Mixed fortunes for native broadleaves

Ash dieback or Chalara, caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, continues to spread throughout Ireland. While foresters and landowners struggle to contain the disease and find a suitable alternative native broadleaf species, a number of innovative indigenous afforestation and restoration projects are emerging, which may provide an impetus to the native woodland programme.

Ash dieback

In the first seven months of this year, 62 findings of ash dieback were detected in forests, bringing the total to 384. In addition to findings in forests, a total of 99 confirmed cases of the disease have been detected in nurseries, private gardens, agri-environmental plantings, hedgerows and roadside trees since 2012. With 176 cases in Northern Ireland, 569 cases have now been detected on the island.

The disease is now present in all 32 counties with “notable increases in the frequency of findings in forestry plantations recorded in Tipperary, Kilkenny, Wexford, Kildare, Meath, Cavan, and Clare” according to the Forest Service.

The Forest Service continues to support owners in replanting forests, which have been infected and has paid out €3.4m to date in reconstitution grants. Where the top height of plantation is less than 7m, all ash trees need to be removed and a reconstitution grant is available to the owner. Where the top height is greater than 7m, infected trees should be removed. The remaining crop needs to be monitored regularly to assess the spread of the disease. Even in woodlands with relatively young ash trees, there may be sufficient time available to harvest a crop for hurleys if the spread of the disease is slow.

Flexibility

The Forest Service is adopting a flexible approach in funding owners with infected crops. For example, in crops where the top height is greater than 7m, the owner can avail of a the Woodland Improvement Scheme to remove individual infected ash trees through thinning. The owner will not be precluded from reapplying for assistance under the Chalara Reconstitution Scheme to clear and replant any remaining ash trees at a future date, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria of the scheme.

Native woodland projects

The withdrawal of ash from the afforestation grant scheme has coincided with a fall in native tree planting as foresters and landowners strive to find a suitable substitute species.

Broadleaf planting has fallen to 20% of the total afforestation programme but attractive innovative native woodland schemes are emerging.

For example, Natural Capital Partners (NCP), a company specialising in working with businesses on meeting their environmental commitments, has been commissioned by Microsoft to create 137ha of native woodlands in Ireland. Forest Carbon Ltd and Irish forestry company Green Belt Ltd are working with NPC to establish these new forests.

Coollattin Wood

Coollattin Wood came to national prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s when most of the best oak was clearfelled in what was left of the ancient forest of Shillelagh. But the exploitation of the south Wicklow wood began as early as 1641 when the oak was used for iron smelting, while Shillelagh oak was prized for shipbuilding and large-scale timber construction projects and oak bark was used for the tanning industry.

When the remaining wood at Tomnafinnoge was threatened with extinction in the early 1990s, the Government intervened as the then Taoiseach Charles Haughey took a personal interest in the project. After a series of public protests, Tomnafinnoge Wood, covering an area of just 66ha of mainly oak, was saved and taken over by the State in 1994.

Veon oak restoration

With Tomnafinnoge in safe State hands, oak trees are once again being planted in a nearby private restoration project. Last year, the Coollattin estate was purchased by businessman Brian Kingham who appointed forest management company Veon Ltd to carry out an extensive woodland restoration project on the estate.

In the past 12 months, Veon has planted more than 10,000 oak trees, replacing the Sitka spruce previously planted. This is the beginning of a project which includes the removal of over 40ha of invasive exotics such as laurel and rhododendron to allow native broadleaves to regenerate.

Although Coollattin has lost most of its native species, “the site still has an extraordinary collection of spectacular trees which were planted in the 19th century”, said Joe Codd, Veon’s sales director.

“This is a hugely exciting project, which includes not only the replanting of commercial woodland with native oak and the removal of invasive species, but the restoration of the carefully planned breathtaking 19th century vistas,” he said.

IFA farm forestry chair Pat Collins said last week that “farmers’ frustration with the forestry programme can clearly be seen in the falling afforestation rates”. In 2013, farmers planted 6,000ha but farmer afforestation had fallen to 4,095ha in 2016, he claimed.

“The minister has failed to address long-standing issues that are impeding the development of the sector and farmers have had enough,” Collins said. “The minister must introduce changes in the midterm review to address the issues highlighted by farmers if he wished to reverse the downward trend in the planting programme. Unnecessary restrictions and red tape associated with planting productive land were acting as a major disincentive to planting.”

He outlined a number of changes that need to be introduced to ensure that the long-term sustainability of the sector. “Firstly, we must start to make the most of our competitive advantage in growing timber, by ensuring all land that has the productive capacity to grow commercial timber and satisfies environmental requirements is eligible under the scheme. In addition, grants and premia – particularly the grant and premium category 1 rate for unenclosed land – must be increased to reflect the cost of establishing forests.”

He said the introduction of forest premium parity between farmer and non-farmer had been counterproductive to the expansion of the sector and had created a lot of resistance by local communities to forestry. “The IFA is calling for the reintroduction of the premium differential for farmers, as it recognised the greater social and economic benefits of a farmer planting to the rural economy.”