakeholders what forestry issues should be prioritised by Minister Healy-Rae. These varied widely but increased afforestation, simplification of the licensing system and the establishment of an independent State Forestry Development Agency (FDA) topped the list. The following is a summary (in no particular order) of stakeholders’ views:

Donal Whelan, Irish Timber Growers Association

The establishment of an independent FDA to monitor and have responsibility for implementing the forest strategy and forestry programmes would be the core in gaining stakeholder buy in and achieving programme objectives.

Payment needed for forest owners who supply public good and ecosystem services, including, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, air quality, water quality and flood mitigation. The EU Strategy supports the need for incentives such as “ecosystem services, forest protection and restoration”.

Teige Ryan, None so Hardy Nurseries

Reverse Ireland’s declining tree planting programme which would give the entire industry a lift, particularly forest nurseries who urgently need an increase in both conifer and broadleaf demands. Establish an independent stand alone FDA.

Olive Leavy, Irish Forest Owners

Landowners, especially farmers must be seen as the key stakeholder in forestry, with supports, incentives and policy working at a farm level.

The system needs to be simplified and better training and education is needed to allow farmers to properly engage with forestry as an active part of agriculture.

Mark McAuley, Forest Industries Ireland

Increase awareness of forestry, especially among farmers. The new Minister can take a lead in this by working across DAFM to ensure forestry is actively promoted to beef, dairy, and other sections of agriculture.

Government should place a renewed focus on larger scale commercial forestry, to combat climate change and provide the timber we need for construction. This will require re-examination of financial incentives and design of different forest types.

John Murray, Murray Timber Group

Reinstate the minimum planting target of 8,000 hectares per annum and ensure that proper rules and regulations are implemented to deliver targets.

Promote and incentivise productive conifers with parity of planting grants with other forest types and revert to higher allowable percentages of areas for productive conifers.

Conor Daly, The Forestry Company

DAFM needs to concentrate on simplifying the process that will allow farmers to plant their land, build roads and harvest timber. An FDA should be prioritised to enable forestry to be put on the same footing as other strands of agriculture and natural resources.

Geraldine O’Sullivan, IFA Farm Forestry

A contingency plan must be developed to set out the procedures and measures in the event of a pest or disease outbreak, as forestry is no longer guaranteed a safe investment.

The Payment Ecosystem Service (PES) under the new programme requires farmers to further erode productive areas to qualify for payment. The PES rate should reflect the income foregone from timber and must be extended beyond seven years as there is no financial reward for the successor of the land.

Padraig Egan, chair, SEEFA

Non commercial areas such as broadleaf, bio plots and unplanted ecological areas to receive a 40-year premium, to compensate for non-commercial land use. An FDA with real power, needs to be established.

Paddy Bruton, Forestry Services and Euroforest Ireland

Prioritise the establishment of an independent FDA as forestry is the only natural resource without such an agency. There should be a renewed focus on the mobilisation of roundwood that exists in farm forest throughout Ireland which has major rural development benefits but issues such as forest certification need to be addressed.

Maureen Kilgore, Irish Agroforestry Forum

Support the planting of trees into productive agricultural systems (agroforestry) with no significant negative impact on production or farmer’s livelihoods.

Need for simplification of the application process to overcome barriers to uptake as well as a more flexible approach to forest design, planting systems and species choice.

Marina Conway, Hometree

Ireland is on course to face substantial climate fines by 2030 due to missed climate targets. I urge the Minister to demonstrate bold leadership by fully committing to the engagement of farmers and rural communities in woodland creation and conservation. It’s essential that we mobilise the entire agricultural sector to actively support the expansion of woodlands for the future.

Other issues

Other issues raised included tree species diversity, ash dieback and forestry’s lack of identity. In this regard, a quick no-cost win for the Minister would be to restore forestry in his Department’s title – the Department of Agriculture, Food, Forestry and the Marine shouldn’t prove too long compared with some other department titles.