It is difficult to imagine after the prolonged wet weather that we are in the forest fire danger period. We know from past experience that sites can dry out rapidly during March and April, increasing the risk of fires.
This point was not lost on Tom Hayes, Minister of State for Forestry, who recently opened a seminar on wildfires held in County Buildings, Portlaoise.
The seminar, hosted by Laois County Council in conjunction with the Forest Service, addressed the issues likely to pose a real threat over the coming weeks and months.
The forest and wildfires of recent years have demonstrated the need for greater awareness and public co-operation to protect forests against fire.
“In 2011, an estimated 1,500 hectares of forests were lost to fire,” he said.
“That represents almost a quarter of the total new planted area under my Department’s afforestation schemes in that year, while the cost of fire suppression and replacement of State-owned forests is estimated at over €8m. That figure does not include the value of lost timber crops or the future wealth and employment that would have been generated as a result of their harvesting and processing.”
Although the ground is still wet at the time of writing, forest owners need to remain vigilant, especially during the months of March to May.
In recent years, even when ground vegetation was green, forest fires caused serious damage well into the summer months during prolonged dry spells.
While the emergence of lush vegetation reduces the risk of fires, decayed vegetation, which is favourable to ground fires, can last for months, prolonging the risk period.
No doubt, the Forest Service will issue further forest fire warning as the risk increases but, in the meantime, forest owners can take a number of steps to minimise incidences of forest fires, such as:
Check firebreaks and ensure that they are vegetation-free to a width of at least 6m. It is the owner’s responsibility to ensure that fire breaks surrounding plantations are maintained and inspected regularly.Renew fire plans to include maps showing access and assembly points for fire-fighting personnel, along with equipment and potential sources of water. Plans should also include contact details for the emergency services, relevant forest management organisations, neighbouring landowners and forest owners.Remain vigilant, especially if the dry spell continues. Co-operate with neighbouring landowners including forest owner groups and report any incidences of fires to the gardaí. Avoid lighting fires. It is an offence to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy any vegetation growing on any land not then cultivated between 1 March and 31 August in any year. Landowners wishing to carry out prescribed burning during the legal period must notify in writing all forest owners within one mile, and the local gardaí between seven and 35 days in advance of the burning operation. Landowners found burning illegally could face fines, imprisonment and Single Farm Payment penalties, where applicable.In relation to burning and vegetation clearance, Minister Hayes said: “I am concerned that some farmers affected by the ongoing review of land eligibility being conducted by the Department may be tempted to clear areas of scrub, thereby restoring the land to full eligibility.”
In that regard, he reminded farmers that, as already stated, there is no reason to do this and also warned farmers and other landowners of the risks associated with uncontrolled burning.
“Setting fire to growing vegetation is not only an extremely dangerous practice, it is also illegal,” he said.
“It is completely unacceptable for a person to act so thoughtlessly as to set fire to vegetation and then to simply walk away from the consequences of that action, when those consequences could destroy the very lives and livelihoods of their own neighbours.
“I am taking this opportunity to call on all rural dwellers, farmers, forest owners, landowners and especially those that own, rent, lease or manage commonage, to unite in their response against the unacceptable behaviour of a small minority of careless and reckless people,” he said.
Irish forest owners have just experienced the damage caused by Storm Darwin, where human intervention was impossible in the face of a natural event of this magnitude.
However, wildfires occur due to human activity in Ireland.
It is in the interest of all stakeholders to heed the Minister’s advice to co-operate fully to minimise fires and to safeguard the forest resource.
Forest protection
Forest protection hasn’t been a major issue for forest owners in Ireland for much of the last century.
However, in recent years, hardly a month goes by without reports of fires, windblow, mammal damage, disease and other attacks on forests.
Irish forests are becoming more vulnerable to damage by a wide range of agencies and this has become more noticeable, especially since the increase in private planting.
At its simplest level, we now have a greater area of forest to protect. The Irish forest estate – public and private – has doubled in the past 35 years, while the private estate alone has more than trebled over the past 25 years, from 121,000ha to 367,000ha.
The recent storms, which damaged plantations as young as 15 years, demonstrate that a sizeable area of private and public forests are now vulnerable to windblow.
The total area of forest over 15 years is close to 400,000ha out of a total stocked forest area of 640,000ha. While some of this could be classified as low wind risk, nobody knows for sure as we have little data for privately owned forests in relation to thinning regimes, wind risk factors, productivity and reporting procedures in the event of wind damage.
Five weeks have elapsed since Storm Darwin but estimates on volumes and area blown have yet to be finalised.
The risk of fire damage also increases as the forest estate area increases. The proportion of forests damaged by fires in relation to the total forested area is less now than it was for most of the last century, despite some bad fires in recent years.
However, a greater area of forests is younger and more vulnerable than the multi-aged State forests where a more cohesive approach to forest protection is possible by Coillte staff. Forest owner groups have a role to play in co-ordinating fire protection to minimise risk.
The outbreaks of ash dieback and Phytophthora ramorum in larch also illustrate that our island status is no longer a protective barrier to disease attack.
The felling of young diseased imported ash, and more recently the clearfelling of Japanese larch in forests such as Gougane Barra, serve as a reminder that it is time we adopted a strategic forest protection plan in Ireland.
While some attacks on our forests are outside our control, we can minimise damage by careful planning and a co-ordinated approach to reduce incidences, especially from fire.
While strong storms will always cause windblow in our forests, we can minimise wind damage by addressing issues such as thinning – or not thinning – rotation lengths and other silvicultural practices.
A forestry and forest products industry with an annual value of €2.3bn demands a strategic plan to ensure its protection as far as possible.
It is difficult to imagine after the prolonged wet weather that we are in the forest fire danger period. We know from past experience that sites can dry out rapidly during March and April, increasing the risk of fires.
This point was not lost on Tom Hayes, Minister of State for Forestry, who recently opened a seminar on wildfires held in County Buildings, Portlaoise.
The seminar, hosted by Laois County Council in conjunction with the Forest Service, addressed the issues likely to pose a real threat over the coming weeks and months.
The forest and wildfires of recent years have demonstrated the need for greater awareness and public co-operation to protect forests against fire.
“In 2011, an estimated 1,500 hectares of forests were lost to fire,” he said.
“That represents almost a quarter of the total new planted area under my Department’s afforestation schemes in that year, while the cost of fire suppression and replacement of State-owned forests is estimated at over €8m. That figure does not include the value of lost timber crops or the future wealth and employment that would have been generated as a result of their harvesting and processing.”
Although the ground is still wet at the time of writing, forest owners need to remain vigilant, especially during the months of March to May.
In recent years, even when ground vegetation was green, forest fires caused serious damage well into the summer months during prolonged dry spells.
While the emergence of lush vegetation reduces the risk of fires, decayed vegetation, which is favourable to ground fires, can last for months, prolonging the risk period.
No doubt, the Forest Service will issue further forest fire warning as the risk increases but, in the meantime, forest owners can take a number of steps to minimise incidences of forest fires, such as:
Check firebreaks and ensure that they are vegetation-free to a width of at least 6m. It is the owner’s responsibility to ensure that fire breaks surrounding plantations are maintained and inspected regularly.Renew fire plans to include maps showing access and assembly points for fire-fighting personnel, along with equipment and potential sources of water. Plans should also include contact details for the emergency services, relevant forest management organisations, neighbouring landowners and forest owners.Remain vigilant, especially if the dry spell continues. Co-operate with neighbouring landowners including forest owner groups and report any incidences of fires to the gardaí. Avoid lighting fires. It is an offence to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy any vegetation growing on any land not then cultivated between 1 March and 31 August in any year. Landowners wishing to carry out prescribed burning during the legal period must notify in writing all forest owners within one mile, and the local gardaí between seven and 35 days in advance of the burning operation. Landowners found burning illegally could face fines, imprisonment and Single Farm Payment penalties, where applicable.In relation to burning and vegetation clearance, Minister Hayes said: “I am concerned that some farmers affected by the ongoing review of land eligibility being conducted by the Department may be tempted to clear areas of scrub, thereby restoring the land to full eligibility.”
In that regard, he reminded farmers that, as already stated, there is no reason to do this and also warned farmers and other landowners of the risks associated with uncontrolled burning.
“Setting fire to growing vegetation is not only an extremely dangerous practice, it is also illegal,” he said.
“It is completely unacceptable for a person to act so thoughtlessly as to set fire to vegetation and then to simply walk away from the consequences of that action, when those consequences could destroy the very lives and livelihoods of their own neighbours.
“I am taking this opportunity to call on all rural dwellers, farmers, forest owners, landowners and especially those that own, rent, lease or manage commonage, to unite in their response against the unacceptable behaviour of a small minority of careless and reckless people,” he said.
Irish forest owners have just experienced the damage caused by Storm Darwin, where human intervention was impossible in the face of a natural event of this magnitude.
However, wildfires occur due to human activity in Ireland.
It is in the interest of all stakeholders to heed the Minister’s advice to co-operate fully to minimise fires and to safeguard the forest resource.
Forest protection
Forest protection hasn’t been a major issue for forest owners in Ireland for much of the last century.
However, in recent years, hardly a month goes by without reports of fires, windblow, mammal damage, disease and other attacks on forests.
Irish forests are becoming more vulnerable to damage by a wide range of agencies and this has become more noticeable, especially since the increase in private planting.
At its simplest level, we now have a greater area of forest to protect. The Irish forest estate – public and private – has doubled in the past 35 years, while the private estate alone has more than trebled over the past 25 years, from 121,000ha to 367,000ha.
The recent storms, which damaged plantations as young as 15 years, demonstrate that a sizeable area of private and public forests are now vulnerable to windblow.
The total area of forest over 15 years is close to 400,000ha out of a total stocked forest area of 640,000ha. While some of this could be classified as low wind risk, nobody knows for sure as we have little data for privately owned forests in relation to thinning regimes, wind risk factors, productivity and reporting procedures in the event of wind damage.
Five weeks have elapsed since Storm Darwin but estimates on volumes and area blown have yet to be finalised.
The risk of fire damage also increases as the forest estate area increases. The proportion of forests damaged by fires in relation to the total forested area is less now than it was for most of the last century, despite some bad fires in recent years.
However, a greater area of forests is younger and more vulnerable than the multi-aged State forests where a more cohesive approach to forest protection is possible by Coillte staff. Forest owner groups have a role to play in co-ordinating fire protection to minimise risk.
The outbreaks of ash dieback and Phytophthora ramorum in larch also illustrate that our island status is no longer a protective barrier to disease attack.
The felling of young diseased imported ash, and more recently the clearfelling of Japanese larch in forests such as Gougane Barra, serve as a reminder that it is time we adopted a strategic forest protection plan in Ireland.
While some attacks on our forests are outside our control, we can minimise damage by careful planning and a co-ordinated approach to reduce incidences, especially from fire.
While strong storms will always cause windblow in our forests, we can minimise wind damage by addressing issues such as thinning – or not thinning – rotation lengths and other silvicultural practices.
A forestry and forest products industry with an annual value of €2.3bn demands a strategic plan to ensure its protection as far as possible.
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