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NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR FOREST RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENTAN COMHAIRLE NÁISÚNTA UM THAIGDE AGUS FORBAIRT FORAOISE
COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on
‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’ (2014)
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations
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COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on
‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations
By COFORD Forest Policy Review Group
www.coford.ie
Published by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the MarineAgriculture HouseKildare StreetDublin 2Ireland
ISBN 978-1-902696-87-4 Citation: COFORD, 2018. COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014). A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations. Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Dublin.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Photographs © Donal Whelan.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | iii
Table of Contents
Foreword .................................................................................................................................................................v
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................ vii
Forest Policy ...........................................................................................................................................................1Background .........................................................................................................................................................1What is Forest Policy? ........................................................................................................................................1Forest Policy Review ..........................................................................................................................................2Policy Implementation ........................................................................................................................................2Forest Sector .......................................................................................................................................................3Environment and Public Goods ..........................................................................................................................6
Review Process .......................................................................................................................................................8Background .........................................................................................................................................................8
Review of progress to date ...................................................................................................................................12Expansion of the forest resource .......................................................................................................................12
Progress and developments ..........................................................................................................................12Issues ............................................................................................................................................................12Recommendations ........................................................................................................................................14
Management of the forest resource ...................................................................................................................14Progress and developments ..........................................................................................................................14Issues ............................................................................................................................................................14Recommendations ........................................................................................................................................16
Environment and public goods..........................................................................................................................16Progress and developments ..........................................................................................................................16Issues ............................................................................................................................................................17Recommendations ........................................................................................................................................17
Supply Chain .....................................................................................................................................................17Progress and developments ..........................................................................................................................17Issues ............................................................................................................................................................19Recommendations ........................................................................................................................................19
Wood processing and wood based panels sector ...............................................................................................19Progress and developments ..........................................................................................................................19Issues ............................................................................................................................................................20Recommendations ........................................................................................................................................20
Forest protection and health ..............................................................................................................................20Progress and developments ..........................................................................................................................20Issues ............................................................................................................................................................21Recommendations ........................................................................................................................................21
Support - education, training and research ........................................................................................................21Progress and developments ..........................................................................................................................21Issues ............................................................................................................................................................23Recommendations ........................................................................................................................................23
Quality standards and certification ....................................................................................................................23Progress and developments ..........................................................................................................................23Issues ............................................................................................................................................................24Recommendations ........................................................................................................................................24
iv | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Policy implementation and review ....................................................................................................................24Progress and developments ..........................................................................................................................24Issues ............................................................................................................................................................24Recommendations ........................................................................................................................................24
Cost appraisal and funding ................................................................................................................................25Progress and developments ..........................................................................................................................25Issues ............................................................................................................................................................25Recommendations ........................................................................................................................................25
Legislation .........................................................................................................................................................25Progress and developments ..........................................................................................................................25Issues ............................................................................................................................................................27Recommendation ..........................................................................................................................................27
Coillte ................................................................................................................................................................27Progress and developments ..........................................................................................................................27Issues ............................................................................................................................................................27Recommendation ..........................................................................................................................................27
Institutional arrangements .................................................................................................................................28Progress and developments ..........................................................................................................................28Issues ............................................................................................................................................................28Recommendations ........................................................................................................................................28
References .............................................................................................................................................................30
Appendix 1 - List of submissions received within deadline ..............................................................................33
Appendix 2 - Progress on implementing strategic actions ..............................................................................34
Appendix 3 - Adaptation options ........................................................................................................................58
Appendix 4 - Supply chain ..................................................................................................................................60
Appendix 5 - COFORD Forest Policy Review Group (CFPRG) members ....................................................61
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | v
Foreword
The forestry and timber sector is well positioned to assume a central role in the sustainable economic, environmental and social development of our country. This review of ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision,’ which was adopted by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in 2014, is another significant step in achieving policy aims.
The COFORD Forest Policy Review Group was established by the COFORD Council in 2016 to track the implementation of the forest policy recommendations and monitor and report on progress in implementing the stated strategic actions. The accompanying stakeholder consultation process provided valuable feedback on the implementation of existing, and in some cases new policy recommendations. The report reviews the 107 strategic actions with regard to those that have been actioned, progress to date on others and those that remain outstanding. In addition, a further 20 new strategic actions are recommended.
Forestry enhances the sustainability of the agriculture sector through its environmental and climate change mitigation role; also forests are our most significant terrestrial carbon sink. Given our national climate change targets and our current and future projected greenhouse gas emissions, forestry must play a critical role in sequestering carbon and mitigating emissions including those from the agricultural sector as outlined in FoodWise 2025 Strategy and the National Mitigation Plan.
The future role of forestry has been highlighted in many recent reports. In addressing the topic, “How the State Can Make Ireland a Leader in Tackling Climate Change,” the Citizens Assembly proposed that climate change should be at the centre of Government policy-making in Ireland and the State should review and revise supports for land use diversification with attention to supports for planting forests. It is important that this forest policy review initiative is progressed particularly in light of Ireland’s ambitious Climate Change targets.
A key recommendation in the 2014 Policy document was the establishment of a Forest Council. The COFORD Council has provided an effective model for progressive and productive collaboration between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the wider forestry and timber sector. This model of State/Sector partnership could be examined to provide a National Forest Policy Platform to ensure that this forest policy process is maintained and adaptive to changing circumstances.
We would like to acknowledge and thank the COFORD Forest Policy Review Group and all the stakeholders and others who contributed to this review of progress for their time, input, feedback and recommendations. This report with recommendations will be submitted to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Minister of State with responsibility for forestry. The COFORD Council is available to provide support in progressing the report’s recommendations.
Michael Lynn, Donal WhelanCOFORD Council Chairman COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Chairman
August 2018
vi | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Forest Dawn
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | vii
Executive Summary
Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision adopted by the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) in 2014 highlighted the need to track progress on the implementation of policy actions. The COFORD Forest Policy Review Group was established by the COFORD Council in 2016 to track the implementation of the Forest Policy recommendations and monitor and report on progress in implementing the stated Strategic Actions. The accompanying stakeholder process which was embarked on as part of this review provided an enabling framework for stakeholders to participate in providing submissions, feedback and recommendations on the updating of forest policy.
In the five years since the Forest Policy process was completed, and the four years since its formal adoption, there has been a number of emerging issues globally and nationally that will impact directly on forests and forest policy. Such emerging issues include; the FoodWise 2025 process, the new Forestry Act 2014, the Forestry Programme 2014 – 2020, Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 and associated National Mitigation Plan and Adaptation Framework, the Draft Bioenergy Plan, UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017 – 2030, EU Forest Strategy 2014, EU Climate and Energy Framework, EU 2020 and 2030 Renewable Targets, the emergence of the Bioeconomy and Brexit, amongst others.
It is important that the social, environmental and economic contributions of our forest ecosystems are considered in policy. New accounting systems have been developed in many countries to account for environmental services provided to society which look to quantify the value of public goods benefits of ecological systems such as woodlands. The Irish forest industry comprising, growing, harvesting and processing of forest products makes a significant and increasing contribution to the Irish economy with roundwood volumes available forecast to double over the period to 2035. Forests mitigate against climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and provide the largest outdoor area in the State for recreational use. There is significant potential for wood fuel to displace fossil fuels, particularly in the generation of heat in industrial, commercial, domestic and institutional markets. This contribution of the forestry sector to our environment and the national economy was reflected in this review process.
The Stakeholder Group met on six occasions between 21st March and 14th September 2017 under the chairmanship of Mr Donal Whelan and examined each of the thirteen chapter headings in the Policy document. In addition, as part of the stakeholder consultation process, there was a public call for submissions advertised in the national media and included on the DAFM website ending on the 16th March 2017 with submissions received from representative organisations, NGOs, Local Authorities and members of the public.
During this review, recurring cross cutting themes were identified from the stakeholder meetings. These included; 1. The need to continue to improve communications and coordination within the sector and with other related
sectors and stakeholders;2. The importance of establishing a national forest policy platform, such as a Forest Council, to ensure that forest
policy progress is maintained and measured against agreed indicators and adaptive to changing circumstances; and
3. The importance of the future use of technology across the sector.
To ensure that a forest policy process is maintained and adaptive to changing circumstances, many countries have set up national forest policy platforms, forest forums or similar mechanisms. These facilitate continuing communication and coordination among different stakeholders, response to emerging issues and integration of experiences or new initiatives in policy adaptation. This best practice as outlined by the FAO1 forms a fundamental part of the recommendations arising from this Review.
Progress was noted against a wide ranging series of recommendations across all thirteen chapters including (a) introduction of a unified premium rate for afforestation, (b) the establishment of a National Forest Inventory and Management Planning Unit, (c) reintroduction of the Native Woodland Establishment and Conservation Scheme
1 FAO 2012. Developing effective forest policy. A guide. FAO Forestry Paper 161. Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations, Rome
Figure 1: Forest policy formulation
viii | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
and proposed new Woodland Enhancement and Environmental Scheme, (d) the establishment of a Forest Genetics resource working group, (e) publication of All Ireland forecast and associated GIS tool, (f) publication of the Wood Mobilisation Report and the Bioeconomy Report (g) new Forest Management Plan template developed, (h) the Strategic Research Agenda developed and published, (i) Forest Programme 2014 - 2020 developed and under implementation, (j) removal of high income threshold in 2016 Budget, (k) Forestry Act 2014 commenced and national implementing legislation for the EU Timber regulation introduced (SI NO 316 of 2014), (l) Forest Certification initiative, (m) provision of training under a number of headings e.g. habitat assessment – afforestation, (n) DAFM publication of Felling and Reforestation Policy and (o) ongoing COFORD funded research projects.
Limited progress was expressed by stakeholders against strategic actions addressing (a) the national afforestation programme, (b) the need for greater integration between afforestation and agricultural schemes, (c) unified consent system for forest roads and entrances, (d) incentivising active forest management among private forest owners, (e) improved communication with sector stakeholders and forest owners, (f) control of deer and associated measures, (g) action on Invasive Alien Species (IAS) and (h) funding procedures for forest research.
No progress was noted against a small number of strategic actions notably (a) the establishment of overarching forest body e.g. Forest Council and (b) establishment of a Task Force to consider a standalone body for the sector.
New strategic actions were identified to address changes in the operational environment notably relating to (a) communications and awareness within the sector and with related sectors, (b) survey of harvesting infrastructure, (c) lack of capacity in forest pathology and entomology, (d) Centre of Operations Excellence to support seed innovation and to promote market-led new product/systems development, (e) guidance on biosecurity, (f) guidance on harvesting of brash, (g) improved health and safety awareness, (h) guidance on fire/pest control measures, (i) harmonisation of tax treatment between forestry and agriculture, (j) national standard for timber measurement/removals and security in timber sales, (k) encouragement of more balanced gender diversity in the sector and (l) communication on mission and wider role and responsibilities of the Forestry Divisions within DAFM.
Forests have the potential to mitigate against climate change and also positively contribute to our biodiversity, recreation, water protection and flood prevention, renewable energy, air filtration/pollution removal and also Ireland’s economy. With our low forest cover of 11%, there is scope for sustainable expansion of our forest area. In addition, output from our forests including timber, biomass, goods and particularly public goods and services is forecast to grow significantly in the coming years. It is hoped that this Forest Policy Review will contribute to achieving the full potential of Ireland’s forestry sector.
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Forest Policy
Background
Forests and their products and services are key to the well-being of society. They help mitigate the impacts of climate change, provide fuelwood for energy, timber for construction and furniture, living space and food. They also protect soil from erosion, house valuable biodiversity, are sources of income for individuals and families and offer recreation opportunities. With changing societal demands, forest policies and practices have evolved considerably over time and must continue to do so to remain relevant, useful and responsive to society’s changing demands2.
A number of developments have affected the way forests are governed, ranging from globalization, decentralisation and privatisation to changing demand for forest products and services from a growing and often more urbanized population. Other factors include heightened awareness of the role of forests in regulating climate and in providing other environmental services; greater recognition of the multi-functionality of forests; and a shift from timber-centred to people/service-centred forest management. International forest-related conventions, agreements and initiatives also contribute to bringing about change, the most recent being the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-20303.
The ultimate responsibility, authority and accountability for national forest policy rests with national governments and the stakeholders who help to develop and implement it – and whose actions make up the de facto policy.
Policies should facilitate sound decisions on forests and trees and their sustainable use – decisions that provide the benefits that society expects. Such policies must be designed to respond to the changing needs of different groups and to emerging challenges e.g. climate change and opportunities.
Figure 1 illustrates the traditional and modern vs. modern approach to forest policy formulation.
What is Forest Policy?
Two definitions of forest policy illustrate the changing attitude to and expectations from forests in recent years. The first relates to how forests were perceived during the majority of the last century
- A definite course or method of action from amongst alternatives and in the light of given conditions to guide and usually determine future decisions regarding the conservation, use and management of forests4.
A more recent and widely accepted definition is provided by the UN FAO
- A negotiated agreement between government and stakeholders (i.e. all those who depend on or benefit from forests or who decide on, control or regulate access to these resources) on the orientations and principles of actions they adopt, in harmony with national socioeconomic and environmental policies, to guide and determine decisions on the sustainable use and conservation of forest and tree resources for the benefit of society.
2 FAO 2012. Developing effective forest policy, a guide. FAO Forestry Paper 161. Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations, Rome3 General Assembly resolution 71/285, United Nations strategic plan for forests 2017–2030, (A/71/L.63) (27th April 2017), available from undocs.org/ A/RES/71/2854 Hummel, F.C. Policy Formulation in Forest Policy A contribution to resource development. Edited by Hummel, FC. Marrtinus Nijhoff/Dr W Junk Publishers, The Hague.
1984
Forest Sector
Forest Policy
Forest Strategy
Action Plan
TraditionalApproach
Related Sectors•Agriculture•Environment•Industry
Monitoring&
Evaluation
GlobalInternational agreements International bodies
European / RegionalForest EuropeEU Forest Strategy
Modern Approach
FIGURE 1: Forest policy formulation.
2 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
This FAO definition reflects the policy formulation and consultation process which supported the development of Forests, products and people, Irelands revised forest policy published in 2014 and also this policy review process.
Overall, the most frequently addressed issues are components of the seven thematic elements of sustainable forest management (SFM), as acknowledged by the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF)5: extent of forest resources; forest biological diversity; forest health and vitality; productive functions of forest resources; protective functions of forest resources; socio-economic functions of forests; and legal, policy and institutional framework.
Forest policy-makers have become increasingly aware, especially over the past decade, that forests cannot be managed sustainably if other land and natural resource users do not recognize the importance of these resources. One reason for poor policy implementation and a lack of impact of many beautifully written policies and plans in the past was that they often were out of touch with the realities around forests and the wider societal developments. This emphasises the need to link forest policies with and to incorporate forest aspects into wider national policies – so as to make forest policies relevant and to enhance society’s recognition of the value and benefits of forests and sustainable forest management. In this regard Forests, products and people took on board Food Harvest 2020, the EU Policy Framework (Including Europe 2020, A Strategy for Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth, EU Forest Strategy, EU Biodiversity Strategy, EU-2020 renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission targets, etc.).
Forest Policy Review
Policy-making is an iterative (repetitive) process, and it is important to view it in this light for two reasons. First, in an iterative process experiences and lessons learned can be more easily considered to inform and improve coordination. Second, iteration helps to maintain a dialogue on the policy and its implementation after the process of developing a formal policy has concluded. Ongoing dialogue, and an established platform for it is often a crucial component in implementing policies, as many concrete details in the implementation of the national forest policy need to be discussed or negotiated after it has been adopted. Established mechanisms for dialogue also make it easier to benefit from diverse lessons and experiences in implementing agreed policies and to coordinate subsequent planning.
To ensure that a forest policy process is maintained and adaptive to changing circumstances, many countries have set up national forest policy platforms, forest forums or similar mechanisms. These facilitate continuing communication and coordination among different stakeholders, response to emerging issues and integration of experiences or new initiatives in policy adaptation.
A policy review usually covers current forest policies, strategies, programmes, work plans and action plans, as well as their implementation. It identifies what worked well and what did not: whether goals were adequately set; if incentives and restrictions were counterproductive or conflicted with other instruments or goals; and if the conditions under which policies would be implemented were sufficiently considered. A review helps to draw lessons for improving forest policies and arrangements for their future implementation.
However, many reviews have failed to consider adequately the linkages with other government policies that touch on forests. Including the most relevant linkages in the review helps to reveal where policy coordination and integration of forest aspects into other policies have been effective, where they have not, and why. It also helps to prioritise areas in need of improvement in this regard under new policy goals.
Policy Implementation
With conventional policy settings and institutional arrangements, governments tend to rely on regulations, control and policing for implementation. However, this approach is often incompatible with the wish and need to involve stakeholders. Command-and-control measures alone have also been found to be ineffective in the management
5 General Assembly resolution 62/98, United Nations Non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests, (A/C.2/62/L.5) (17th December 2007), available from undocs.org/ A/RES/62/98
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 3
of valuable protected areas. New instruments, such as voluntary agreements, public-private partnerships and market-based approaches, have surfaced over the past few decades. These not only have the potential to make implementation more efficient but may also, at times, help avoid the marginalization of governmental forest administrations.
Regulation in support of forest policy must be effective i.e. responsive, evidence based and commensurate with risk. Undifferentiated approaches to regulation can impede development and the achievement of key targets. Furthermore, it results in often scarce regulatory resources being spread more thinly causing delays and potentially distracting attention from real risks which warrant closer attention and careful management.
A mix of policy instruments is normally used to reach objectives, and it is often necessary to adjust the objectives to maximize the effectiveness of the instruments (Figure 2). While the latter need to be coherent and mutually reinforcing, the choice of which to use will affect different groups to different degrees. For example, tax exemptions for establishing plantations would not be an incentive for people who do not pay taxes. Thus, the calculation of costs and benefits by a stakeholder group will influence its support for a specific policy objective and its implementation.
The conventional reliance on regulations, control and policing is often incompatible with practical realities or the desire to involve stakeholders, such as small tree growers or NGOs, in policy implementation. Wherever the capacity to enforce regulations is limited, this approach alone is ineffective, e.g. in protecting areas of high conservation values. Thus, in many cases, measures that go beyond command and- control practices and that involve the private sector are devised.
Forests, products and people uses a broad mix of policy instruments across the four broad categories with the emphasis on financial, persuasion and market instruments as opposed to legal regulations.
Forest Sector
The forest sector is relatively young but is increasingly important in the national economy and has a vital role to play in the context of rural development, renewable energy and climate change mitigation. Over the past decade, the importance of wood processing as a component of the sector has greatly increased, as levels of roundwood output have grown and the return on state and private investment in afforestation and related areas become more tangible. This trend will continue as the scope of forest policy broadens, with increasing attention being paid to competitiveness in the growing and processing forest products, and to Ireland’s comparative advantage in growing wood.
The national forest estate has increased from a modest 89,000 hectares (ha) in 19286 to 770,020 ha by the end of 2017, an area which represents 11% of the land of the country (DAFM, 2018). Approximately 46% is privately owned while the remaining 54% is publicly-owned, primarily by Coillte Teoranta. Up to the 1980s, almost all afforestation was undertaken by the State. It was not until the introduction of the State/EU funded forestry grant and annual payment/premium schemes that private landowners, mainly farmers, began to plant significant amounts of forest.
6 Minister for Lands and Agriculture, Dáil Éireann, Volume 23, 3rd May, 1928
Legal
Financial
Market
Persuasion
Legally binding international conventions + EU Directives
Property rights
Regulations (SI)Standards and licencesCodes of practicePlanning
Compensation
Incentives and grants to production processes
Taxes and tax incentives
Incentives and grants to innovation (R&D)
Prices, marketing boards, tariffs, duties
Negotiated management agreements and covenants
Negotiated international agreements (joint implementation)
Marketing Marketing of EGSInternational trade of obligations / permitsMarketing of traditional products linked to environmental quality, certification
Non legally binding international conventions
Information
Advice
Extension
Mandatory Voluntary
Complem
entary
FIGURE 2: Policy instruments.
4 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Non-native species represent 76.2% of the forest area and native species 23.8% (Figure 3). The total growing stock is estimated at 70 million cubic metres, with 74% being in publicly-owned forests. The average growing stock is 112 cubic metres per ha, which is low in comparison with many European countries (MCPFE 2007) and is a reflection of the young age structure of the forest estate with 65% of forests still in the first rotation.
Roundwood Production - Roundwood production from Irish forests is forecast to double from 3.95 million cubic metres in 2016 to 7.86 million cubic metres by 2035 with almost all of the increase expected to come from the private sector (COFORD 2016). This increase in volume production reflects the developing maturity of privately owned forests. Spruce species are estimated to comprise 85.9% of the forecast total volume production over the next two decades, Lodgepole pine and other conifers account for 4.8% and 6.7% respectively, and the remaining 2.9%, equivalent to 3.34 million cubic metres coming from broadleaves over the forecast period.
Employment - There are no national statistics on employment in the forest sector. However, a study completed on behalf of COFORD in 2006 (Ní Dhubháin et al. 2006) concluded that for every 100 jobs in the forestry sub-sector, another 90 full-time equivalent jobs are provided within the economy, giving a multiplier effect of 1.9. In 2010, direct employment in the forest sector was 7,032. Accounting for the induced and indirect effects, the total employment supported by the forest sector was estimated to be circa 12,000 (FORECON 2011, IFFPA 2016).
Contribution to the national economy - The forest industry, comprising growing, harvesting and processing of forest products makes a significant and increasing contribution to the Irish economy and in 2015 accounted for 1% GDP (IFFPA 2016).
Forest Industry and Markets - The sawmilling sector encompasses a large number of relatively small sawmills and a small number of medium to large sized mills.
There are three panel manufacturing mills in the Republic of Ireland (ROI), the two largest of which (SmartPly and Medite) are now owned by Coillte. In 2016, sawmills processed 2.14 million cubic metres of roundwood, generating 0.99 million cubic metres of sawn timber of which 81% was exported (COFORD Woodflow 2016t), mainly to the UK.
In 2016, exports of forest products were valued at €380 million, up €77 million on 2012. Wood based panels accounted for €206 million. The balance comprised paper (€51 million) and sawn timber exports (€122 million) (COFORD 2017a)). In 2010 Ireland became a net exporter of sawn timber in value terms for the first time since statistics were compiled in 1961.
Energy - After wind energy, wood fuels are the largest contributor to renewable energy generation in Ireland – contributing about 4.7 PJ7 annually to energy use. The largest single use of wood for energy is within the forest products sector itself. There are three commercial wood fuelled biomass combined heat and power (CHP) plants in Ireland with a combined installed capacity of 7.7 MWe8 (Phillips 2011). In 2016, 34% of the roundwood used in the Republic of Ireland was for energy generation, mainly within the forest products sector.
7 Peta Joules 8 Megawatts of electricity
Species composition (%) in Ireland’s forest estate
Sitka spruce
Sitka spruce, 52.4
Norway spruce, 4.1Scots pine, 1.3
Other pines, 9.7
Douglas fir, 1.6
larch spp., 4.4
other conifers, 0.6
ses. & ped. oak, 2.6
beech, 1.5
ash, 3.2
sycamore, 1.5
birch spp., 5.9
alder, 2.4
OLL broadleaves, 1.5
OSL broadleaves, 7.3
Norway spruce
Scots pine
Other pines
Douglas fir
FIGURE 3: Percentage of the stocked forest area by species (DAFM, 2018).
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 5
Bluebell Woodland.
6 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Environment and Public Goods
Environment - Forestry contributes much to the health and diversity of Ireland’s natural environment. Irish forest management practices have impacts on water quality, habitats and ecosystems. Greater diversity of forest resources and forest management models, combined with improved environmental protection measures throughout forest planning and management cycles, can contribute to national, EU and international environmental objectives and obligations.
Climate Change - Mitigation and adaptation and the role of forests and forest policy.According to the Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), the main mitigation options within agriculture, forestry and other land use sectors (AFOLU) involve one or more of three strategies9: each of which is important in the Irish policy context:1. Reduction/prevention of emissions to the atmosphere by conserving existing carbon pools in soils or vegetation
that would otherwise be lost or by reducing emissions of CH4 and N2O;2. Enhancing the uptake of carbon in terrestrial reservoirs, and thereby removing CO2 from the atmosphere; and 3. Reducing CO2 emissions by substitution of biological products for fossil fuels or energy-intensive products.
Conserving forest cover and the avoidance of deforestation are underlying principles of the 2014 Forestry Act. Furthermore, the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 places Ireland’s national climate policy on a statutory basis for the first time. Specifically, Ireland has committed to an approach to carbon neutrality in the agriculture and land use sector, including forestry, which does not compromise capacity for sustainable food production.
The National Mitigation Plan10 2017 represents Ireland’s planned actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the non Emissions Trading Sector, in the context of Ireland’s emission reduction target of 30% on 2005 levels by 2030, under the EU’s proposed Effort Sharing Regulation. The plan estimates the marginal abatement cost of afforestation to be ca €20/t CO2 and follows the same general analytical approach used in the cost benefit analysis in Appendix 2 of Forests, products and people.
Policies and measures to encourage the greater use of wood products in the built environment as a mitigation tool are as yet not well developed in Ireland. Use of forest-based biomass in heating and power generation is not included in the forest sector but as the replacement of fossil fuels in the energy sector. This provides the policy incentive to reduce fossil fuel combustion through demand side measures such as the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH), and on the supply side by supporting the afforestation scheme and related measures such as the forest road grant scheme and supports for forest management planning.
At the international level, the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change recognises the important role that forests play in climate change mitigation. In the lead up to the agreement the EU pledged a ‘binding target of an at least 40% domestic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990.11. Forests are now included in the EU’s proposed economy wide-target, with afforestation receiving specific recognition in the LULUCF and Effort Sharing Proposals. This policy development should ensure that forests and the use of forest products are more widely recognised in the national policy context.
In relation to adaptation to climate change, forests are vulnerable to forecasted increases in summer droughts, any increase in the level of storm surges and other climate events as outlined by Nolan (2015)12 and as summarised in the DAFM report, Adaptation Planning - Developing Resilience to Climate Change in the Irish Agriculture and Forest Sector13. The report outlines a number of potential impacts of climate change on the forest sector and increased risks of: • Windthrow in forest plantations;• Large pine weevil damage at reforestation stage;• Soil moisture deficits impacting on growth in certain regions; and• Forest fires.
9 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCCC). 2014: Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Edenhofer, O., R. et al. (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.
10 Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.(2017). National Mitigation Plan. 29/31 Adelaide Road, Dublin D02 X285. Available from dccae.gov.ie 11 Submission by Latvia and the European Commission on behalf of the European Union and its Member States 2015. Available from www.unfccc.int 12 Nolan, P. 2015. Ensemble of regional climate model projections for Ireland, Report No. 159, Environmental Protection Authority.13 DAFM. 2017. Adaptation Planning - Developing Resilience to Climate Change in the Irish Agriculture and Forest. Department Of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Kildare
St. Dublin 2, Ireland. Available from www.agriculture.gov.ie.
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The adaptation framework goes on to state: All policies, strategies, plans and measures for, or related to, agriculture and forests must be informed of the need to adapt to the potential impacts of climate change. A series of adaption options are set out in Table 3 of the DAFM report. An extract is provided in Appendix 3 in this report of those measures that deal with land use in general and with the forest sector in particular.
Biodiversity - Biodiversity describes the variability among living organisms and the ecosystems of which they are part. Ireland is committed to the principles of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and inherent to these are the conservation and enhancement of biodiversity in forests through improved planning, training and management practices. The scarcity of natural woodlands in Ireland means that plantations have the potential to provide important habitats for populations of some forest species that would otherwise be even scarcer. Managed forests can provide important habitats for a range of native species and may provide habitat for threatened populations of forest specialists including rare plants, animals and fungi. Forestry plantations can make a significant positive contribution to biodiversity in the landscape when properly planned and managed, but can impact negatively in the absence of good management practices (BioForest Report, EPA, 2006).
Biodiversity benefit from the existing forest estate was valued at €5.6 million per annum over the best alternative land use (assumed to be Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REPS)), but with the potential to increase by €1.6 million per annum under the planned afforestation targets (Bacon 2004). Using the benefit transfer approach an annual willingness to pay value (WTP) per person for forest biodiversity was estimated to be €19.78. This was then expanded across the adult population of Ireland of 3,439,565 suggesting that the annual value of forest biodiversity is €68 million (ECOVALUE 2015).
Water quality and hydrology– Forests, where well managed, can play an important positive role in the maintenance and enhancement of water quality. The ECOVALUE project concluded that as quantitative data on the flood mitigation services of Irish forests is lacking, it is impossible to assign a value to this service (ECOVALUE 2015). Updated environmental guidelines will facilitate the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD).
Recreation - Forests provide the venue for a wide variety of outdoor recreational activities. The monetary value of the recreational use of forests and trails has been examined in a number of studies. Fitzpatrick and Associates (2005) in their analysis of the Coillte estate estimated that annual visits were 18 million14 and provided a non-market value of €97 million annually. More recently the number of visits to forests was estimated to be 29,105,759 per annum and combining this with the WTP estimate gives an annual value of €179 million for forest recreation (ECOVALUE 2015). The benefits from recreating in forests can be both physical and mental. Walking tourism and mountain bike trails in forests (Ticknock, Ballyhoura and planned trail in Collaney) have expanded significantly in recent years. A recent major development is the planned Centre Park in Longford. Outdoor recreation contributes €1.5 billion to the economy and further investment in outdoor infrastructure has the potential to underpin the creation of 2,500 jobs in the tourism related sector (Anon 2017).
Air Filtration/Pollution removal – Maintaining our standard of air quality in Ireland is a growing challenge and is taking on an increased importance with further understanding of the links between poor air quality and human health. Forests can make a valuable contribution in mitigating these negative effects. The European Environment Agency (EEA) has estimated a figure of 1,510 premature deaths in Ireland in 2014 (EEA 2017) directly attributable to air quality. World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline values were exceeded at a number of monitoring sites in Ireland for particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), ozone, SO2 and NO2
15: Forests remove harmful pollution from the environment and this is becoming increasingly well recognised. In the UK Environmental Accounts for woodland ecosystems, it is estimated that UK woodlands removed more harmful pollution and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than any other habitat, valued at £1.8 billion in 2015. UK woodlands removed 292,000 tonnes of air pollution in 2015 and the value of woodland vegetation removing such harmful pollution was estimated to be £767 million in 201516).
14 Based on an adult population of 3 million and six visits annually as was found in the Great Britain Day Survey of 6,600 people. A value of €5.40 per visit was used based on survey data.
15 EPA. 2016 Air Quality in Ireland 2016. Indicators of Air Quality. Johnstown Castle Estate County Wexford, Y35 W821, Ireland. Available from www.epa.ie16 UK natural capital: ecosystem accounts for freshwater, farmland and woodland. Office of National Statistics, July 2017
8 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Review Process
Background
A fundamental recommendation in Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision, was the need to track the progress on implementation of the identified actions and measures under each of the chapter headings. The COFORD Forest Policy Review Group (CFPRG) was established by the COFORD Council to facilitate in addressing this recommendation. The terms of reference (ToR) for the group were; 1. Monitor the progress on implementation of the recommendations in Forests, products and people - Ireland’s
forest policy – a renewed vision;2. From information and data to be provided by bodies charged with progressing individual Strategic Actions
(employing indicators and criteria referenced in the policy document), report to the COFORD Council, the Minister with responsibility for Forestry, the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine and the Forest Sector on progress in achieving the stated Strategic Actions, with observations and/or recommendations as considered appropriate by the CFPRG; and
3. With stakeholder input provide feedback and recommendations on an approach to updating of Forest Policy/Strategic Actions to the COFORD Council, Minister with responsibility for Forestry, Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Forest Sector.
The CFPRG comprised representatives from across the sector including COFORD, Coillte, Enterprise Ireland, the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), the Irish Forestry and Forest Products Association (IFFPA), Teagasc, the Irish Timber Council (ITC) and the Irish Timber Growers Association (ITGA) (see Appendix 5). Representatives from Woodlands of Ireland (WOI), the Environmental Pillar, the Association of Irish Forestry Consultants (AIFC), None so Hardy Nurseries, BirdWatch Ireland and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) amongst others, were invited to attend stakeholder meetings as part of the stakeholder consultation process in the policy review. Staff from the DAFM participated in the meetings and provided clarification on regulatory and technical issues and information on recent developments and planned future actions by DAFM. Members were provided with background and supporting documentation to facilitate the review process. Technical consultancy support was provided and DAFM provided secretarial support. The recommendations in this report are those of the industry and in this context will be considered by the Department following formal submission to the Minister.
The Stakeholder Group met on six occasions between 21st March and 14th September 2017 under the chairmanship of Mr Donal Whelan and examined each of the thirteen chapter headings in the Policy document. In addition, as part of the stakeholder consultation process, there was a public call for submissions advertised in the national media and included on the DAFM website ending on the 16th March 2017 with submissions received from representative organisations, NGOs, Local Authorities and members of the public. A list of submissions received is included in Appendix 1.
Three recurring cross cutting themes were identified from the submissions received and the CFPRG Stakeholder meetings based on the discussions on each of the policy headings:a) The need to continue to improve communications and coordination within the sector and with other related
sectors and stakeholders;b) The importance of establishing a national forest policy platform, such as a Forest Council, to ensure that forest
policy progress is maintained and measured against agreed indicators and adaptive to changing circumstances; and
c) The importance of the use of technology across the sector in achieving policy aims.
In the three years since the formal adoption of Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision, good progress has been made in addressing policy actions. A summary of progress to date on all of the 107 strategic actions contained in Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision and any changes to these strategic actions or new strategic actions proposed in this review are provided in Appendix 2.
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Developments since the publication of Forests, products and people of relevance to Policy Review
There has been a number of significant developments since publication of Forests, products and people in 2014 which impact on forest policy and its implementation. These include:-
Brexit: -Currency exchange rate with knock on effects on price and volumes coming to market. Import of round logs from outside the EU. Impact on timber exports (excluding price).
Foodwise 2025: Summary Foodwise 2025 Recommendations and Actions for the Forestry sector:
Increase the forest area in accordance with SFM principles, to support long term sustainable roundwood supply through an increase in the annual afforestation level to 15,000 ha from 2021, subject to demand and the availability of funding. Sustainably manage the forest resource, including genetic resources through the introduction of a national forest management planning system and state support for seed stand management and the establishment of seed orchards thereby ensuring the provision of a full range of timber and other benefits. Ensure that afforestation, management of existing forests and the development of the forest sector are undertaken in a manner that enhances their contribution to the environment, takes account of the Environmental Report of the Forestry Programme 2014-2020, and fulfils their capacity to provide public goods and services Develop a flexible and environmentally responsible roundwood supply chain to enhance the competitiveness of the processing sector and the production of high value products. Support the development of a competitive, innovative, value-added and market focused sector. Ensure that the tax treatment of forestry does not act as a disincentive for the achievement of national policy goals in particular forest cover, roundwood supply to industry and climate change mitigation.
Maintain a healthy forest environment through sustainable forest management and through early detection and control measures for pests and diseases. Ensure the availability of suitable programmes of education and training across the sector and research programmes targeted at identified needs. The importance of investment in training, research and development are recognised and the strategic actions focus on a more co-ordinated overall approach in these important areas Forest products, forest services and the management of the forest resource must have a strong, market-led, quality focus.
Forestry Act 2014: Impact on permitting procedures and on forest activities.
Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015: The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 provides the statutory basis for the national transition objective laid out in the national policy position. The Act provides that the first National Mitigation Plan and National Adaption Framework were submitted to Government in 2017 (which includes actions by the forestry sector).
Forestry Programme 2014 - 2020: Impact on achievement of targets set out in Forests, products and people and progressing strategic actions.
DAFM (Forest Service) Environmental Requirements for Afforestation: Impact on afforestation. Impact on water quality and biodiversity.
Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH): Impact on demand for and price of biomass. Supply/demand balance.
EU Forest Strategy 2014: The Strategy highlights that forests are not only important for rural development, but also for the environment - especially for biodiversity; for forest-based industries; bioenergy; and in the fight against climate change. It advocates a holistic approach, encompassing impacts of other policies on forests as well as developments taking place beyond forest boundaries. It underlines that forest-linked EU policies should fully be taken into account in national forest policies.
EU Climate and Energy Framework: Proposed to integrate greenhouse gas emissions and removals from land use, land use-change and forestry (LULUCF) into the 2030 climate and energy framework. This is in line with the Paris Agreement, which points out the critical role of the land use sector in reaching our long-term climate mitigation objectives.
10 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
EU 2020 and 2030 Renewable Targets: Delivery of 12% of final heating demand from renewable sources by 2020. 40% emissions reduction in GHG by 2030 and 27% target for renewable energy.
UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017 - 2030: Forest contribution to achievement of sustainable development goals (SDG). Forestry Instrument - formerly Non Legally Binding Instrument.
Natural Capital Accounting: Assessing the status and trends of natural capital, in particular, ecosystem services, is a significant challenge in view of the enormous scale and diversity of environmental stocks and flows. The EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 is an important policy driver of improved knowledge of ecosystems and their services. Key actions include mapping and assessing ecosystems and their services, assessing the economic value of such services, and promoting the integration of these values into accounting and reporting systems at the EU and national levels by 2020.
Draft National Bioenergy Plan: The Draft Bioenergy Plan, published in 2014, sets out the broader context for the development of Ireland’s bioenergy sector, and the current status with regard to the range of policy areas that must be coordinated in order to create the conditions necessary to support its development. The forestry sector can play an important part in the development of the bioenergy sector.
Bioeconomy: At EU and national level, the bioeconomy is becoming increasingly important not only in terms of contribution to climate change but also rural development and the sustainable and wise use of natural resources17. The bioeconomy comprises those parts of the economy that use renewable biological resources from land and sea to produce food, feed, biomaterials, chemicals, pulp and paper, energy and fuels. Developments will impact on how forest resources are managed. The recent Bioeconomy Working Group Report entitled ‘Growing the Irish Forest Bioeconomy’, highlights the potential contribution of the forestry sector to the emerging bioeconomy (COFORD 2017b). The report outlines the opportunity to position forestry as a central pillar of Ireland’s National Policy on Bioeconomy with twelve proposals for growing a vibrant forest bioeconomy.
17 Department of the Taoiseach.2017. Discussion document for the preparation of a National Policy Statement on the Bioeconomy. Department of the Taoiseach, Government Buildings, Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2, Ireland. Available from www.taoiseach.gov.ie
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Farm Meets Forest.
12 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Review of progress to date
Expansion of the forest resource
Progress and developments
A full listing of progress against each of the eighteen strategic actions addressing the expansion of the forest resource is included in Appendix 2. The most significant development has been the introduction of the Forestry Programme 2014-2020. Key aspects of the Forestry Programme include; a) The payment of 15 premiums instead of 20 under the previous Afforestation Scheme; b) The significant budget increase for native woodland conservation, and increased focus on its application in
relation to important native woodland types and opportunities for habitat linkage, and on environmentally sensitive areas, with a view to realising wider eco-system services such as water protection;
c) A requirement within various water sensitive areas to include a Native Woodland Establishment plot alongside watercourses within conifer plantation design;
d) The introduction of a single premium rate (i.e. no distinction between farmers and non-farmers); ande) 5% increase in fixed afforestation grant rates; an increase in the premium rate of 20% to address the reduced
number of premiums; and the availability of a special construction grant for forest road construction.
Progress in achieving the targets in the Forestry Programme has been mixed (see Table 1).
Other significant developments include the re-launching of the Neighbourwood Scheme and Native Woodland Conservation Scheme in 2015, the occurrence and spread of Hymenoscyphus fraxineus and Phytophthora ramorum with the resultant delisting of ash and larch species for afforestation.
CAP Post 2020 and the review of State aid rules will have a significant influence on measures and targets contained in the next forestry programme. It is vital that provisions for continued support of Ireland’s Forestry Sector are maintained particularly in the area of farm forestry and timber mobilisation. Closer alignment of agricultural schemes such as agri environment with afforestation is important if the full potential of forestry in climate change mitigation is to be realised.
Issues
Stakeholders expressed a number of issues of concern, most notably:-a) A need for more flexibility in how targets can be met e.g. species and silvicultural systems;b) Need for greater integration between afforestation and agricultural schemes e.g. GLAS and for integration of
afforestation into whole farm planning as a viable enterprise;c) Lack of resources/expertise in NPWS to implement Native Woodland Conservation Scheme and other aspects
relating to broadleaf species;d) Need to review cost basis for schemes especially professional fees;e) Need for improved communication and engagement (including the use of social media) with the younger
population to help develop an overall forest culture;f) Publication of Environmental Requirements for Afforestation (2016);g) The Forestry Programme afforestation targets are less than set out in the Policy document with consequent
implications for sustainable volume supply post 2030; andh) A significant decrease in afforestation in 2017.
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TABLE 1: Forestry Programme - Implementation Progress.
Need Measure SchemesMid Term Targets
(2015 - 2016)Outturn
(2015 - 2016)
Increase the level of forest cover to support increased wood production and the provision of environmental services Measure
1
Afforestation
Planting (ha) 12,660 12,793
Avg size(ha) 7.2 6.4
NWS (Est) GPC 9 & 10 Planting(ha) 900 293
Agro Forestry Planting(ha) 30 0.6
Measure 4 Reconstitution Replanting
(ha) 400 113
Increase supply of forestry biomass to bridge expected supply gap by 2020
Measure 1 Forestry for Fibre Planting
(ha) 300 0
Measure 3
Forest Roads Building(Km) 220 127
Special construction works IndividualSCW 200 2
To support private forest holders in actively managing their forests
Measure 7
Knowledge Transfer andInformation Actions (KTGs)
No. ofParticip. 200 24
no. ofgroups 5 2
Continuous ProfessionalDevelopment Established Yes No
Targeted Training No. OfCourses 10 2
Advisory services
Visits 300 973
Phoneconsult. 1,750 7,293
Field Days 10 50
Measure 8
Setting up of ProducerGroups
No. ofGroups 5 0
Measure 9
Innovative ForestTechnology
No. ofProjects 90 0
Measure11 Forest management plans No. of
Plans 1,000 491
Enhance the environmental and social benefits of new and existing forests
Measure 1 Afforestation %
broadleaf 30% 20%
Measure 2 Neighbourwood scheme Projects 30 2
Measure 5
WIS (Thinning and Tendingof Broadleaves)
Ha thinned 3,000 1,421
Environmental Enhancementof forests
Haenhanced 400 0
Measure 6
Private NWS (Conservation) Ha 160 0
Native Emergent Woodland Ha 100 0
Public NWS (Conservation) Ha 340 0
Measure 10
Forest reproductive material(Seed Stands) Ha 75 0
Forest reproductive material(Seed Orchards)
No.Supported 2 2
14 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Recommendations
1. The current afforestation policy targets to be retained (SA 1.1);2. Review current schemes to incorporate greater flexibility in how targets can be achieved with particular
reference to species diversity and silvicultural systems (SA 1.1);3. DAFM to address greater integration between afforestation and agricultural schemes e.g. GLAS; (SA 1.2);4. Lack of expertise and knowledge in State organisations and local authorities to be addressed (SA 1.4 and SA 1.5);5. Greater emphasis on establishing riparian woodlands and their benefits (SA 1.18);6. Review the costs basis for current schemes in particular professional fees (SA 1.8); and7. New strategic action to ensure that future promotional campaigns include a focus on the younger generation
using social media (new SA 1.19).
Management of the forest resource
Progress and developments
Many of the strategic actions under this heading are on-going reflecting the long-term nature of forest management. A full listing of progress against each of the thirteen strategic actions addressing the management of the forest resource is included in Appendix 2. The most significant developments include:-a) Development of a new and improved Forest Management Plan (FMP) template;b) Establishment of a national forest inventory (NFI) and forecasting unit in DAFM ;c) Publication of the 2016 All Ireland Roundwood Forecast which utilised advanced forest management and
forecasting software;d) Development of spatial forecasting and felling decision tools hosted on the DAFM website;e) Establishment of Knowledge Transfer Groups (KTG) for private forest owners;f) Re-introduction of Native Woodland and Conservation Scheme;g) Establishment of the Forest Genetics Working Group;h) Commencement of the 2014 Forestry Act; andi) DAFM publication of Felling and Reforestation Policy (2017).
The occurrence and spread of Hymenoscyphus fraxineus and Phytophthora ramorum has had a dramatic impact on the management of many important tree species while the impact of storm Darwin (2014) has had repercussions for the future management (thinning and rotation length) and stability of conifer crops not only in the southwest of the country but across all regions. More recently, the establishment of the financial instruments (funds) to promote the development of the sector through the consolidated management of fragmented assets may facilitate more active management.
Issues
Stakeholders expressed a number of issues of concern, most notably:-a) Lack of a unified consent system for forest roads and entrances;b) Late timing of forest road construction;c) Need for more effective and timely communication with forest owners on a range of issues;d) Lack of progress in implementation of Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF); ande) Lack of progress in incentivising active forest management among private forest owners.
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Summer Stacks.
16 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Recommendations
1. DAFM to consider grant aiding forest entrances at an earlier stage (SA 2.6);2. Implement a unified consent system for forest roads and entrances (SA 2.7);3. Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine to consider active communication with
forest owners and referencing owner database (SA 2.9);4. Improved collaboration between commercial and environmental sectors (SA 2.9);5. Provision of guidance on CCF (SA 2.10); and6. Reference climate change in relation to the Forest Genetics Working Group (SA 2.12).
Environment and public goods
Progress and developments
A number of the strategic actions under this heading are on-going and long-term in nature reflecting the sustainable management approach being promoted and adopted. A full listing of progress against each of the twelve strategic actions dealing with the environment and public goods is included in Appendix 2. The most significant developments include:-a) DAFM publication of Environmental Requirements for Afforestation (2016);b) Publication of COFORD ECOVALUE report in 2015 quantifying the value of a number of environmental
services provided by forests e.g. recreation, biodiversity and carbon sequestration;c) Re-introduction of the Native Woodland and Conservation Scheme;d) DAFM publication of Felling and Reforestation Policy (2017);e) Publication of the HYDROFOR report (2016);f) Appropriate assessment procedures in place;g) Procedures for approvals/consents/licensing for afforestation, road construction, harvesting and aerial
fertilisation;h) Provision of training to Inspectors and registered foresters (habitat assessment - afforestation);i) The recent publication of the COFORD Bioeconomy Working Group Report entitled, ’Growing the Irish Forest
Bioeconomy’, which highlights the potential contribution of the forestry sector to the emerging bioeconomy; and
j) Publication of Outdoor Recreation Plan 2017 -2021 for public lands and waters.
There are still legacy issues with earlier afforestation on deep peats and what is the most appropriate land use for these sites. Societal expectations from forests are increasingly focussed on the range of environmental goods and services that forests can provide including recreation, biodiversity enhancement, water regulation and climate change mitigation18. Outdoor recreation contributes €1.5 billion to the economy and further investment in outdoor infrastructure has the potential to underpin the creation of 2,500 jobs in the tourism related sector (Anon 2017). Awareness of the potential adverse impact of inappropriate forest practices is increasing and there is an ongoing requirement that all practice guidance is science based using the most up to date information.
Interest and awareness of Natural Capital Accounting19 and its application to forestry are growing not only in Ireland but across the EU and worldwide with many relevant examples showing that timber production is not necessarily the most valuable benefit from forests.
The Citizens Assembly20 is a government initiative which established a public forum to reflect public attitude to important current issues. Recently, the Citizens Assembly met in relation to, “How the State Can Make Ireland a Leader in Tackling Climate Change,” which provides an insight to the public attitude to climate change and
18 Martínez de Arano, I (2017). Potential for innovative forest based products in Southern Europe. EFI Annual European Forest Institute (EFI). 2017. Annual Conference, Oslo, October 5, 2017. Proceedings available from www.efi.int
19 Natural capital accounting is the process of calculating the total stocks and flows of natural resources and services in a given ecosystem or region. Accounting for such goods may occur in physical or monetary terms.
20 The Citizens’ Assembly is an exercise in deliberative democracy, placing the citizen at the heart of important legal and policy issues facing Irish society today. With the benefit of expert, impartial and factual advice the 100 citizen members consider topics of national importance, and other matters that may be referred to them. Their conclusions will form the basis of a number of reports and recommendations that will be submitted to the Houses of the Oireachtas for further debate by our elected representatives.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 17
in this context the importance of forests in relation to the environment and provider of public goods. Members of the Citizens’ Assembly voted overwhelmingly for a comprehensive Government regime to tackle climate change including the proposition that climate change should be at the centre of policy-making in Ireland. Having heard from numerous experts, the members recommended that there should be a tax on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. This proposition also included a proposal that farmers would be rewarded for land measures that sequester carbon such as the planting of trees. In addition, 99% of Assembly members recommended that the State should review and revise supports for land use diversification with attention to supports for planting forests.
Issues
Stakeholders expressed a number of issues of concern, most notably:-a) Need to engage with Natural Capital Accounting and explore the potential that such accounting systems offer
to support/promote the case for sustainable forestry;b) Reports e.g. HYDROFOR and guidance often fail to understand the forestry context and provide broad based
recommendations lacking appropriate scientific basis and/or timely data;c) Lack of good baseline information relating to forests and water quality and impact on the environment;d) Belief that forestry, in particular the Native Woodland Conservation scheme, does not get sufficient credit for
the positive impact on water regulation and water quality;e) Lack of awareness among sector stakeholders of the full range of reports relating to forestry and the environment
and public goods; andf) While recognising that work is ongoing, the rate of progress on updating the Code of Best Forest Practice and
the suite of environmental guidelines is disappointing.
Recommendations
1. Forest sector to actively engage with the Natural Capital Accounting movement with a view to development of an environmental accounting system including the consideration of habitat values both pre and post planting (SA 3.1);
2. Undertake measures to improve the quality and timeliness of baseline data used to update guidance and environmental guidelines. (SA 3.3);
3. Consider actions to support the monitoring of water quality in relation to the Native Woodland Conservation Scheme (SA 3.11);
4. Initiatives and measures which aim to enhance the water and wetland benefits of forests to be considered under all afforestation schemes (SA 3.12);
5. Review the science behind the HYDROFOR report addressing identified gaps and updating findings and recommendations accordingly (new SA 3.13); and
6. Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine to put in place system to notify stakeholders and registered foresters when a new document/report is hosted on its website (new SA 3.14).
Supply Chain
Progress and developments
The majority of the strategic actions under this heading are on-going. A full listing of progress against each of the eleven strategic actions addressing the forestry supply chain is included in Appendix 2 while Appendix 4 provides details of the overall forest industry supply chain as prepared by Enterprise Ireland21. The most significant developments include:-a) Establishment of the COFORD Wood Mobilisation and Production Forecasting Working Group;b) Publication of the COFORD Wood Mobilisation Report (COFORD 2015);c) Publication of Managing Timber Transport - Good Practice Guide (FITG 2014);
21 Forest Industries Ireland “Worth Defending”. Presentation by Neil Kerrigan, Enterprise Ireland, 12th December 2017.
18 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Finished Product.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 19
d) Roading grants for collaborative roading projects;e) Development of Teagasc Ballyhaise harvester course and installation of harvest machine simulator;f) Establishment of two certification groups and completion of certification templates; andg) MARRT project is developing a GIS based agreed routes map.
The 2016 All Ireland forecast identifies that the doubling of roundwood supply by 2035 is dependent on the private sector. This presents a significant challenge due to the fragmented nature of the resource and the number of forest owners. This is especially so as the supply chain up to now has dealt primarily with a single owner i.e. Coillte. With increasing supply from the private sector, the processing sector is approaching the limit for controlled wood to ensure continued compliance with certification and chain of custody requirements which has implications for the entire supply chain.
Issues
Stakeholders expressed a number of issues of concern, most notably:-a) Lack of reliable and detailed information on the harvesting and transport infrastructure;b) Mobilising supply from the private sector in a sustained and balanced manner;c) Lack of suitable machines suited to smaller scale of private forests;d) Concern regarding timber security especially in private forests;e) No national standard system for timber measurement and removals;f) Lack of appropriate guidance on the recovery of harvesting residues for energy; andg) Concern regarding contractors’ security of work and ongoing training.
Recommendations
1. Undertake a national survey of forest machine and transport infrastructure and collate with CSO data on machinery imports and Coillte’s machinery database (new SA 4.2a);
2. DAFM in collaboration with sector stakeholders to support measures to address improved security of timber and the development of a national timber sales system including use of technology (SA 4.5 and new SA 4.3a) and;
3. DAFM to prepare guidance note on the recovery of harvesting residues (SA 4.11).
Wood processing and wood based panels sector
Progress and developments
A number of the strategic actions under this heading are on-going. A full listing of progress against each of the six strategic actions dealing with the processing sector is included in Appendix 2. The most significant developments include:-a) Establishment of the COFORD Wood Mobilisation and Production Forecasting Working Group (CWMPFWG);b) Start of the COFORD funded Exploitation and Realisation of Thinnings from Hardwoods (EARTH) project; c) Current All Ireland forecasts provide volume by top diameter category and not by product category;d) Commencement of the COFORD funded Commercialisation of Irish Cross-Laminated Timber (CICLT)
project;e) Use of Remsoft in producing the 2016 All Ireland Roundwood Forecast;f) Spatial roundwood forecasting tool hosted on DAFM website; andg) Commencement of the COFORD funded FORECASTMODEL project.
The CWMPFG is an implementation group focussing on identifying barriers and solutions and while its report is imminent, many issues will require further time for analysis and resolution. Despite the advances in the processing of domestic softwoods, there are still misconceptions amongst some timber specifiers regarding their quality and the use of timber in construction. The sector exhibits low investment in research development and innovation.
20 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Developing premium products is required to maintain existing markets and achieve diversification and productivity performance. Further penetration of export markets and investment and innovation in timber products is essential if the forecast increasing supply of raw material is to be brought to market and processed.
Issues
Stakeholders expressed a number of issues of concern, most notably:-a) Impact of Brexit on wood processing sector;b) The sector currently lacks an industry led Centre of Technology and Marketing Excellence to underpin and
support market led product and systems development;c) Need to develop higher value market than firewood for broadleaved resource which comprises circa 35,000 ha
of pure grant aided and 80,000 ha private woodland;d) Lack of knowledge on the fire risk aspects of timber in construction resulting in over specification or use of
alternative materials;e) Need to increase the uses of timber in building and construction; andf) Capacity to meet targets under the Renewable Energy Directive given the forecasted potential supply of wood
fibre in the All Ireland Forecast 2016-2035;
Recommendations
1. DAFM in collaboration with Wood Technology Ireland (WTI) to undertake awareness programme for Local Authorities on use of timber in buildings and fire risk (new SA 5.7);
2. Enterprise Ireland to facilitate an industry led discussion to understand the need and to potentially scope the requirements for developing an end market strategy and a Centre of Operations Excellence to support seed innovation in the sector and supply chain and to promote market-led new product/systems development. (New SA 5.9)
3. DAFM in collaboration with WTI and wood processing sector to actively engage with the construction sector on the promotion of increased use of timber (new SA 5.8);
4. Future All Ireland Forecasts to provide estimates of volume information by main product category (new SA 5.4a);
5. Continue with actions to add value to broadleaves (SA 5.3); and6. Continue with work on development of growth models (SA 5.4).
Forest protection and health
Progress and developments
A number of the strategic actions under this heading are on-going. A full listing of progress against each of the twelve strategic actions is included in Appendix 2. The most significant developments include:-a) Irish Deer Management Forum (IDMF) established;b) FORDEER project completed but report not yet issued;c) Widespread forest fires in 2017 causing extensive damage;d) Pest risk assessment (PRA) underway for Sitka spruce;e) DAHG Invasive Species Working Group (ISWG) established in 2016;f) DAFM reported to Government Task Force (GTF) on emergency planning on the spate of forest and land fires
in early 2017. Following this, DAFM hosted a cross Departmental/Agency meeting and produced a report for the GTF outlining progress on fire prevention and preparedness recommendations. ; and
g) Spread of Hymenoscyphus fraxineus and Phytophthora ramorum and delisting of ash and larch species for afforestation.
The stated policy in relation to deer management was to establish a National Deer Management Unit (NDMU) with overall responsibility for deer but as an alternative the Irish Deer Management Forum (IDMF) was set up
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 21
and has issued a framework for action report. Deer are an increasing problem and can cause significant damage to forests. The NPWS role is conservation and not population control where concerted action is now required. However, DAFM in partnership with DCHG has gone out to tender to establish a number of deer management units in County Wicklow to cover a three year timeframe. The aim will be to help manage deer populations at sustainable levels in the greater Wicklow region.
Disease resistance trials for Ash dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) have been established and progress in developing disease resistant strains is underway.
Issues
Stakeholders expressed a number of issues of concern, most notably:-a) The IDMF has little authority or budget to implement recommendations and stakeholders believed full time
NDMU if established would overcome these shortcomings;b) Deer populations out of control in hotspots across the country;c) Deer are protected species under Wildlife Act but specific species are not identified;d) Climate change and globalisation will result in increasing threats from pests and diseases;e) Lack of capacity in the fields of forest pathology and forest entomology including on-going resource capacity
for horizon scanning;f) Burden of proof for forest fires too onerous however burden of proof is a legal issue;g) Lack of knowledge on what is the best practice in relation to ash crops infected with Hymenoscyphus fraxineus;h) Lack of progress, communication and action on IAS; andi) Globalisation and EU membership trade rules has increased Ireland’s exposure to damaging insects and diseases.
Recommendations
1. Strategic action 6.1, that a full-time National Deer Management Unit (NDMU) be established to coordinate deer management, policy development and implementation, in consultation with stakeholders, and to lead the development of a professional deer management culture in Ireland be implemented in full. (Legal basis around control of deer rests with DCHG)
2. In light of increasing biotic threats due to climate change and globalisation, DAFM to employ dedicated forest pathologist/entomologist to improve detection and response to pests and diseases (new SA 6.4a)
3. DAFM/Teagasc to develop and implement a training programme for private forest owners on fire prevention and control measures (new SA 6.5a).
4. DAFM to develop and disseminate guidance on forest bio-security (new SA 6.13)5. DAFM to develop guidance on the management of diseased/pest infected crops e.g. ash dieback (new SA 6.14)6. DAHG/DAFM in association with forest sector stakeholders to actively communicate with the sector regarding
IAS and their potential impact on forests and the environment (new SA 6.15)
Support - education, training and research
Progress and developments
The majority of the strategic actions under this heading are on-going. A full listing of progress against each of the eleven strategic actions addressing education, training and research is included in Appendix 2. The most significant developments include:-a) Publication of the Strategic Research Agenda for Forestry in Ireland “Forest Research Ireland (FORI) –
meeting the needs of Ireland’s forest sector to 2017 and beyond through research and innovation” in 2014 by the COFORD Council;
b) Support for the Society of Irish Foresters new continuous professional development (CPD) programme which commenced in 2016;
c) Establishment of Wood Technology Ireland to deal with wood products and standards;
22 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Happy Days.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 23
d) The Forestry Programme 2014-2020 provides flexibility for funding for a wide range of training;e) The Forest Certification initiative under implementation;f) Irish forest owners: The role of knowledge transfer and social networks (FOROWN) project under
implementation;g) Long Term Forest Research (LTFR) workshop held in 2017; andh) A wide range of COFORD projects both completed and on-going are noted under respective chapter headings.
The stated policy in SA 7.1 was to establish an overarching forest sector body which will guide and co-ordinate activities relating to research and development, training and education across the sector with a focus on innovation, added value and increased competitiveness. The Forestry Act allows the Minister to appoint Committees and while this might have potential, the general view was that a structure with some statutory basis would be better as currently the sector is fragmented with a lot of initiatives and projects and lacks overall guidance. DAFM are of the view that sufficient structures are already in place and focus on any new structure might divert efforts noting the amount of work that had been achieved to date.
Issues
Stakeholders expressed a number of issues of concern, most notably:-a) Lack of overarching forest sector body to guide and co-ordinate activities relating to research and development,
training, leadership and education;b) Current funding procedures for research are short term and not suited to long term forestry research;c) The sector should have a more active role in raising health and safety (H&S) awareness issues and play a role
in co-ordination/collaboration of H&S across the sector;d) Not all accidents or near misses are recorded/reported and there is no sharing of information in this regard;e) Insufficient collaboration with relevant EU research projects; andf) Gender balance is lacking within the industry as a whole.
Recommendations
1. Strategic action 7.1 to establish an overarching forest sector body which will guide and co-ordinate activities relating to research and development, training and education to be implemented;
2. DAFM to facilitate health and safety (H&S) awareness by supporting the development of a system for recording accidents and near misses across the sector and using lessons learned to improve H&S practices (new SA 7.5a);
3. DAFM to examine models for funding research elsewhere and their relevance to Ireland (SA 7.2); and4. DAFM and sector stakeholders to encourage more balanced gender diversity through actively promoting
forest training and education and career options (new SA 7.12).
Quality standards and certification
Progress and developments
There are only two strategic actions under this heading both of which are on-going. The most significant developments include:-a) DAFM’s forest certification initiative has resulted in the establishment of two Certification Groups to help
foster a national certification network. Certification templates have also been delivered as part of this initiative. Ongoing support for growing membership of certification groups is being considered by the Department;
b) Sustainable Forest Management Ireland, formerly FSC Ireland, was established in 2016; c) The COFORD funded, Commercialisation of Irish Cross-Laminated Timber (CICLT) project is under
implementation; andd) Wood Technology Ireland (WTI), which provides technical support for the specification and use of wood
products in construction and other areas, was established.
24 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Scale is an important factor in relation to the certification of private forests. The general stakeholder view was that established certification schemes should be encouraged to make certification more viable for small forest owners. DAFM supports the Irish Bioenergy Association’s Wood Fuel Quality Assurance Scheme and the Irish Timber Research and Innovation Centre at NUIG. DAFM and other stakeholders are supporting Sustainable Forest Management Ireland (SFMI) initiative. Operator training course at Teagasc Ballyhaise College will be to City & Guilds Standard. DAFM to work with Enterprise Ireland and other Agencies with regard to product development and accessing funds under Horizon 2020.
Issues
Stakeholders expressed issues of concern, notably-a) With increasing supply from the private sector, the processing sector is approaching the limit for controlled
wood to ensure continued compliance with certification and chain of custody; andb) Established certification schemes should be encouraged to make forest certification more viable for small
forest owners.
Recommendations
Existing Strategic Actions to be further progressed taking into consideration the issues of concern above.
Policy implementation and review
Progress and developments
There are four strategic actions under this heading. The most significant developments include:-a) Development and implementation of the 2014-2020 Forestry Programme; andb) Recommendations of the BIOFOREST report incorporated into new environmental requirements for
afforestation
No progress has been made on the main strategic action 9.1, i.e. to establish a Forest Council, representative of the forest and related sectors, with a permanent secretariat.... and is still under consideration by DAFM. Consensus that the action should be progressed with a view to establishing a statutory body with broad stakeholder representation.
Issues
Stakeholders expressed a number of issues of concern, notably:-a) No progress on establishing a Forest Council under SA 9.1;b) No progress on establishing a Task Force under SA 9.2; andc) The EPA BioForest report (2006) findings and recommendations need to be updated in light of new research.d) Regulation of the sector may not always be commensurate with risk, potentially resulting in undifferentiated
approaches which could undermine the development of the sector.
Recommendations
1. Strategic action 9.1 to establish a Forest Council to be prioritised and implemented.2. Strategic action 9.2 to establish a Task Force to consider the establishment of a stand-alone government body
or agency which could have the responsibility of addressing development and promotion of the forest sector and forest products nationally and internationally be progressed and implemented.
3. DAFM to liaise with the EPA to ensure that the BioForest Report (2006) findings and recommendations are updated in light of new research and to include forestry expertise in the process. (New SA 9.5)
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 25
Cost appraisal and funding
Progress and developments
The majority of strategic actions under this heading have been completed. A full listing of progress against each of the six strategic actions is included in Appendix 2. The most significant developments include:-a) Removal of the high income threshold in Budget 2016 for those active in forestry;b) Corporate social responsibility initiative with forest industry for the planting of broadleaves launched;c) Development and implementation of the 2014-2020 Forestry Programme; andd) Decision taken at a senior level within DAFM that the Forestry Programme would be 100% financed through
the exchequer.
DAFM are looking at a forestry fund for native woodlands and expect to develop the concept over the next 12 months. Institutional investment has been mainly in the secondary market and the development of the secondary market has impacted on afforestation as the valuation of broadleaves by such investors does not reflect their capacity to deliver a range of environmental services.
While it could be possible to link environmental services (ES) and carbon to the premium payments, it was suggested that best not to confuse issues to the detriment of the afforestation programme. The encouragement of stronger markets for ES and broadleaves could underpin the value of embedded carbon in products.
Issues
Stakeholders expressed concern on one issue:-a) The anomalies between tax treatment of forestry and farming regarding capital gains tax (CGT) and capital
acquisitions tax (CAT) reliefs should be addressed.
Recommendations
1. Harmonise the tax treatment of forestry and agriculture regarding eligibility for retirement relief (CGT) and business relief (CAT) (new SA 10.7).
Legislation
Progress and developments
The majority of strategic actions under this heading have been completed. A full listing of progress against each of the five strategic actions is included in Appendix 2. The most significant developments include:-a) The 2014 Forestry Act has been commenced and it allows the Minister to require an owner to submit a Forest
Management Plan;b) The 2014 Forestry Act contains provision for a transparent appeals structure;c) National implementing legislation for the EU Timber regulation has been introduced (SI NO 316 of 2014);d) DAFM in communications with Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government on a single consent
system for forest entrances; ande) Publication of Felling and Reforestation Policy (2017).
The unified consent system for forest road entrances is not yet in place. Under section 10 of the Forest Act 2014, provisions were introduced that give the Minister powers to require an owner of a forest to submit a forest management plan. The Act, however, does not make it mandatory for forest owners to prepare a forest management plan even in the context of applying for a felling licence. While the new Act allows for deforestation, the policy of replanting still remains and is set out in the Felling and Reforestation Policy (DAFM 2017) and greater flexibility in this regard is unlikely.
26 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Roadside Roundwood.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 27
Issues
Stakeholders expressed issues of concern, notably:-a) Unified consent system for forest roads and entrances remains outstanding; andb) Need for a more flexible approach to the removal of areas from forestry to other land use types has not been
addressed.
Recommendation
1. DAFM to re-examine a more flexible approach to the removal of areas from forestry to other land use types (SA 11.4).
Coillte
Progress and developments
The majority of strategic actions under this heading are ongoing. A full listing of progress against each of the four strategic actions is included in Appendix 2. The most significant developments include:-a) Decision by Government not to sell state forestry assets;b) Proposals for licensed third party use of Coillte roads at draft stage;c) Increased use of technology for timber measurement and sale security e.g. Blue Tree System used by Coillte;
andd) COFORD Wood Mobilisation Group established to assist in implementing mobilisation report recommendations.
The context for two of the strategic actions has changed with the decision not to sell state forest assets. While there has been progress in putting in place a more unified timber measurement and removals e.g. electronic dockets, there is still a long way to go before a national system could be implemented with the private sector.
Issues
Stakeholders issue of concern:-a) There continues to be a need for a national standard system of timber measurement and sale removals.
Recommendation
1. Establish a COFORD initiative to progress a national standard system for timber measurement and removals (new SA 12.2a).
28 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Institutional arrangements
Progress and developments
There are only three strategic actions under this heading, which have yet to be completed. A full listing of progress against each of the three strategic actions is included in Appendix 2. The most significant developments include:-a) A high level organisational review has been undertaken by DAFM and its recommendations are being
implemented; andb) DAFM commenced an annual report on Ireland’s Forests - Annual Statistics in 2017 which encompasses the
forest estate and the forest industry in Ireland.
The functional and efficiency review under SA 13.1 has not yet been undertaken and to some degree may have been misinterpreted. What was proposed was a functional analysis which is essentially an exercise in decomposing the work of an organisation into its component parts, the outputs from which contribute to improved service delivery and more efficient use of resources.
Issues
Stakeholders expressed a number of issues of concern, including:-a) Lack of knowledge within the sector regarding the role and functional units within the Forestry Divisions
within DAFM andb) Annual report has been improved, however, it is lacking in a number of areas, particularly in relation to Key
Performance Indicators (KPIs) and policy deliverables.
Recommendations
1. DAFM to clearly outline the mission, functional units and the roles and responsibilities and reporting arrangements of the Forestry Divisions within DAFM (new SA 13.4);
2. Include more up to date data on employment, contribution to GDP, etc in the annual report (SA 13.3); and3. DAFM to amend the format of Ireland’s Forests - Annual Statistics report to include policy deliverables and
KPIs (SA 13.3).
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 29
Old Natives.
30 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
References
Anon (2017). Outdoor Recreation Plan for Public Lands and Waters in Ireland 2017-2021. Report commissioned by pubic landowners. Available from www.coillte.ie
Bacon, P & Associates Economic Consultants (In Association with Deloitte), (2004). A Review and Appraisal of Ireland’s Forestry Development Strategy, Stationery Office, Dublin.
BioForest Report (2006). Environmental Protection Agency. EPA Headquarters, Johnstown Castle, Wexford. Available from www.epa.ie.
COFORD (2015). Mobilising Ireland’s forest resource. Authored by the COFORD Wood Mobilisation Group. COFORD, DAFM, Dublin Ireland. Available from www.coford.ie
COFORD (2016). All Ireland Roundwood Production Forecast 2016 - 2035. COFORD, DAFM, Dublin Ireland. Available from www.coford.ie
COFORD (2017a). Woodflow and forest-based biomass energy use on the island of Ireland (2016). COFORD, DAFM, Dublin Ireland. Available from www.coford.ie
COFORD (2017b). Growing the Irish Forest Bioeconomy. COFORD, DAFM, Dublin Ireland. Available from www.coford.ie
Coillte. (2014). Managing Timber Transport - Good Practice Guide (2014). Coillte, Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow. Available from www.coillte.ie/
DAFM (2013). The Second National Forest Inventory. Republic of Ireland - Main Findings. Forest Service, DAFM, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, Ireland.
DAFM (2015a). Deer Management in Ireland A Framework for Action. DAFM, Kildare St. Dublin Ireland. available from www.agriculture.gov.ie.
DAFM (2015b). Forestry Programme 2014 – 2020: IRELAND. DAFM, Kildare St. Dublin Ireland. available from www.agriculture.gov.ie.
DAFM (2016). Environmental Requirements for Afforestation Water. DAFM, Kildare St. Dublin, Ireland. available from www.agriculture.gov.ie.
DAFM (2017a). Felling and Reforestation Policy. DAFM, Kildare St. Dublin, Ireland. available from www.agriculture.gov.ie.
DAFM (2017b). Adaptation Planning - Developing Resilience to Climate Change in the Irish Agriculture and Forest. Department Of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Kildare St. Dublin 2, Ireland. Available from www.agriculture.gov.ie.
DCCAE (2017). National Mitigation Plan. 29/31 Adelaide Road, Dublin D02 X285. Available from www.dccae.gov.ie
Department of the Taoiseach (2017). Discussion document for the preparation of a National Policy Statement on the Bioeconomy. Department of the Taoiseach, Government Buildings, Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2, Ireland. Available from www.taoiseach.gov.ie
ECOVALUE (2015). Valuing the Ecosystem Services of Irish Forests. Teagasc, Athenry, co. Galway. available from www.teagasc.ie.
EEA (2017). Air quality in Europe - 2016 report. European Environmental Agency, Denmark.
EPA (2016). Air Quality in Ireland 2016. Indicators of Air Quality. EPA Headquarters, Johnstown Castle, Wexford. Available from www.epa.ie
FAO (2012). Developing effective forest policy, a guide. FAO Forestry Paper 161. Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations, Rome, Italy.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 31
Fitzpatrick Associates (2005). Economic value of trails and forest recreation in Ireland. Report commissioned by Coillte and the Irish Sports Council. Fitzpatrick Associates, Dublin 2, Ireland.
FITG (2014). Managing Timber Transport. Good Practice Guide. Forest Industry Transport Group.
FORECON (2011). An economic evaluation of the market and non-market functions of forestry. COFORD, DAFM, Dublin Ireland. Available from www.coford.ie.
Forestry Act 2014. Dublin: Stationery Office. available:http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2013/si/21/[accessed 25 Sept 2018].
General Assembly resolution 62/98, United Nations Non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests, (A/C.2/62/L.5) (17th December 2007), available from undocs.org/ A/RES/62/98
General Assembly resolution 71/285, United Nations strategic plan for forests 2017–2030, (A/71/L.63) (27th April 2017), available from undocs.org/ A/RES/71/285
Hummel, F.C. 19834. Policy Formulation in Forest Policy, a contribution to resource development. Edited by Hummel, FC. Marrtinus Nijhoff/Dr W Junk Publishers, The Hague. 1984
HYDROFOR (2015): Assessment of the Impacts of Forest Operations on the Ecological Quality of Water. EPA headquarters, Johnstown Castle, Wexford. Available from www.epa.ie
IFFPA. (2016). An overview of the Irish forestry and forest products sector 2016. IBEC Head Office, Dublin 2, Ireland. Available from www.iffpa.ie
IPCCC. (2014). Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Edenhofer, O., R. et al. (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.
Kerrigan, K. (2017). Forest Industries Ireland “Worth Defending”. Presentation by Neil Kerrigan, Enterprise Ireland, to the COFORD Forest Policy Review Group (CFPRG), 12th December 2017.
MCPFE (2007) State of Europe’s Forests 2007. The MCPFE report on sustainable forest management in Europe. Jointly prepared by the MCPFE Liaison Unit Warsaw, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Nolan, P. (2015). Ensemble of regional climate model projections for Ireland, Report No. 159, Environmental Protection Authority
Martínez de Arano, I (2017) Potential for innovative forest based products in Southern Europe. EFI Annual European Forest Institute (EFI). 2017. Annual Conference, Oslo, October 5, 2017. Proceedings available from www.efi.int
Ní Dhubháin, Á., Fléchard, M-C., Moloney, R., O’Connor, D. and Crowley, T. (2006) The socio-economic contribution of forestry in Ireland. COFORD, DAFM, Dublin Ireland. Available from www.coford.ie.
Phillips, H. (2011). All Ireland Round Production Forecast 2011-2028. COFORD, DAFM, Dublin Ireland. Available from www.coford.ie.
32 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Big is Beautiful.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 33
Appendix 1 - List of submissions received within deadline22
Submission from Coillte in relation to the Forests, Policy, Products and People - A renewed version (pdf 126Kb)
Teagasc Response to Forest Policy Review (pdf 1,034Kb)
Submission from Mr Geoffrey H T Fitzjohn in relation to the Forests, Products, People - Irelands Forest Policy - a renewed vision (pdf 63Kb)
DAHG response re planned review of Forests products and people Irelands forest policy a renewed vision (pdf 178Kb)
Macra na Feirme - Review of Forests products and people Irelands forest policy a renewed vision (pdf 857Kb)
Macra na Feirme Afforestation Policy (pdf 553Kb)
WoI NW Strategy - Forest Policy Review (pdf 697Kb)
Submission from Dr G Gallagher - Forest Policy review (email)
Submission from Donal Magner in relation to Forests, Products and People - Ireland’s Forest Policy. An industry stakeholder proposal (pdf 178Kb)
22 DAFM. (2017). Public Consultation, Calls for Submissions of Forestry, Products and People - Irelands Forestry Policy - A renewed Vision. DAFM, Kildare St. Dublin 2, Ireland. Available from www.agriculture.gov.ie
34 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Appendix 2 - Progress on implementing strategic actions No
.Or
igina
l Stra
tegic
Actio
nCh
ange
s Req
uired
(See
als
o minu
tes of
mee
tings
)Pr
ogre
ss an
d Dev
elopm
ents
to D
ateRe
sear
ch &
Dev
elopm
ent in
Sup
port
of S
trateg
ic Ac
tions
1To
incre
ase t
he fo
rest a
rea, in
acco
rdanc
e with
SFM
pri
ncipl
es, in
orde
r to su
pport
a lon
g term
susta
inable
rou
ndwo
od su
pply
of 7 t
o 8 m
illion c
ubic
metre
s per
annu
m1.1
The a
ffores
tation
targe
t will b
e 10,0
00 ha
per a
nnum
up
to 20
15 an
d 15,0
00 ha
per a
nnum
there
after
to 20
46.
This
will,
with
refore
statio
n of c
learfe
ll area
s, pro
vide a
for
est c
over
of 18
%. T
argets
will b
e rev
iewed
by D
AFM
every
five y
ears
begin
ning i
n 201
6 in t
he co
ntext
of lon
g ter
m su
staina
ble ro
undw
ood s
upply
and o
ther p
olicy
co
nside
ration
s.
Limite
d prog
ress -
Grea
ter
flexib
ility in
how
targe
ts ca
n be
achie
ved
In 20
12 th
e Nati
onal
Fores
t Inve
ntory
(NFI)
estim
ated t
otal fo
rest
cove
r at 7
31,65
0 ha;
affore
statio
n from
2012
-201
5 ave
raged
just
over
6,0
00ha
per a
nnum
; and
new
planti
ng ta
rgets
have
been
set in
the
fores
try pr
ogram
me up
to 20
20. T
he ta
rget o
f 18%
fores
t cov
er by
2046
no
w ne
eds t
o be r
eview
ed. B
ased
on a
planti
ng ta
rget o
f 15,0
00ha
per
annu
m fro
m 20
20 an
d refo
restat
ion of
clea
rfell a
reas,
the es
timate
d ye
ar of
achie
ving 1
8% fo
rest c
over
is no
w 20
50 or
if cu
rrent
rate o
f 7,0
00 ha
per a
nnum
, was
achie
ved t
hen 2
087.
A prom
otion
camp
aign
supp
orted
by in
dustr
y and
Teag
asc i
n con
juncti
on w
ith D
AFM
has b
een
deve
loped
to in
creas
e awa
renes
s lev
els an
d pos
itivity
, and
prom
ote
multip
le be
nefits
asso
ciated
with
fores
try en
terpri
ses.
1.2W
ithin
the co
ntext
of thi
s poli
cy an
d Foo
d Harv
est 2
020
(Foo
d Wise
2025
), DAF
M to
deve
lop an
integ
rated
ap
proac
h to t
he ac
hieve
ment
of the
se ta
rgets
acros
s lan
d us
es an
d sch
emes
.
Work
ongo
ing - N
eed f
or
greate
r integ
ration
betw
een
sche
mes e
.g. fo
restry
and
Glas
The P
romoti
on C
ampa
ign fo
r fores
try ca
lls fo
r link
ages
to be
crea
ted
betw
een f
orestr
y and
decis
ion m
aking
with
in ge
neral
agric
ulture
at a
whole
farm
leve
l. This
could
inclu
de fo
r exa
mple
areas
such
as fa
rm
mana
geme
nt, bu
sines
s plan
ning,
retire
ment
plann
ing an
d suc
cess
ion.
Decis
ions t
hat n
eed t
o be t
aken
in th
ese a
reas c
ould
for ex
ample
inc
lude f
orestr
y as p
art of
the m
ix wh
en co
mpati
ble w
ith ov
erall f
arm
family
requ
ireme
nts.
1.3Th
e broa
dleaf
targe
t rema
ins at
an ar
ea eq
uivale
nt to
30%
of th
e ann
ual a
ffores
tation
prog
ramme
. To
broad
en th
e sco
pe an
d res
pons
ibility
for in
creas
ing th
e are
a of b
roadle
aves
, DAF
M wi
ll intro
duce
an ov
erall
indica
tive n
ation
al tar
get le
vel o
f 10%
broa
dleaf
spec
ies
in ref
oresta
tion,
taking
into
acco
unt e
cono
mic a
nd si
te su
itabil
ity co
nside
ration
s. Th
is wi
ll be m
onito
red an
d rev
iewed
perio
dicall
y.
Being
imple
mente
d -
Grea
ter fle
xibility
(meth
ods)
to fac
ilitate
meeti
ng ta
rget.
Addre
ss sk
ills de
ficit
Fores
try Ac
t 201
4 - R
eplan
ting c
ondit
ions a
ttach
ed to
Fellin
g Lice
nces
iss
ued.
Look
at ne
w FL
Sys
tem an
d work
at a
lands
cape
leve
l.
1.4DA
FM to
enco
urage
Stat
e orga
nisati
ons a
nd Lo
cal
Autho
rities
to co
nvert
part o
f their
land
bank
holdi
ngs t
o pu
blic p
urpos
e fore
stry a
nd in
partic
ular n
ative
woo
dland
s.
Work
ongo
ing - L
ack o
f ex
pertis
e and
know
ledge
to
be ad
dress
ed
Re-la
unch
ing an
d prom
oting
of N
eighb
ourw
ood S
chem
e and
Nati
ve
Woo
dland
Sch
emes
by D
AFM
- Loc
al Au
thoriti
es be
ginnin
g to a
pply.
1.5DA
FM in
colla
borat
ion w
ith th
e Nati
onal
Parks
and
Wild
life S
ervice
of th
e Dep
artme
nt of
Arts,
Heri
tage a
nd
the G
aelta
cht (D
AHG)
to es
tablis
h an a
pprop
riate
annu
al tar
get (m
inimu
m 15
0 ha)
for th
e res
torati
on an
d exp
ansio
n of
nativ
e woo
dland
s foc
ussin
g on a
lluvia
l and
sess
ile
oak w
oodla
nds.
The e
xpan
sion o
f nati
ve w
oodla
nds i
s ad
dition
al to
the af
fores
tation
targe
t abo
ve
Lack
of re
sourc
es an
d ex
pertis
e to b
e add
resse
dCo
vered
in N
ative
Woo
dland
Esta
blish
ment
and C
onse
rvatio
n sc
heme
s and
prop
osed
new
Woo
dland
Impro
veme
nt Sc
heme
- Env
ironm
ental
Enh
ance
ment
Sche
me.
Annu
al NW
Affor
estat
ion &
Res
torati
on fig
ures (
Has)
Targ
ets in
Fo
restry
Prog
ramme
(see
https
://www
.agric
ulture
.gov.i
e/me
dia/m
igrati
on/fo
restry
/fores
trypro
gramm
e201
4-202
0/IR
ELAN
DFore
stryP
rogram
me20
1420
2023
0215
.pdf )
and o
utline
of
recen
t acti
vity.
1.6
DAFM
to co
mmiss
ion a
study
in 20
14 to
exam
ine
the im
plica
tions
of fo
rest s
uppo
rt pay
ments
linke
d to
mana
geme
nt int
erven
tions
and t
he de
livery
of pr
oduc
ts/se
rvice
s.
No C
hang
eDe
velop
ment
of a n
ew Fo
rest M
anag
emen
t and
Cert
ificati
on S
chem
e is
unde
rway
. The
aim
of thi
s sch
eme w
ill be t
o sup
port p
rivate
fores
t ow
ners
is ac
hievin
g cert
ificati
on fo
r their
fores
ts.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 35
1.7DA
FM to
intro
duce
, as p
art of
the a
ffores
tation
gran
t ap
plica
tion a
nd fo
rest m
anag
emen
t plan
ning p
roces
s, a
templa
te se
tting o
ut ow
ner a
nd S
tate o
bjecti
ves,
outpu
ts an
d lev
els of
supp
ort, w
hich w
ould
facilita
te ea
rly ow
ner
involv
emen
t/awa
renes
s and
serve
as a
basis
for o
ngoin
g ma
nage
ment
review
(by t
he ow
ner)
and p
relim
inary
input
to the
prop
osed
Fores
t Man
agem
ent P
lannin
g proc
ess
(see a
lso 2.
1).
Comp
leted
A new
Fores
t Man
agem
ent P
lan (F
MP) te
mplat
e des
igned
by th
e CO
FORD
Fores
t Man
agem
ent P
lannin
g Grou
p has
been
inco
rporat
ed
into t
he su
ite of
Fores
t cert
ificati
on te
mplat
es. T
his ne
w FM
P w
ill rep
lace t
he ex
isting
FMP
which
mea
ns th
at for
est o
wners
who
co
mplet
e this
temp
late w
ill hav
e star
ted w
ork on
achie
ving f
orest
certifi
catio
n for
their f
orests
. The
new
FMP
will b
e inc
orpora
ted in
to the
De
partm
ents
new
Gene
ric La
nd M
anag
emen
t Sys
tem (G
LAMS
).
The r
ecen
t COF
ORD
funde
d Iris
h priv
ate fo
rest o
wners
: The
role
of kn
owled
ge tra
nsfer
and s
ocial
netw
orks (
FORO
WN)
Proj
ect,
led by
UCD
, is lo
oking
at un
derst
andin
g the
exten
t of fo
rest o
wner
’ en
gage
ment
in ma
nage
ment
and t
he fa
ctors
that in
fluen
ce it,
will a
ssist
in
addre
ssing
this
Strat
egic
Actio
n.
1.8DA
FM to
perio
dicall
y rev
iew th
e cos
t bas
is for
gran
t su
pport
for a
ffores
tation
to en
sure
that e
fficien
cies a
nd
techn
ical a
dvan
ces a
re refl
ected
in th
e app
roved
rates
and
that th
e Stat
e obta
ins va
lue fo
r mon
ey. D
AFM
to ex
amine
the
impa
ct of
amen
ding f
uture
premi
um pa
ymen
ts an
d of
limitin
g prem
iums t
o 15 y
ears
with
partic
ular r
egard
to
achie
ving a
ffores
tation
targe
ts.
Overa
ll cos
ts, in
cludin
g pro
fessio
nal fe
es, to
be
review
ed on
the b
asis
of inv
oices
subm
itted
Revie
w of
cost
basis
of gr
ant s
uppo
rt und
ertak
en -
Annu
al pre
mium
s are
now
for 15
years
. Will b
e rev
iewed
in th
e con
text o
f the m
id ter
m rev
iew.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded E
COVA
LUE
Rese
arch P
rojec
t, ‘Va
luing
the
Ecos
ystem
Serv
ices o
f Fore
sts in
Irelan
d’ led
by U
CD ha
s rec
ently
be
en co
mplet
ed. T
he fin
al rep
ort is
curre
ntly i
n prep
aratio
n and
will
assis
t with
this
actio
n.
1.9DA
FM to
revie
w the
ince
ntive
s for
planti
ng la
rger a
reas a
nd
for co
nsoli
datin
g exis
ting f
orest
areas
to in
creas
e lon
g term
co
mpeti
tiven
ess a
nd ef
ficien
cy in
harve
sting
and t
ransp
ort.
Comp
leted
Cons
idered
durin
g prog
ramme
nego
tiatio
ns. K
nowl
edge
Tran
sfer
Grou
ps (K
TG) a
nd th
e esta
blish
ment
of a g
roup c
ertific
ation
netw
ork,
will s
uppo
rt fore
stry p
roduc
er gro
ups a
nd en
coura
ge co
opera
tion
betw
een s
mall f
orest
owne
rs. Th
e fore
stry p
rogram
me 20
14-20
20
soug
ht to
enco
urage
priva
te ins
titutio
nal in
vestm
ent. I
n this
rega
rd,
a num
ber o
f new
fores
try in
vestm
ent fu
nd ha
ve be
en es
tablis
hed,
includ
ing a
fund i
nvolv
ing th
e Euro
pean
Inve
stmen
t Ban
k (EI
B), th
e Ire
land S
trateg
ic Inv
estm
ent F
und (
ISIF)
and D
ASOS
Cap
ital, i
n ad
dition
to ex
isting
fund
s, aim
s to a
ssist
with
fores
try de
velop
ment
throu
gh co
nsoli
datio
n of fr
agme
nted f
orests
. Mid
term
review
of th
e Fo
restry
Prog
ramme
incre
ased
prem
iums f
or pla
ntatio
ns gr
eater
than
10
ha fo
r plan
tation
s esta
blish
ed in
2018
1.1
0DA
FM to
redu
ce th
e diffe
rentia
l betw
een f
armer
and
non-f
armer
premi
ums a
nd re
view
annu
ally t
o dete
rmine
wh
ether
furthe
r diffe
rentia
l adju
stmen
ts are
warr
anted
to
mobil
ise pr
ivate
secto
r and
insti
tution
al inv
estm
ent.
Mainl
y com
plete
- no
chan
geSin
gle ra
te int
roduc
ed as
part o
f Fore
stry P
rogram
me 20
14 - 2
020.
NewE
RA in
vited
to lo
ok at
mob
ilising
insti
tution
al inv
estm
ent.
1.11
DAFM
in co
llabo
ration
with
the w
ood p
roduc
ts an
d woo
d en
ergy s
ector
s and
othe
r stak
ehold
ers sh
ould
regula
rly
review
the m
ost a
pprop
riate
spec
ies m
ix to
meet
expe
cted
marke
t nee
ds ta
king i
nto ac
coun
t sus
taina
ble fo
rest
mana
geme
nt an
d clim
ate ch
ange
adap
tation
need
s.
No ch
ange
- ong
oing
Revie
w of
spec
ies lis
t was
unde
rtake
n. Th
e Fore
stry f
or Fib
re me
asure
inc
ludes
euca
lyptus
, asp
en an
d othe
r spe
cies.
Woo
d prod
ucts
and
wood
energ
y sec
tors s
hould
take
the l
ead o
n this
topic
. New
spec
ies
list is
sued
unde
r circ
ular 5
of 20
16 al
so co
ntribu
tes to
this
actio
n. Te
agas
c ‘Alt
ernati
ve C
onife
r’ Proj
ect is
inve
stiga
ting p
otenti
al of
spec
ies
- see
https
://www
.teag
asc.i
e/crop
s/fore
stry/r
esea
rch/po
tentia
l-of-m
inor-
conif
er-sp
ecies
/. Mid
term
review
of th
e Mid
term
review
of th
e Fore
stry
Prog
ramme
incre
ased
gran
ts an
d exte
nded
the p
remium
paym
ents
from
10 to
15 ye
ars pr
emium
s for
fibre
crops
.
The D
AFM-
funde
d SHO
RTFO
R pro
ject is
explo
ring t
he po
tentia
l of
short
rotat
ion fo
restry
(SRF
) crop
s for
bioma
ss w
hich m
ay ha
ve so
me
poten
tial to
offse
t som
e of th
e pred
icted
short
fall in
supp
ly of
timbe
r for
biom
ass a
nd as
sist in
achie
ving r
enew
able
energ
y targ
ets. h
ttps:/
/ww
w.tea
gasc
.ie/cr
ops/f
orestr
y/res
earch
/short
for-pr
oject/
36 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
No.
Origi
nal S
trateg
ic Ac
tion
Chan
ges R
equir
ed (S
ee
also m
inutes
of m
eetin
gs)
Prog
ress
and D
evelo
pmen
ts to
Date
Rese
arch
& D
evelo
pmen
t in S
uppo
rt of
Stra
tegic
Actio
ns1.1
2DA
FM to
mon
itor a
nd, in
cons
ultati
on w
ith st
akeh
olders
, pe
riodic
ally r
eview
the o
veral
l ave
rage y
ield c
lass f
or
affore
statio
n as s
et ou
t in G
rowing
for th
e Futu
re in
the lig
ht of
the qu
ality
of lan
d bein
g affo
rested
and t
he m
ore w
idesp
read
use o
f gen
etica
lly im
prove
d plan
ting s
tock w
ith a
view
to inc
reasin
g both
the m
inimu
m an
d ave
rage p
roduc
tivity
leve
ls.
No ch
ange
- ong
oing
The n
ew “L
and T
ypes
for A
ffores
tation
” doc
umen
t has
the p
otenti
al to
increa
se th
e ava
ilabil
ity of
land
whic
h wou
ld pre
vious
ly ha
ve be
en ex
clude
d fro
m the
affor
estat
ion sc
heme
. Whil
e yiel
d clas
s 14 S
itka s
pruce
is st
ill the
mi
nimum
prod
uctiv
ity th
resho
ld for
all la
nd, th
e ove
rall im
pact
on yi
eld cl
ass
as a
result
of th
is de
velop
ment
will n
eed t
o be
monit
ored.
Seed
Stan
d an
d see
d orch
ard gr
ant s
chem
e intr
oduc
ed to
impro
ve pl
antin
g stoc
k. Pr
ogram
me m
akes
prov
ision
for p
romoti
ng im
prove
d plan
ting s
tock.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded F
ORGE
N Pr
oject,
on th
e lon
g-term
optio
n for
im
prove
d fore
st pro
ducti
vity a
nd tim
ber q
uality
in Ire
land h
as re
centl
y bee
n co
mplet
ed by
UCD
and w
ill ass
ist in
supp
orting
this
actio
n. Th
e FOR
GEN
report
is cu
rrentl
y bein
g fina
lised
. Tea
gasc
‘Grow
ing fo
r Profi
t’ res
earch
pro
ject s
uppo
rts th
is ini
tiativ
e by l
ookin
g at th
e lon
g term
effec
t of d
ifferen
t thi
nning
type
s, thi
nning
inten
sities
and t
heir e
ffect
on vo
lume p
roduc
tion,
rotati
on le
ngth
and p
rofitab
ility. T
his re
searc
h aim
s to g
uide b
est p
ractic
e mo
dels
to su
pport
inten
sifica
tion o
f thinn
ing pr
actic
e and
asse
ss m
ethod
s for
thinn
ing co
ntrol
linke
d to s
ite sp
ecific
volum
e prod
uctio
n. Th
e COF
ORD
funde
d FOR
M Pr
oject,
Fores
t Man
agem
ent R
esea
rch to
enha
nce
produ
ctivit
y and
pest
contr
ol an
d dise
ases
resis
tance
in ke
y fore
st sp
ecies
ha
s rec
ently
comm
ence
d in U
CD an
d will a
ssist
in dr
awing
up fu
ture
Fores
t Prot
ectio
n Guid
eline
s and
in m
aking
reco
mmen
datio
ns on
the u
se
of sp
ecies
and p
roven
ance
s with
prov
en di
seas
e res
istan
ce.
1.13
With
a vie
w to
achie
ving t
he na
tiona
l affo
restat
ion ta
rget
and r
ound
wood
supp
ly po
tentia
l and
the d
evelo
pmen
t of a
for
est c
ulture
amon
g farm
ers an
d othe
r land
owne
rs, D
AFM
to un
derta
ke a
conc
erted
two y
ear p
romoti
on ca
mpaig
n to
enco
urage
affor
estat
ion an
d more
activ
e fore
st ma
nage
ment
in co
llabo
ration
with
Teag
asc,
fores
t com
panie
s and
owne
rs rep
resen
tative
orga
nisati
ons i
nclud
ing fo
r exa
mple
harve
sting
de
mons
tratio
ns an
d field
days
whic
h sho
w the
impa
ct of
fores
t ma
nage
ment
activ
ities o
n cas
hflow
s.
Includ
e foc
us on
youn
ger
audie
nce e
.g. M
acra
An af
fores
tation
Prom
otion
Cam
paign
Prop
osal
has b
een p
repare
d by
Teag
asc i
n con
juncti
on w
ith D
AFM
and i
ndus
try re
prese
ntativ
e grou
ps.
Initia
tives
with
in thi
s prop
osal
have
been
infor
med b
y rec
omme
ndati
ons o
f the
Fores
t Lan
d Ava
ilabil
ity Im
pleme
ntatio
n Grou
p (FL
AIG)
. The
new
KTG
sche
me fo
r fores
try al
ong w
ith th
e Fore
st Ma
nage
ment
and C
ertific
ation
sc
heme
will p
romote
more
activ
e fore
st ma
nage
ment.
The r
ecen
t COF
ORD
funde
d Iris
h priv
ate fo
rest o
wners
: The
role
of kn
owled
ge tra
nsfer
and s
ocial
netw
orks (
FORO
WN)
Proj
ect le
d by U
CD
lookin
g at u
nders
tandin
g the
exten
t of fo
rest o
wner
’ eng
agem
ent in
ma
nage
ment
and t
he fa
ctors
that in
fluen
ce it,
will a
ssist
in ad
dress
ing th
is St
rateg
ic Ac
tion.
1.14
The u
se of
gene
ticall
y imp
roved
plan
ting m
ateria
l (see
Gl
ossa
ry for
defin
ition)
e.g. im
prove
d Sitk
a spru
ce, a
s dist
inct
from
gene
ticall
y mod
ified m
ateria
l, whic
h will d
elive
r impro
ved
timbe
r qua
lity an
d tim
ber w
ood v
olume
s will b
e sup
porte
d
No C
hang
e work
ongo
ingRe
feren
ce to
impro
ved S
itka s
pruce
can b
e fou
nd in
circu
lar 5
of 20
13,
Acce
pted t
ree sp
ecies
for th
e affo
restat
ion sc
heme
. Furt
her m
onito
ring,
togeth
er wi
th pe
rform
ance
testi
ng ac
ross a
wide
r ran
ge of
site
types
inc
orpora
ting i
mprov
ed W
ashin
gton s
eedli
ng m
ateria
l from
the I
rish
impro
veme
nt pro
gramm
e are
requir
ed. T
eaga
sc ha
s bee
n dev
elopin
g im
prove
d sou
rces o
f syc
amore
, ash
, birc
h and
alde
r for d
eploy
ment
in the
Iris
h fore
st se
ctor. T
he S
eed s
tand a
nd S
eed o
rchard
sche
me la
unch
ed in
20
15 is
desig
ned t
o tak
e this
rese
arch t
o a co
mmerc
ial le
vel. C
oford
funde
d FO
RM pr
oject
will a
lso lo
ok at
dev
elopin
g dise
ase r
esist
ant s
ource
s of
Ash.
The C
OFOR
D Fo
rest G
eneti
c Res
ource
s Work
ing G
roup i
s curr
ently
es
tablis
hing S
itka s
pruce
Gen
etic G
ain Fi
eld E
xperi
ments
. The
se tri
als w
ill pro
vide i
nform
ation
on th
e lev
el of
gene
tic ga
in fro
m ma
terial
from
the Iri
sh
tree i
mprov
emen
t prog
ramme
and t
he pe
rform
ance
of th
e ran
ge of
seed
so
urces
that
are cu
rrentl
y plan
ted on
the n
ation
al es
tate.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded F
ORGE
N Pr
oject,
rese
archin
g the
long
-term
optio
n for
impro
ved f
orest
produ
ctivit
y and
timbe
r qua
lity in
Irelan
d has
rece
ntly
been
comp
leted
by U
CD an
d will a
ssist
in su
pport
ing th
is ac
tion.
The
FORG
EN re
port i
s curr
ently
being
finali
sed.
Also,
the C
OFOR
D fun
ded
FORM
Proj
ect, F
orest
Mana
geme
nt Re
searc
h to e
nhan
ce pr
oduc
tivity
an
d pes
t con
trol a
nd di
seas
e res
istan
ce in
key f
orest
spec
ies ha
s rec
ently
co
mmen
ced i
n UCD
and w
ill ass
ist in
mak
ing re
comm
enda
tions
on th
e us
e of s
pecie
s and
prov
enan
ces.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 37
1.15
The p
otenti
al for
sequ
ester
ed ca
rbon t
o fina
nce f
uture
aff
oresta
tion w
ill be i
nves
tigate
d and
, if ap
propri
ate, a
carbo
n aff
oresta
tion s
chem
e whic
h fav
ours
mana
geme
nt sy
stems
an
d spe
cies w
ith go
od lo
ng-te
rm se
ques
tratio
n pote
ntial
will
be co
nside
red.
Work
ongo
ing - M
ore
discu
ssion
requ
ired
A pri
vatel
y fun
ded,
volun
tary c
arbon
sche
me ha
s bee
n in o
perat
ion in
the
UK fo
r a nu
mber
of ye
ars w
ith m
odes
t suc
cess
. Emp
loying
gran
t aide
d for
ests
and t
he w
ood p
roduc
ts de
rived
from
such
fores
ts for
clim
ate ch
ange
mi
tigati
on is
one o
f the p
olicy
drive
rs for
the c
urren
t affo
restat
ion sc
heme
.
The c
urren
t COF
ORD
funde
d CAS
WOO
D Pr
oject
led by
Univ
ersity
of
Limeri
ck is
look
ing at
the e
cono
mic a
nd en
viron
menta
l map
ping
of ca
scad
e use
of w
ood.
The d
ata an
d para
meter
s ide
ntifie
d und
er
CASW
OOD
will p
rovide
the f
ound
ation
for a
n algo
rithm-
base
d com
puter
mo
del o
f fores
t and
fores
t-bas
ed pr
oduc
ts ca
pable
of fo
recas
ting
altern
ative
scen
arios
for m
ateria
l flow
s to o
ptimi
ze ca
rbon s
torag
e an
d biom
ass w
hile m
axim
izing
econ
omic
value
. This
will e
nable
polic
y to
deve
lop m
ore st
rateg
ic, ev
idenc
e-bas
ed gu
idelin
es fo
r fores
t and
for
est-b
ased
reso
urce m
anag
emen
t. Also
, the c
urren
t COF
ORD
funde
d CF
ORRE
P Pr
oject
led by
UCD
is de
velop
ing ad
dition
s to t
he Iri
sh
fores
t carb
on ac
coun
ting a
nd re
portin
g too
l (see
www
.ucd.i
e/cfor
rep/).
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded E
COVA
LUE
Rese
arch P
rojec
t, ‘Va
luing
the
Ecos
ystem
Serv
ices o
f Fore
sts in
Irelan
d’ led
by U
CD ha
s rec
ently
be
en co
mplet
ed an
d will a
ssist
in ad
dress
ing th
is ac
tion.
The fi
nal re
port
unde
r prep
aratio
n. SE
AI is
invo
lved i
n res
earch
that
has r
eleva
nce i
n thi
s area
, see
infor
matio
n on T
ask 4
2 on b
io refi
ning h
ttp://w
ww.ie
a-bio
energ
y.tas
k42-b
iorefi
nerie
s.com
/en/ie
abior
efine
ry.htm
Th
e rec
ent
COFO
RD fu
nded
Irish
Land
Use
Emi
ssion
and S
eque
strati
on S
uppo
rt To
ol (IR
ISHL
ANDU
SES)
Proj
ect le
d by T
eaga
sc w
ith th
e key
objec
tive t
o de
velop
a mo
dellin
g cap
acity
to ex
amine
futur
e sce
nario
s for
agric
ultura
l gre
enho
use g
as em
ission
s and
carbo
n seq
uestr
ation
by fo
restry
in Ire
land
will a
ssist
in ad
dress
ing th
is str
ategic
actio
n. Th
e ultim
ate pr
oject
aim is
to
assis
t poli
cy m
akers
in de
liveri
ng po
licy w
hich c
an ge
nerat
e des
irable
ec
onom
ic an
d env
ironm
ental
land
use o
utcom
es in
Irelan
d. 1.1
6DA
FM in
colla
borat
ion w
ith th
e Dep
artme
nt of
Comm
unica
tions
, Ene
rgy an
d Natu
ral R
esou
rces t
o und
ertak
e an
appra
isal o
f the a
pprop
riate
balan
ce be
twee
n affo
restat
ion
includ
ing sh
ort ro
tation
fores
try, b
iomas
s sup
port s
chem
es
and o
ther r
elated
mea
sures
such
as ag
rofore
stry i
n mee
ting
renew
able
energ
y, cli
mate
chan
ge m
itigati
on an
d fore
st ind
ustry
raw
mater
ial ne
eds,
in the
conte
xt of
the ov
erall le
vel
of rou
ndwo
od av
ailab
ility.
No ch
ange
- ong
oing
This
actio
n was
also
refer
red to
in th
e COF
ORD
Woo
d Mob
ilisati
on
Repo
rt, inc
luding
reco
mmen
datio
ns 34
and 3
5 and
is be
ing fo
llowe
d up
by th
e COF
ORD
Woo
d Mob
ilisati
on an
d Prod
uctio
n Fore
casti
ng
Grou
p in t
he co
ntext
of the
Sup
port S
chem
e for
Rene
wable
He
at (S
SRH)
and o
ther s
uppo
rt mea
sures
. To d
ate th
e dem
and
for th
e Fore
stry f
or Fib
re sc
heme
has b
een l
ow. S
ee Fo
restry
Pr
ogram
me ta
rgets
for th
ese s
chem
es (s
ee ht
tps://w
ww.ag
ricult
ure.
gov.i
e/med
ia/mi
gratio
n/fore
stry/f
orestr
yprog
ramme
2014
-2020
/IR
ELAN
DFore
stryP
rogram
me20
1420
2023
0215
.pdf ).
Fores
t res
earch
into
the sh
ort ro
tation
fores
try fu
nded
by D
AFM
is un
derw
ay.
(14
/9/20
16-F
orestr
y for
Fibre;
3 ap
plica
tions
, 1 ap
prove
d (0.6
ha), 1
ref
used
and 1
in pr
ogres
s) Ag
rofore
stry;
6 app
licati
ons r
eceiv
ed (3
2ha),
4 ap
prove
d, 2 b
eing p
roces
sed )
.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded S
HORT
FOR
Proje
ct led
by U
CD is
ongo
ing
and i
s res
earch
ing bi
omas
s and
rene
wable
energ
y from
short
rotat
ion
fores
try. T
his pr
oject
involv
es Te
agas
c and
othe
r part
ners.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded C
FORR
EP P
rojec
t is de
velop
ing ad
dition
s to t
he Iri
sh fo
rest
carbo
n acc
ounti
ng an
d rep
orting
tool
(see w
ww.uc
d.ie/c
forrep
/). Th
e on
going
COF
ORD
funde
d CAS
WOO
D Pr
oject
in Un
iversi
ty of
Limeri
ck
is ex
amini
ng th
e eco
nomi
c and
envir
onme
ntal m
appin
g of c
asca
de
use o
f woo
d. Th
e COF
ORD
funde
d ECO
VALU
E Re
searc
h Proj
ect,
‘Valui
ng th
e Eco
syste
m Se
rvice
s of F
orests
in Ire
land’
in UC
D ha
s bee
n co
mplet
ed. T
he fin
al rep
ort is
unde
r prep
aratio
n and
will a
ssist
with
this
actio
n. Th
e pote
ntial
for an
Env
ironm
ental
Acco
untin
g Sys
tem fo
r fores
try
will b
e inv
estig
ated o
n foo
t of th
is rep
ort. T
he on
going
COF
ORD
funde
d FO
RESI
TE P
rojec
t in U
CD lo
oking
at M
onito
ring a
nd As
sess
ment
of Cr
itical
Bioma
ss R
emov
al in
Irish F
orests
will a
lso as
sist w
ith th
is ac
tion.
Fores
try fo
r Fibr
e and
Agrof
orestr
y sch
emes
have
been
laun
ched
by
DAF
M. S
EAI is
invo
lved i
n a re
searc
h tas
k tha
t has
relev
ance
i.e.
Task
43 of
the I
EA bi
oene
rgy Te
chnic
al Co
llabo
ration
Plat
form
(TCP
) de
als w
ith B
iomas
s Fee
dstoc
ks fo
r Ene
rgy M
arkets
, see
http:
//www
.iea
bioen
ergyta
sk43
.org/
1.17
DAFM
to co
ntinu
e to s
uppo
rt the
diss
emina
tion o
f the
CLIM
ADAP
T spe
cies s
electi
on to
ol an
d any
nece
ssary
up
dates
.
No ch
ange
No ch
ange
to re
cord
again
st thi
s acti
on. P
ossib
ly dis
semi
nate
inform
ation
on
CLIM
ADAP
T as p
art of
prom
otion
camp
aign.
The r
ecen
t COF
ORD
funde
d Iris
h Lan
d Use
Emi
ssion
and S
eque
strati
on
Supp
ort To
ol (IR
ISHL
ANDU
SES)
Proj
ect le
d by T
eaga
sc w
ith th
e key
ob
jectiv
e to d
evelo
p a m
odell
ing ca
pacit
y to e
xami
ne fu
ture s
cena
rios
for ag
ricult
ural g
reenh
ouse
gas e
miss
ions a
nd ca
rbon s
eque
strati
on by
for
estry
in Ire
land w
ill ass
ist in
addre
ssing
this
strate
gic ac
tion.
38 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
No.
Origi
nal S
trateg
ic Ac
tion
Chan
ges R
equir
ed (S
ee
also m
inutes
of m
eetin
gs)
Prog
ress
and D
evelo
pmen
ts to
Date
Rese
arch
& D
evelo
pmen
t in S
uppo
rt of
Stra
tegic
Actio
ns1.1
8DA
FM w
ill con
sider
propo
sals
for th
e esta
blish
ment
of rip
arian
wo
odlan
ds w
ith a
view
to the
ir fun
ction
in m
itigati
ng flo
oding
an
d enh
ancin
g wate
r qua
lity (s
ee al
so 3.
12).
Grea
ter em
phas
is on
es
tablis
hing r
iparia
n wo
odlan
ds an
d on t
heir
bene
fits
Nativ
e Woo
dland
estab
lishm
ent a
nd co
nserv
ation
sche
me la
unch
ed.
Planti
ng re
quire
ment
of na
tive s
pecie
s alon
g sen
sitive
wate
rway
s. Pr
opos
ed ne
w W
oodla
nd Im
prove
ment
- Env
ironm
ental
Enh
ance
ment
Sche
me.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded C
ROW
and H
YDRO
FOR
Rese
arch
Proje
cts w
ill inp
ut int
o rec
omme
ndati
ons f
or thi
s acti
on. T
he C
ROW
proje
ct loo
ked a
t com
bined
rese
arch o
n Ripa
rian w
oodla
nds.
The H
YDRO
FOR
projec
t inve
stiga
ted th
e effe
cts of
conif
erous
fores
ts an
d fore
stry o
perat
ions
on Ire
land’s
surfa
ce w
ater q
uality
and a
quati
c eco
logy.
Both
projec
ts we
re
led by
Dr M
ary K
elly Q
uinn o
f UCD
and h
ave r
ecen
tly be
en co
mplet
ed.
1.19
Futur
e prom
otion
al ca
mpaig
n(s) to
inclu
de fo
cus o
n you
nger
ge
nerat
ion us
ing so
cial m
edia.
New
strate
gic ac
tion.
This
is als
o rele
vant
for m
anag
emen
t of th
e res
ource
.2
To en
sure
the su
staina
ble m
anag
emen
t of th
e fore
st res
ource
in
acco
rdanc
e with
best
practi
ce th
ereby
ensu
ring i
ts ca
pacit
y to
provid
e the
full r
ange
of tim
ber a
nd ot
her b
enefi
ts2.1
A sys
tem to
stan
dardi
se da
ta req
uirem
ents,
on an
elec
tronic
pla
tform
, for p
rivate
woo
dland
man
agers
/ own
ers sh
ould
be
introd
uced
from
2014
in co
nsult
ation
with
secto
r stak
ehold
ers.
This
would
inclu
de a
mand
atory
requir
emen
t for s
tanda
rdise
d Ma
nage
ment
Plans
for p
rivate
ly ow
ned w
oodla
nds,
with
a co
mmitm
ent fo
r prov
ision
and u
pdati
ng of
same
as a
cond
ition
of aff
oresta
tion f
rom 20
14 on
wards
and a
s a co
nditio
n of
roads
and o
ther s
uppo
rt mea
sures
as w
ell as
a pre
cond
ition
for fe
lling l
icenc
es fo
r thinn
ing. T
he cu
rrent
forma
t and
scop
e of
Mana
geme
nt Pla
ns w
ill be r
evise
d to s
uppo
rt SFM
, facil
itate
certifi
catio
n, the
forec
astin
g of fu
ture r
ound
wood
supp
ly, fe
lling
comp
lianc
e and
publi
c goo
d fun
ction
s and
inco
rporat
e the
ir de
sign,
subm
ission
, upd
ating
, revie
w an
d ana
lysis
into t
he
iFORI
S sy
stem
while
ensu
ring a
lignm
ent b
etwee
n priv
ate an
d pu
blic s
ector
man
agem
ent p
lannin
g sys
tems.
Ac
tivitie
s ong
oing t
o add
ress
SA
The C
OFOR
D Fo
rest M
anag
emen
t Plan
ning G
roup,
which
inclu
ded
repres
entat
ives f
rom ac
ross t
he fo
rest s
ector
, dev
elope
d a Fo
rest
Mana
geme
nt P
lan (F
MP) te
mplat
e whic
h will b
e mad
e ava
ilable
to th
e Se
ctor a
s part
of th
e new
Fores
t Man
agem
ent a
nd C
ertific
ation
sche
me.
The n
ew FM
P ha
s also
been
inco
rporat
ed in
to a s
uite o
f fores
t cert
ifiacti
on
templa
tes w
hich i
s ava
ilable
onlin
e. Ev
entua
lly th
e plan
is to
inclu
de th
e FM
P in
the D
epart
ment’
s new
Gen
eric L
and M
anag
ment
Syste
m, G
LAMS
. Fo
restry
Act 2
014 -
Fellin
g Lice
nce a
pplic
ation
proc
edure
and f
ormat
has
been
comp
leted
to in
corpo
rate m
uch o
f this
Strat
egic
Actio
n.
2.2DA
FM sh
ould
estab
lish a
Nati
onal
Fores
t Inve
ntory
and
Mana
geme
nt Pla
nning
Unit
with
resp
onsib
ility fo
r ong
oing
natio
nal in
vento
ry, co
llatio
n of p
rivate
inve
ntory
data,
SFM
rep
orting
, nati
onal
report
ing, n
ation
al for
ecas
ting a
nd th
e de
sign a
nd ap
prova
l of fo
rest m
anag
emen
t plan
s in t
he
conte
xt of
perm
itted a
ctivit
ies.
No ch
ange
- acti
on no
w co
mplet
eNa
tiona
l Fore
st Inv
entor
y and
Man
agem
ent P
lannin
g Unit
has b
een
estab
lishe
d with
resp
onsib
ility fo
r ong
oing n
ation
al inv
entor
y, co
llatio
n of
priva
te inv
entor
y data
, UNE
CE st
atisti
cal re
portin
g, na
tiona
l repo
rting
and n
ation
al for
ecas
ting.
The A
ll Irel
and R
ound
wood
Prod
uctio
n Fore
cast
2016
- 203
5 was
prod
uced
by C
OFOR
D du
ring 2
016 a
nd m
ade a
vaila
ble
to the
secto
r. Prod
uctio
n Fore
cast
data
was d
erive
d from
Coil
lte in
vento
ry,
priva
te se
ctor p
arcel
data
and c
ollab
oratio
n with
the N
IFS. T
he D
AFM
has d
evelo
ped a
web
-enab
led m
appin
g serv
ice fo
r pub
lishin
g this
na
tiona
l roun
dwoo
d fore
cast
to ex
terna
l stak
ehold
ers an
d to s
taff w
ithin
the D
epart
ment.
The o
bjecti
ve of
this
web m
appin
g sys
tem is
to en
able
users
to ge
nerat
e bes
poke
roun
dwoo
d tim
ber fo
recas
t infor
matio
n ba
sed o
n sele
cted m
ap lo
catio
n(s), s
ee ht
tps://w
ww.ag
ricult
ure.go
v.ie/
round
wood
produ
ction
forec
astsy
stem/
The c
urren
t COF
ORD
funde
d FOR
ECAS
TMOD
EL P
rojec
t led b
y Tea
gasc
ha
s the
objec
tive o
f impro
ving r
ound
wood
forec
astin
g in I
relan
d (se
e also
2.4
below
). The
curre
nt CO
FORD
fund
ed B
ETTE
RFOR
Proj
ect le
d by
UCD
is loo
king a
t eva
luatin
g and
refin
ing tim
ber fo
recas
ting t
ools
using
the
NFI
data.
Thes
e res
earch
proje
cts w
ill ass
ist th
e work
of th
e Nati
onal
Fores
t Inve
ntory
and M
anag
emen
t Plan
ning U
nit.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 39
2.3Co
ntinu
e to r
epea
t the N
FI on
a 5-y
ear c
ycle,
and b
ased
on
activ
e eng
agem
ent w
ith th
e priv
ate se
ctor in
corpo
rate t
he
colle
ction
of ad
dition
al plo
t infor
matio
n whic
h will f
acilita
te the
us
e of N
FI da
ta for
repo
rting a
nd fo
recas
ting p
urpos
es
No ch
ange
- acti
vities
on
going
The N
FI is
ongo
ing an
d will b
e upd
ated o
n a 5
year
rollin
g bas
is.
The c
urren
t COF
ORD
funde
d BET
TERF
OR P
rojec
t in U
CD is
look
ing
at ev
aluati
ng an
d refi
ning t
imbe
r forec
astin
g too
ls us
ing th
e NFI
data.
A rec
ent s
tudy w
as ca
rried o
ut by
the F
orest
Servi
ce in
conju
nctio
n with
Co
illte an
d the
Finn
ish N
atural
Res
ource
s Ins
titute
(LUKE
) to lo
ok at
the
opera
tiona
l use
of E
arth o
bserv
ation
data
to en
hanc
e the
accu
racy a
nd
precis
ion of
NFI
data
at ge
ograp
hic sc
ales b
eyon
d wha
t was
origi
nally
int
ende
d. W
ork is
conti
nuing
on de
velop
ing th
e pote
ntial
of thi
s tec
hnolo
gy
for us
e with
curre
nt NF
I data
and i
n futu
re inv
entor
y cyc
les.
2.4Co
nside
ration
will b
e give
n to s
uppo
rt for
projec
ts an
d me
asure
s whic
h imp
rove t
he le
vel o
f acc
uracy
, relia
bility
and
relev
ance
of tim
ber fo
recas
ting.
No ch
ange
- acti
vities
on
going
The p
rivate
secto
r elem
ent o
f the 2
016-2
035 F
oreca
st wa
s prod
uced
us
ing R
emso
ft in c
ollab
oratio
n with
Coil
lte. D
AFM
has d
evelo
ped a
we
b-ena
bled m
appin
g serv
ice fo
r inter
rogati
ng th
e nati
onal
round
wood
for
ecas
t. The
objec
tive o
f this
web m
appin
g sys
tem is
to en
able
users
to ge
nerat
e bes
poke
roun
dwoo
d fore
cast
inform
ation
base
d on
selec
ted m
ap lo
catio
n(s), s
ee ht
tps://w
ww.ag
ricult
ure.go
v.ie/
round
wood
produ
ction
forec
astsy
stem/
As i
n 2.2
abov
e, the
Nati
onal
Fores
t Inv
entor
y Unit
has b
een e
stabli
shed
with
resp
onsib
ility fo
r ong
oing n
ation
al inv
entor
y, co
llatio
n of p
rivate
inve
ntory
data,
UNE
CE st
atisti
cal re
portin
g, na
tiona
l repo
rting a
nd na
tiona
l forec
astin
g.
The c
urren
t COF
ORD
funde
d FOR
ECAS
TMOD
EL P
rojec
t led b
y Te
agas
c has
the o
bjecti
ve of
impro
ving t
imbe
r forec
astin
g. Th
e proj
ect
is ex
amini
ng fo
rest g
rowth
and y
ield m
odell
ing ai
med a
t impro
ving t
he
priva
te se
ctor ti
mber
produ
ction
forec
ast b
y add
ressin
g key
comp
onen
ts of
the pr
oduc
tion f
oreca
sting
proc
ess.
How
inven
tory a
nd m
anag
emen
t data
fro
m fut
ure m
anag
emen
t plan
s cou
ld be
utilis
ed as
inpu
ts to
the na
tiona
l for
ecas
ting s
ystem
will b
e exp
lored
. This
FORE
CAST
MODE
L Proj
ect
will a
lso pr
ovide
furth
er inf
ormati
on on
acce
ssibi
lity of
priva
te pla
ntatio
ns
and m
anag
emen
t inten
tions
of pr
ivate
fores
t own
ers in
orde
r to de
rive a
mo
re rob
ust m
anag
emen
t regim
e for
forec
astin
g. Th
e curr
ent C
OFOR
D fun
ded B
ETTE
RFOR
Proj
ect is
look
ing at
evalu
ating
and r
efinin
g tim
ber
forec
astin
g too
ls us
ing th
e NFI
data.
2.5Co
llabo
rative
mec
hanis
ms fo
r the m
anag
emen
t of p
rivate
ly ow
ned f
orests
will b
e acti
vely
enco
urage
d and
their
use
to en
hanc
e the
deliv
ery of
the f
ull ra
nge o
f fores
t ben
efits
inves
tigate
d.
No ch
ange
- acti
vities
on
going
The s
uitab
ility of
the F
orest
Mana
geme
nt Pla
nning
gran
t to fa
cilita
te ge
neral
fores
t man
agem
ent d
ecisi
ons w
ill be i
nves
tigate
d. Pr
omoti
on
of Pr
oduc
er Gr
oups
and r
elated
work
s acti
vely
ongo
ing by
Teag
asc.
Colla
borat
ive Fo
rest R
oadin
g Gran
ts av
ailab
le to
growe
rs. P
ropos
ed
initia
tives
on G
roup F
orest
Certifi
catio
n and
KTG
’s on
mob
ilising
timbe
r and
bio
mass
are b
eing p
rogres
sed.
The r
ecen
t COF
ORD
funde
d Iris
h priv
ate fo
rest o
wners
: The
role
of kn
owled
ge tra
nsfer
and s
ocial
netw
orks (
FORO
WN)
Proj
ect le
d by U
CD
lookin
g at u
nders
tandin
g the
exten
t of fo
rest o
wner
’ eng
agem
ent in
ma
nage
ment
and t
he fa
ctors
that in
fluen
ce it,
will a
ssist
in ad
dress
ing th
is str
ategic
actio
n.
2.6Re
cogn
ising
the m
arket
failur
es w
hich w
ould
preve
nt ea
rly
produ
ction
from
priva
te for
ests
and t
he ec
onom
ic be
nefits
of
first (a
nd su
bseq
uent)
thinn
ings,
fundin
g for
two c
onse
cutiv
e pri
ority
5-yea
r harv
estin
g roa
ds pr
ogram
mes,
of at
least
45,00
0 ha a
nd 32
,000 h
a res
pecti
vely
for pr
ivatel
y own
ed
fores
ts wi
ll be p
rovide
d to e
nable
acce
ss to
and d
elive
ry of
the
forec
ast v
olume
s in t
he C
OFOR
D all
-Irela
nd fo
recas
t of n
et rea
lisab
le vo
lume 2
011-2
028.
Need
to co
nside
r fores
t en
tranc
es at
an ea
rlier s
tage-
ac
tivitie
s ong
oing b
ut up
date
forec
ast re
feren
ce
Road
ing sc
heme
inclu
ded i
n curr
ent F
orestr
y Prog
ramme
and a
ctive
ly pro
moted
by D
AFM
and T
eaga
sc. O
utline
road
ing gr
ant ta
rgets
in pro
gramm
e (se
e Fore
st Se
rvice
web
site).
2.7DA
FM to
work
with
the D
epart
ment
of the
Env
ironm
ent,
Comm
unity
and L
ocal
Gove
rnmen
t to en
sure
an ef
ficien
t im
pleme
ntatio
n of a
unifie
d con
sent
syste
m for
fores
t road
s an
d entr
ance
s tha
t sup
ports
timbe
r mob
ilisati
on an
d main
tains
the
comp
etitiv
enes
s of th
e sec
tor (s
ee al
so 11
.1). T
his sh
ould
be co
upled
with
upda
ting o
f relev
ant g
uideli
nes (
see a
lso 4.
9).
The i
mplem
entat
ion of
the E
nviro
nmen
tal (M
iscell
aneo
us
Prov
ision
s) Ac
t 201
1 nee
ds to
be re
viewe
d in t
erms o
f how
it is
appli
ed to
the s
ector
in or
der to
main
tain i
ts co
mpeti
vene
ss.
Await
ing le
gislat
ionW
ork is
ongo
ing on
imple
menti
ng a
single
cons
ent s
ystem
for n
ew
fores
t road
entra
nces
. Ame
ndme
nts to
be m
ade i
n the
Plan
ning a
nd
Deve
lopme
nt Ac
t in th
is reg
ard. N
ew Ap
peals
mec
hanis
m no
w in
place
. Re
vision
of Fo
rest R
oadin
g inc
luding
COF
ORD
Fores
t Roa
d Man
ual h
as
comm
ence
d and
the r
evise
d Affo
restat
ion E
nviro
nmen
tal R
equir
emen
ts are
now
in pla
ce.
40 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
No.
Origi
nal S
trateg
ic Ac
tion
Chan
ges R
equir
ed (S
ee
also m
inutes
of m
eetin
gs)
Prog
ress
and D
evelo
pmen
ts to
Date
Rese
arch
& D
evelo
pmen
t in S
uppo
rt of
Stra
tegic
Actio
ns2.8
DAFM
to ex
plore
ways
of lin
king e
xistin
g and
futur
e prem
ium
paym
ents
for pl
antat
ions o
ver te
n yea
rs wi
th sp
ecifie
d for
est a
ctivit
ies th
at pro
vide f
or the
activ
e man
agem
ent a
nd
protec
tion o
f the f
orest
resou
rce an
d the
envir
onme
nt an
d ap
propri
ate re
portin
g of ti
mber
inven
tory a
nd ot
her o
utputs
(se
e also
2.1)
Cons
ider r
ewriti
ng fo
r more
inc
entiv
ised a
pproa
chCu
rrentl
y inv
estig
ating
the s
uitab
ility of
the F
orest
Mana
geme
nt Pla
nning
gra
nt to
facilita
te for
est m
anag
emen
t dec
ision
s and
certifi
catio
n. CO
FORD
FM
P tem
plate
desig
ned.
Fores
try Ac
t 201
4 - Fe
lling L
icenc
e app
licati
on
proce
dure
and f
ormat
is be
ing fin
alise
d pote
ntiall
y to r
eport
on tim
ber
inven
tory.
2.9Th
e curr
ent m
echa
nisms
of in
formi
ng th
e fore
st se
ctor a
nd
in pa
rticula
r fores
t own
ers w
ill be r
eview
ed, a
nd w
here
ap
propri
ate m
ore ef
fectiv
e init
iative
s and
mea
sures
will b
e put
in pla
ce in
cludin
g more
direc
t coll
abora
tion w
ith st
akeh
older
rep
resen
tative
orga
nisati
ons.
Cons
ider r
eferen
cing
owne
r data
base
and
impro
ved c
ollab
oratio
n be
twee
n com
merci
al an
d en
viron
menta
l
Ongo
ing di
alogu
e and
regu
lar m
eetin
gs be
twee
n sec
tor an
d DAF
M on
im
porta
nt iss
ues.
Prop
osed
prom
otion
al ca
mpaig
n with
secto
r usin
g the
FLAI
G for
um. T
he Te
agas
c prom
otion
plan
for F
orestr
y 201
7-202
0 ha
s bee
n prep
ared a
nd w
ill inv
olve c
ollab
oratio
n with
DAF
M Pr
omoti
on
Camp
aign a
nd th
e ind
ustry
.
The r
ecen
t COF
ORD
funde
d Iris
h priv
ate fo
rest o
wners
: The
role
of kn
owled
ge tra
nsfer
and s
ocial
netw
orks (
FORO
WN)
Proj
ect le
d by U
CD
lookin
g at u
nders
tandin
g the
exten
t of fo
rest o
wner
’ eng
agem
ent in
ma
nage
ment
and t
he fa
ctors
that in
fluen
ce it,
will a
ssist
in ad
dress
ing th
is St
rateg
ic Ac
tion.
2.10
The c
onve
rsion
of pl
antat
ions t
o con
tinuo
us co
ver fo
rest
(CCF
) will b
e sup
porte
d by i
nitiat
ives a
nd m
easu
res to
he
ighten
aware
ness
of an
d/ or
promo
te alt
ernati
ve si
lvicu
ltural
sy
stems
.
Work
ongo
ing to
addre
ss S
A.
Includ
e prov
ision
of gu
idanc
ePr
opos
ed ne
w W
oodla
nd Im
prove
ment
-Env
ironm
ental
Enh
ance
ment
sche
me. N
ative
Woo
dland
Esta
blish
ment
and C
onse
rvatio
n sch
emes
and
also A
gro Fo
restry
sche
me (c
lose t
o natu
re sil
vicult
ure sc
heme
) prom
ote
CCF a
nd pr
ovide
d for
unde
r targe
ted tra
ining
.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded l
ow im
pact
silvic
ultura
l sys
tems (
LISS)
Res
earch
Pr
oject,
led b
y UCD
has r
ecen
tly be
en co
mplet
ed. T
he fin
al rep
ort
will a
ssist
with
this
strate
gic ac
tion.
The n
ew Te
agas
c-fun
ded p
rojec
t, Tr
anSS
For, w
ill buil
d on t
he LI
SS pr
oject
and f
urthe
r inve
stiga
te the
im
pact
of thi
nning
treatm
ents
on th
e tran
sform
ation
of pu
re Sit
ka sp
ruce
stand
s to C
CF an
d prov
ide an
asse
ssme
nt of
poten
tial e
cono
mics
, stan
d sta
bility
and i
mpac
t on d
iversi
ty an
d crow
n cov
er of
using
such
treatm
ents.
htt
ps://w
ww.te
agas
c.ie/c
rops/f
orestr
y/res
earch
/trans
forma
tion-o
f-sitk
a-sp
ruce-t
o-ccf/
Teag
asc p
romote
s awa
renes
s of C
CF to
relev
ant fo
restry
sta
keho
lders
and h
as re
centl
y pub
lishe
d a ne
w CC
F boo
klet (T
eaga
sc
Farm
Fores
try S
eries
19). T
eaga
sc B
allyh
aise C
olleg
e offe
rs a Q
QI Le
vel
6 mino
r CCF
Award
as pa
rt of th
e QQI
leve
l 6 Ad
vanc
ed C
ertific
ate in
Fo
restry
. Five
year
plan t
o con
vert p
art of
Oak
Park
to C
CF m
anag
emen
t as
a de
mons
tratio
n and
educ
ation
al su
pport
and f
or res
earch
purpo
ses.
2.11
DAFM
will e
ncou
rage t
he m
anag
emen
t of a
ll broa
dleav
es
includ
ing na
tive w
oodla
nds f
or tim
ber p
roduc
tion a
nd
where
there
is a
partic
ular c
onse
rvatio
n or p
rotec
tion
requir
emen
t, sha
ll, in
coop
eratio
n with
the N
ation
al Pa
rks an
d W
ildlife
Serv
ice an
d othe
r Gov
ernme
nt ag
encie
s, fac
ilitate
mana
geme
nt tha
t is co
mpati
ble w
ith su
ch ob
jectiv
es.
See 2
.10Na
tive W
oodla
nds E
stabli
shme
nt an
d Con
serva
tion s
chem
es &
Woo
dland
Im
prove
ment
-Thin
ning &
Tend
ing sc
heme
in pl
ace a
nd a
propo
sed n
ew
Woo
dland
Impro
veme
nt - E
nviro
nmen
tal E
nhan
ceme
nt sc
heme
. Sele
ction
of
seed
stan
ds an
d see
d orch
ard gr
ant s
chem
es to
impro
ve th
e prod
uctiv
e po
tentia
l of n
ew br
oadle
aved
woo
dland
s. Ap
propri
ate As
sess
ment
Proc
edure
s ass
ist w
ith co
nserv
ation
and p
rotec
tion o
f broa
dleav
es in
as
socia
tion w
ith N
PWS
and o
ther s
tate a
genc
ies.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded p
rojec
t BSI
LVRD
Proj
ect, B
roadle
af Sil
vicult
ure
Rese
arch &
Dev
elopm
ent P
rogram
me, re
centl
y com
pleted
by Te
agas
c an
d the
LISS
Res
earch
Proj
ect, o
n low
impa
ct sil
vicult
ural s
ystem
s led
by
UCD
will a
ssist
with
this
strate
gic ac
tion.
The r
ecen
t COF
ORD
funde
d Ex
ploita
tion a
nd R
ealis
ation
of Th
inning
s from
Hard
wood
s (EA
RTH)
Pr
oject
led by
NUI
Galw
ay w
ith th
e obje
ctive
of de
velop
ing kn
owled
ge on
the
woo
d qua
lity of
Irish
hardw
ood t
hinnin
gs an
d ide
ntifyi
ng po
ssibl
e end
-us
e app
licati
ons a
nd ne
w pro
ducts
will a
ssist
in ad
dress
ing th
is str
ategic
ac
tion a
s will t
he S
uppo
rting H
en H
arrier
in N
ovel
Envir
onme
nts (S
HINE
) Pr
oject,
led b
y UCC
with
the o
bjecti
ve of
inve
stiga
ting o
pport
unitie
s for
the e
xpan
sion o
f the f
orestr
y tha
t are
comp
atible
with
Hen
Harr
ier
cons
ervati
on an
d diss
emina
ting t
hese
resu
lts to
stak
ehold
ers.
2.12
DAFM
to es
tablis
h a re
prese
ntativ
e Nati
onal
Fores
t Gen
etic
Reso
urces
Advis
ory G
roup t
o guid
e all a
spec
ts of
future
ge
netic
requ
ireme
nts an
d adv
ice on
the m
anag
emen
t of
reprod
uctiv
e mate
rial a
nd tre
e imp
rovem
ent a
nd br
eedin
g pro
gramm
es in
cludin
g form
alisin
g the
natio
nal tr
ee
impro
veme
nt pro
gramm
e.
No ch
ange
but re
feren
ce
clima
te ch
ange
in te
xtCO
FORD
has
recen
tly es
tablis
hed a
Fores
t Gen
etic R
esou
rce W
orking
Gr
oup w
ith re
levan
t obje
ctive
s and
term
s of re
feren
ce.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded F
ORGE
N Pr
oject,
on th
e lon
g-term
optio
ns fo
r im
prove
d fore
st pro
ducti
vity a
nd tim
ber q
uality
in Ire
land h
as re
centl
y bee
n co
mplet
ed by
UCD
and t
he fin
al rep
ort is
being
draft
ed. T
he pr
omoti
on
of FO
RGEN
rese
arch fi
nding
s as a
pprop
riate
by D
AFM/
Teag
asc t
o farm
for
estry
secto
r. Tea
gasc
conti
nues
to pr
omote
the u
se of
impro
ved p
lantin
g sto
ck.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 41
2.13
Integ
rate a
nd de
velop
the c
urren
t mon
itorin
g sch
emes
on
fores
t hea
lth an
d biog
eoch
emist
ry, cl
imate
chan
ge
mitig
ation
and a
dapta
tion,
biodiv
ersity
, nutr
ient s
tatus
and
phon
ologic
al ob
serva
tions
with
in the
NFI
frame
work
and
use t
hem
to as
sess
biod
iversi
ty, an
d mon
itor th
e imp
acts
of cli
mate
chan
ge, th
ereby
contr
ibutin
g to t
he im
prove
d futu
re
mana
geme
nt of
the fo
rest re
sourc
e.
Comp
lete -
Addre
ssed
unde
r NF
I acti
ons
Vario
us C
OFOR
D Re
searc
h proj
ects
will c
ontrib
ute to
assis
ting w
ith
this a
ction
. The
BIO
PLAN
Res
earch
Proj
ect, o
n Imp
lemen
tation
of an
as
sess
ment
and m
onito
ring p
rogram
me fo
r Irish
and B
ritish
fores
ts, le
d by
UCC
has r
ecen
tly be
en co
mplet
ed. T
his w
ill ass
ist in
reco
mmen
datio
ns
for th
is ac
tion.
The A
DAPT
Res
earch
Proj
ect, ‘
Avian
Dive
rsity
and
affore
statio
n Plan
ning T
ools,
’ also
led b
y UCC
has r
ecen
tly be
en
comp
leted
. The
final
report
is cu
rrentl
y in p
repara
tion.
This
projec
t look
ed
at the
risks
pose
d by f
orest
planti
ng to
vulne
rable
habit
ats an
d bird
spec
ies
in Ire
land,
and t
o ens
ure th
at for
est e
xpan
sion t
argets
are m
et wi
thout
comp
romisi
ng vu
lnerab
le ha
bitats
or bi
rd sp
ecies
. The
GEO
FORE
ST
Rese
arch P
rojec
t, loo
king a
t the i
mpac
ts of
fores
t clea
rfellin
g on t
he
Kerry
slug
(Geo
malac
us M
aculo
sus),
led b
y NUI
G ha
s rec
ently
been
co
mplet
ed. T
he fin
al rep
ort is
curre
ntly i
n prep
aratio
n. Th
e FOR
MARR
Re
searc
h Proj
ect lo
oking
at fo
rest m
anag
emen
t for th
e Fres
hwate
r Pe
arl M
usse
l (FPM
), led
by TC
D, ha
s bee
n com
pleted
. The
final
report
is
curre
ntly i
n prep
aratio
n. Th
e abo
ve re
searc
h proj
ects
will a
ssist
with
Int
egrat
ing an
d dev
elopin
g the
curre
nt mo
nitori
ng sc
heme
s on f
orest
healt
h and
biog
eoch
emist
ry, cl
imate
chan
ge m
itigati
on an
d ada
ptatio
n, bio
divers
ity, n
utrien
t stat
us an
d pho
nolog
ical o
bserv
ation
s. Th
e rec
ent
COFO
RD fu
nded
Irish
Land
Use
Emi
ssion
and S
eque
strati
on S
uppo
rt To
ol (IR
ISHL
ANDU
SES)
Proj
ect le
d by T
eaga
sc w
ith th
e key
objec
tive t
o de
velop
a mo
dellin
g cap
acity
to ex
amine
futur
e sce
nario
s for
agric
ultura
l gre
enho
use g
as em
ission
s and
carbo
n seq
uestr
ation
by fo
restry
in Ire
land
will a
ssist
in ad
dress
ing th
is str
ategic
actio
n. 3
Envir
onme
nt an
d Pub
lic G
oods
To e
nsure
that
affore
statio
n, ma
nage
ment
of ex
isting
fores
ts an
d dev
elopm
ent o
f the
fores
t sec
tor ar
e und
ertak
en in
a ma
nner
that e
nsure
s co
mplia
nce w
ith en
viron
menta
l requ
ireme
nts an
d obje
ctive
s an
d enh
ance
s the
ir con
tributi
on to
the e
nviro
nmen
t and
their
ca
pacit
y for
the pr
ovisi
on of
publi
c goo
ds an
d serv
ices.
3.1Th
e valu
e of th
e com
plete
range
of no
n woo
d ben
efits
to be
qu
antifi
ed an
d inc
luded
in a
revise
d Cos
t Ben
efit A
nalys
is of
the pl
anne
d affo
restat
ion pr
ogram
me.
Fores
t sec
tor to
liaise
with
Na
tural
Capit
al Ac
coun
ting
(NCA
) mov
emen
t.
Need
to co
nside
r hab
itat
value
pre-f
orestr
y
The p
otenti
al for
an E
nviro
nmen
tal Ac
coun
ting S
ystem
for fo
restry
will b
e inv
estig
ated.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded E
COVA
LUE
Rese
arch P
rojec
t, ‘Va
luing
the
Ecos
ystem
Serv
ices o
f Fore
sts in
Irelan
d’ led
by U
CD ha
s rec
ently
been
co
mplet
ed. T
he fin
al rep
ort is
in pr
epara
tion a
nd w
ill ass
ist w
ith th
is ac
tion.
SEAI
is in
volve
d in r
esea
rch th
at ha
s rele
vanc
e, se
e info
rmati
on on
task
42
on bi
o refi
ning h
ttp://w
ww.ie
a-bioe
nergy
.task
42-bi
orefin
eries
.com/
en/
ieabio
refine
ry.htm
3.2
All re
levan
t prop
osed
EU
regula
tions
, EU
Direc
tives
and
natio
nal le
gislat
ion sh
ould
be su
bject
to ful
l stak
ehold
er
cons
ultati
on an
d Reg
ulator
y Imp
act A
sses
smen
t (RIA
) as p
er
RIA g
uideli
nes.
Legis
lation
in pl
ace i
n this
rega
rd an
d DAF
M wi
ll com
ply w
ith al
l relev
ant
requir
emen
ts.
42 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
No.
Origi
nal S
trateg
ic Ac
tion
Chan
ges R
equir
ed (S
ee
also m
inutes
of m
eetin
gs)
Prog
ress
and D
evelo
pmen
ts to
Date
Rese
arch
& D
evelo
pmen
t in S
uppo
rt of
Stra
tegic
Actio
ns3.3
DAFM
in co
llabo
ration
with
the m
ain se
ctor s
takeh
olders
to
upda
te the
comp
lete s
et of
envir
onme
ntal g
uideli
nes
with
priori
ty giv
en to
guide
lines
that
addre
ss w
ater q
uality
, fer
tilisati
on an
d biod
iversi
ty. In
the r
evisi
on co
nside
ration
sh
ould
be gi
ven t
o stru
cturin
g the
guide
lines
so th
ey
can b
e use
d eith
er at
fores
t dev
elopm
ental
stag
es
(estab
lishm
ent, t
hinnin
g, ha
rvesti
ng) o
r them
atica
lly to
deal
with
water
, biod
iversi
ty etc
. The
revis
ed gu
idelin
es sh
ould
be co
mpreh
ensiv
e, pro
vide c
larity
rega
rding
requ
ireme
nts
includ
ing bu
ffer z
ones
as ap
propri
ate, p
ermit p
roced
ures
and f
acilita
te co
mplia
nce o
f fores
try ac
tivitie
s with
the o
veral
l en
viron
menta
l regu
latory
frame
work
includ
ing in
ter al
ia the
W
ater F
ramew
ork D
irecti
ve (in
cludin
g high
statu
s wate
rs), th
e EI
A Dire
ctive
, the B
irds D
irecti
ve an
d the
Hab
itats
Direc
tive.
Need
for g
ood
base
line i
nform
ation
DA
FM to
comp
ly wi
th DP
ER gu
idanc
e on p
ublic
co
nsult
ation
A pub
lic co
nsult
ation
proc
ess w
as un
derta
ken f
or the
docu
ment
to rep
lace t
he en
viron
menta
l guid
eline
s as t
hey a
pply
to aff
oresta
tion.
A ran
ge of
COF
ORD
funde
d Res
earch
proje
ct res
ults w
ill fee
d into
thes
e en
viron
menta
l guid
eline
s and
requ
ireme
nts (S
ee S
trateg
ic Ac
tion 1
.13,
etc).
3.4DA
FM to
upda
te the
Cod
e of B
est F
orest
Prac
tice a
nd th
e Na
tiona
l Fore
st St
anda
rd to
reflec
t cha
nges
in th
e suit
e of
envir
onme
ntal g
uideli
nes,
chan
ges i
n bes
t prac
tice,
chan
ges
in the
regu
latory
and c
ompli
ance
frame
work
and a
s a m
eans
to
supp
ort co
mplia
nce w
ith th
e prin
ciples
of su
staina
ble fo
rest
mana
geme
nt an
d the
ecos
ystem
appro
ach a
s elab
orated
in
the 20
08 M
CPFE
(now
Fores
t Euro
pe)/P
EBLD
S joi
ntly
adop
ted P
an-E
urope
an G
uideli
nes f
or Af
fores
tation
and
Refor
estat
ion
Ongo
ing - a
waitin
g new
gu
idelin
esCo
de of
Bes
t Fore
st Pr
actic
e and
the N
ation
al Fo
rest S
tanda
rd (N
FS) w
ill be
upda
ted to
refle
ct ch
ange
s in t
he su
ite of
Env
ironm
ental
Req
uirem
ents
when
all E
nviro
nmen
tal R
equir
emen
t hav
e bee
n draf
ted an
d the
publi
c co
nsult
ation
proc
ess i
s com
pleted
.
3.5Th
e Iris
h Nati
onal
Fores
t Stan
dard
will b
e use
d as t
he
basis
for r
eport
ing on
the s
tate o
f Irela
nd’s
fores
ts an
d on
susta
inable
fores
t man
agem
ent.
see 3
.4 ab
ove
3.6DA
FM, in
colla
borat
ion w
ith D
oECL
G, th
e NPW
S an
d sta
tutory
bodie
s to d
evelo
p a gu
idanc
e doc
umen
t outl
ining
the
natur
e and
use o
f curr
ent e
nviro
nmen
tal an
d bes
t prac
tice
comp
lianc
e req
uirem
ents.
Ongo
ing - a
waitin
g new
gu
idelin
esIni
tial w
ork ha
s com
menc
ed on
this
throu
gh on
going
upda
ting o
f En
viron
menta
l Req
uirem
ents/
Guide
lines
. Rev
ised A
ffores
tation
and
Envir
onme
ntal R
equir
emen
ts ha
ve be
en dr
afted
. Work
ongo
ing on
furth
er
Envir
onme
ntal R
equir
emen
ts for
vario
us fo
rest o
perat
ions.
3.7Tr
aining
will b
e prov
ided t
o Fore
stry I
nspe
ctors
in the
first
instan
ce; a
nd its
rollo
ut to
fores
try pr
actiti
oners
will b
e co
nside
red as
appro
priate
, to en
able
the as
sess
ment
of ha
bitat
types
in af
fores
tation
prop
osals
.
Ongo
ing - t
rainin
g bein
g pro
vided
Initia
l train
ing pr
ovide
d to i
nspe
ctors
and p
ractiti
oners
in 20
15-20
17.
The S
ociet
y of Ir
ish Fo
rester
s with
fund
ing fro
m the
Dep
artme
nt ha
ve
upgra
ded t
heir C
PD sy
stem.
Fund
s hav
e also
been
mad
e ava
ilable
to hi
re
admi
nistra
tive s
uppo
rt and
this
post
has b
een fi
lled.
The a
im of
the C
PD
progra
mme w
ill be t
o inc
lude a
ll reg
istere
d fore
sters
as pa
rticipa
nts an
d all
organ
isatio
ns pr
ovidi
ng fo
restry
traini
ng an
d hold
ing ev
ents.
This
syste
m wi
ll be o
nline
and w
ill inc
lude a
calen
dar s
howi
ng up
comi
ng co
urses
\ev
ents
and t
he po
ints w
ill tha
t be a
warde
d for
atten
ding t
hem.
Fores
ters
will r
egist
er on
line t
o atte
nd. T
he C
PD B
oard
will s
et the
traini
ng ag
enda
for
the co
ming
year
to refl
ect th
e nee
ds of
the i
ndus
try.
The l
ist of
Reg
istere
d for
ester
s will i
nclud
e a co
lumn t
hat w
ill ind
icate
if the
fores
ter is
CPD
ce
rtified
. Reg
istrat
ion be
gan i
n 201
7.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 43
3.8Pr
oced
ures t
o be d
evelo
ped b
y DAF
M for
Appro
vals/
Cons
ents
and L
icenc
es fo
r affo
restat
ion, fo
rest ro
ad co
nstru
ction
and
harve
sting
to en
sure
that a
ll app
licati
ons i
n and
adjac
ent to
Na
tura 2
000 s
ites a
re su
bject
to an
appro
priate
asse
ssme
nt pro
cedu
re.
Comp
lete -
asse
ssme
nt pro
cedu
res in
plac
eAp
propri
ate As
sess
ment
Proc
edure
s hav
e bee
n draf
ted an
d imp
lemen
ted
to en
sure
that a
ll app
licati
ons i
n and
adjac
ent to
Natu
ra 20
00 si
tes
are su
bject
to the
se pr
oced
ures.
Thes
e proc
edure
s can
be fo
und a
t htt
p://w
ww.ag
ricult
ure.go
v.ie/m
edia/
migra
tion/f
orestr
y/pub
licati
ons/
Fores
tServ
iceAA
PInfo
rmati
onNo
teMarc
h12C
ONSO
LIDAT
ED06
0312
.pd
f. Tea
gasc
advis
ors di
ssem
inate
inform
ation
rega
rding
the p
roced
ures
to rel
evan
t clie
nts w
hen c
onsid
ering
affor
estat
ion ad
jacen
t to N
atura
20
00 si
tes. P
roced
ures h
ave b
een d
evelo
ped f
or ap
prova
ls/co
nsen
ts an
d lic
ence
s for
affore
statio
n, for
est ro
ad co
nstru
ction
, harv
estin
g/fell
ing an
d ae
rial fe
rtilisa
tion.
3.9Ini
tiativ
es an
d mea
sures
whic
h aim
to en
hanc
e prov
ision
of
recrea
tion/t
ouris
m an
d lan
dsca
pe be
nefits
from
fores
ts wi
ll be
supp
orted
.
Ongo
ingNe
ighbo
urwoo
d sch
eme h
as be
en im
pleme
nted.
Prop
osed
new
Woo
dland
Im
prove
ment
- Env
ironm
ental
Enh
ance
ment
sche
me to
be in
trodu
ced.
Impro
ved a
cces
s thro
ugh f
orest
roadin
g gran
ts. U
pdati
ng of
recre
ation
an
d fore
st vis
it stat
istics
is be
ing co
nside
red by
DAF
M thr
ough
COF
ORD
Rese
arch c
all.
3.10
Base
d on t
he fin
dings
of a
Work
ing G
roup t
o be e
stabli
shed
by
DAF
M in
colla
borat
ion w
ith C
oillte
and r
eleva
nt sta
keho
lders,
intro
duce
guida
nce a
nd cr
iteria
for th
e ide
ntific
ation
and f
uture
mana
geme
nt of
peat
areas
curre
ntly
affore
sted w
hich a
re to
be de
fores
ted to
mitig
ate co
ntinu
ed
envir
onme
ntal d
egrad
ation
. The
Work
ing G
roup w
ill also
pro
vide c
lear g
uidan
ce on
futur
e affo
restat
ion of
peat
soils
.
Ongo
ing bu
t main
ly co
mplet
edA n
ew Fe
lling a
nd R
efores
tation
polic
y doc
umen
t has
been
publi
shed
. This
po
licy d
eals
with
the ex
isting
fores
t esta
te inc
luding
thos
e on p
eatla
nds.
Th
e new
env
ironm
ental
requ
ireme
nts d
ocum
ent a
lso de
als w
ith
affore
statio
n on p
eatla
nds.
3.11
Facil
itate
the co
st-be
nefit
analy
sis pr
oces
s for
identi
fying
the
most
cost-
effec
tive m
easu
res fo
r com
plian
ce w
ith th
e Wate
r Fr
amew
ork D
irecti
ve
Cons
ider a
ction
on
monit
oring
of w
ater q
uality
in
relati
on to
Nati
ve W
oodla
nd
Sche
me
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded C
ROW
and H
YDRO
FOR
Rese
arch P
rojec
ts wi
ll inp
ut int
o rec
omme
ndati
ons t
o sup
port t
his ac
tion.
The C
ROW
proje
ct loo
ked a
t com
bined
rese
arch o
n Ripa
rian w
oodla
nds.
The H
YDRO
FOR
projec
t inve
stiga
ted th
e effe
cts of
conif
erous
fores
ts an
d fore
stry
opera
tions
on Ire
land’s
surfa
ce w
ater q
uality
and a
quati
c eco
logy.
Both
projec
ts we
re led
by U
CD an
d hav
e rec
ently
been
comp
leted
.3.1
2Ini
tiativ
es an
d mea
sures
whic
h aim
to en
hanc
e the
wate
r an
d wetl
ands
bene
fits of
fores
ts wi
ll be c
onsid
ered u
nder
the
Nativ
e Woo
dland
Esta
blish
ment
Sche
me.
Expa
nd ac
tion t
o inc
lude
bene
fits fro
m aff
oresta
tion
and n
on na
tive s
pecie
s
Nativ
e Woo
dland
estab
lishm
ent a
nd C
onse
rvatio
n sch
emes
laun
ched
an
d the
prop
osed
new
Woo
dland
Impro
veme
nt sc
heme
- Env
ironm
ental
En
hanc
emen
t sch
eme t
o be i
ntrod
uced
. App
ropria
te tra
ining
for th
ese
sche
mes w
ill be p
rovide
d by D
AFM.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded C
ROW
and H
YDRO
FOR
Rese
arch P
rojec
ts wi
ll als
o inp
ut to
supp
ort th
is str
ategic
actio
n.
3.13
Revie
w the
scien
ce be
hind t
he H
YDRO
FOR
report
ad
dress
ing id
entifi
ed ga
ps an
d upd
ating
findin
gs an
d rec
omme
ndati
ons a
ccord
ingly
New
Strat
egic
Actio
n add
ed
28-08
3.14
Fores
t Serv
ice (D
AFM)
to pu
t in pl
ace s
ystem
to no
tify
stake
holde
rs an
d reg
istere
d fore
sters
when
a ne
w do
cume
nt/rep
ort ho
sted o
n its
webs
ite
New
Strat
egic
Actio
n
44 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
No.
Origi
nal S
trateg
ic Ac
tion
Chan
ges R
equir
ed (S
ee
also m
inutes
of m
eetin
gs)
Prog
ress
and D
evelo
pmen
ts to
Date
Rese
arch
& D
evelo
pmen
t in S
uppo
rt of
Stra
tegic
Actio
ns4
Supp
ly Ch
ain To
furth
er de
velop
an ef
ficien
t, sus
taina
ble an
d en
viron
menta
lly re
spon
sible
supp
ly ch
ain th
at is
comp
atible
wi
th for
ecas
t volu
mes,
which
will e
nhan
ce th
e com
petiv
enes
s of
the pr
oces
sing s
ector
and i
ts wo
od pa
ying c
apac
ity to
fores
t ow
ners.
4.1In
cons
ultati
on w
ith st
akeh
olders
, DAF
M wi
ll dev
elop a
Na
tiona
l Rou
ndwo
od M
obilis
ation
Stra
tegy t
o imp
lemen
t im
prove
d effic
iency
and l
ogist
ics al
ong t
he su
pply
chain
fro
m gro
wer to
final
end u
ser, b
earin
g in m
ind th
e inc
rease
d vo
lumes
that
will n
ow co
me fro
m the
priva
te se
ctor; a
nd ta
king
acco
unt o
f bes
t inter
natio
nal p
ractic
e.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingCO
FORD
’s Mo
bilisa
tion o
f Irela
nds F
orest
Reso
urce r
eport
, laun
ched
in
March
2015
, has
gone
some
way
towa
rds m
aking
prog
ress o
n this
actio
n. A f
ollow
up C
OFOR
D W
ood M
obilis
ation
and P
roduc
tion F
oreca
sting
W
orking
Grou
p was
set u
p to r
eview
and r
eport
on th
e rec
omme
ndati
ons
conta
ined i
n this
Mob
ilising
Irelan
d’s Fo
rest R
esou
rce R
eport
and t
he
Roun
dwoo
d fore
casti
ng sy
stems
. This
will a
ssist
with
this
actio
n. Ma
nagin
g Tim
ber T
ransp
ort - G
ood P
ractic
e Guid
e was
laun
ched
in 20
14.
Rese
arch o
ngoin
g on h
aulag
e rou
te op
timisa
tion a
nd ty
re de
flatio
n sy
stems
on fo
rest ro
ads.
The c
urren
t COF
ORD
funde
d MAR
TT
Proje
ct led
by U
CD is
deve
loping
a GI
S ba
sed a
greed
route
s map
for
susta
inable
timbe
r tran
sport
in Ire
land a
nd al
so a
mobil
e App
‘Rou
te Ta
gger
’. SEA
I invo
lveme
nt in
resea
rch. T
ask 4
3 of th
e IEA
bioe
nergy
TC
P de
als w
ith B
iomas
s Fee
dstoc
ks fo
r Ene
rgy M
arkets
, see
http:
//www
.iea
bioen
ergyta
sk43
.org/
is al
so re
levan
t.4.2
Carry
out a
natio
nal s
urvey
of cu
rrent
harve
sting
and
trans
port i
nfras
tructu
re ca
pacit
y and
iden
tify th
e futu
re
capa
city r
equir
emen
t in lin
e with
the f
oreca
st vo
lumes
and t
he
increa
sed t
hinnin
g volu
mes f
rom th
e priv
ate se
ctor.
Unde
rtake
surve
y of fo
rest
mach
ine m
anufa
cturer
s/de
alers.
Coll
ate w
ith C
oillte
da
tabas
e and
mac
hine
impo
rt data
.
See C
SO da
ta on
roun
dwoo
d harv
estin
g mac
hinery
impo
rts ov
er pa
st 10
ye
ars an
d trac
k in f
uture.
Pote
ntial
surve
y to b
e con
sidere
d by D
AFM.
4.2a
Conti
nue t
o use
CSO
mac
hine i
mport
data
to as
sess
mark
et co
nditio
ns fo
r the p
urcha
se an
d rep
lacem
ent o
f harv
estin
g ma
chine
s.
New
actio
n aris
ing fro
m 4.2
ab
ove
4.3DA
FM to
comm
ission
a de
sk st
udy t
o rev
iew th
e prac
tice a
nd
cons
eque
nce o
f lice
nsing
/perm
itting
of ha
rvesti
ng co
ntrac
tors
in oth
er Eu
ropea
n cou
ntries
to de
termi
ne w
hethe
r suc
h sy
stems
have
any a
pplic
ation
unde
r Irish
cond
itions
.
No ch
ange
No pr
ogres
s - st
ill und
er co
nside
ration
4.3a
DAFM
in co
llabo
ration
with
secto
r stak
ehold
ers to
supp
ort
meas
ures t
o add
ress s
ecuri
ty of
timbe
r in sa
les in
cludin
g the
us
e of te
chno
logy
New
strate
gic ac
tion
4.4DA
FM sh
ould
initia
te dis
cuss
ions w
ith C
oillte
and o
ther fo
rest
owne
rs to
deve
lop a
frame
work
to all
ow sh
ared u
se of
fores
t roa
ds fo
r fores
t ope
ration
s (se
e also
12.3)
No ch
ange
- awa
iting C
oillte
lic
ence
proto
col
The T
eaga
sc B
allyh
aise h
arves
ter/fo
rward
er co
urse w
ith in
clude
s a
harve
sting
simu
lator
could
facil
itate
a lice
nsing
/perm
itting
syste
m if
introd
uced
. 4.5
DAFM
, in pa
rtners
hip w
ith gr
ower
repres
entat
ive
organ
isatio
ns, C
oillte
and t
he fo
rest in
dustr
y, sh
ould
facilita
te the
deve
lopme
nt of
a stan
dard
syste
m for
timbe
r me
asure
ment
and r
emov
als.
No ch
ange
- con
sens
us fo
r na
tiona
l stan
dardi
sed s
ystem
Stan
dard
syste
m for
timbe
r rem
ovals
/sales
in pr
ivate
secto
r to be
furth
er
deve
loped
utilis
ing ex
isting
syste
ms in
cludin
g the
Fores
t Men
surat
ion
Hand
book
publi
shed
with
DAF
M su
pport
. DAF
M wi
ll look
to ha
ving
spec
ificati
ons d
rafted
for p
ropos
al.4.6
DAFM
to in
vesti
gate
meas
ures w
hich w
ill sup
port t
he ph
ased
de
velop
ment
of the
harve
sting
infra
struc
ture.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ing S
ome L
eade
r initia
tives
have
prov
ided f
undin
g ass
istan
ce in
the p
ast fo
r for
est m
achin
ery pu
rchas
e by g
roups
. CSO
data
on ro
undw
ood h
arves
ting
mach
inery
impo
rts av
ailab
le ov
er pa
st 10
years
prov
ide in
dicati
on of
ca
pacit
y and
thes
e will b
e mon
itored
annu
ally.
Teag
asc B
allyh
aise t
o es
tablis
h a ha
rveste
r/forw
arder
cours
e whic
h inc
ludes
a ha
rvesti
ng
simula
tor.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 45
4.7DA
FM w
ill sup
port m
easu
res th
at en
coura
ge co
llabo
rative
ac
tions
to im
prove
econ
omies
of sc
ale am
ong f
orest
owne
rs.No
chan
ge - w
ork on
going
Fores
t Cert
ificati
on in
itiativ
e by D
AFM
being
prog
resse
d inc
luding
new
sche
mes.
Road
ing gr
ants
for co
llabo
rative
road
ing pr
ojects
have
been
int
roduc
ed. P
romoti
on of
Prod
ucer
Grou
ps th
rough
Teag
asc.
Natio
nal K
TG
sche
me fo
r fores
try in
clude
d in m
idterm
revie
w of
fores
try pr
ogram
me.
The r
ecen
t COF
ORD
funde
d Iris
h priv
ate fo
rest o
wners
: The
role
of kn
owled
ge tra
nsfer
and s
ocial
netw
orks (
FORO
WN)
Proj
ect le
d by U
CD
lookin
g at u
nders
tandin
g the
exten
t of fo
rest o
wner
’ eng
agem
ent in
ma
nage
ment
and t
he fa
ctors
that in
fluen
ce it,
will a
ssist
in ad
dress
ing th
is str
ategic
actio
n. 4.8
Supp
ort th
e eva
luatio
n and
testi
ng of
small
scale
harve
sting
eq
uipme
nt for
the t
hinnin
g of p
rivate
ly ow
ned f
orests
Poten
tially
inve
stiga
te the
requ
ireme
nt for
small
scale
harve
sting
eq
uipme
nt thr
ough
appro
priate
stud
y/res
earch
. Tea
gasc
will c
ontin
ue to
inv
estig
ate an
d prom
ote th
e use
of ap
propri
ate ha
rvesti
ng te
chno
logy
includ
ing sm
all sc
ale ha
rvesti
ng te
chno
logy.
4.9Su
pport
mea
sures
, initia
tives
and a
waren
ess-r
aising
aime
d at
achie
ving g
ood p
ractic
e in r
ound
wood
haula
ge.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingMa
nagin
g Tim
ber T
ransp
ort - G
ood P
ractic
e Guid
e was
supp
orted
by
DAFM
and l
aunc
hed i
n 201
4. Re
searc
h is o
ngoin
g on h
aulag
e rou
te op
timisa
tion.
Sche
me fo
r fund
ing ty
re de
flatio
n sys
tems o
n fore
st roa
ds
due f
or lau
nch s
oon a
nd fu
nding
has b
een a
pprov
ed to
draft
infor
matio
n bo
oklet
on H
ealth
and S
afety
in Ro
ad H
aulag
e.
The c
urren
t COF
ORD
funde
d MAR
TT P
rojec
t led b
y UCD
is de
velop
ing a
GIS
base
d agre
ed ro
utes m
ap fo
r sus
taina
ble tim
ber tr
ansp
ort in
Irelan
d an
d also
a mo
bile A
pp ‘R
oute
Tagg
er’ w
ill ass
ist in
achie
ving g
ood p
ractic
e in
round
wood
haula
ge.
4.10.
In co
nsult
ation
with
stak
ehold
ers, p
rovide
supp
ort m
easu
res
and i
nitiat
ives t
o ide
ntify
the m
ost s
uitab
le rou
ndwo
od
trans
port r
outes
and t
heir c
o-ordi
natio
n with
Loca
l Auth
oritie
s.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingW
ork on
going
on pr
eferre
d rou
tes w
ith Lo
cal A
uthori
ties i
n the
conte
xt of
the si
ngle
cons
ent s
ystem
for fo
rest ro
ad en
tranc
es an
d Fell
ing Li
cenc
e ap
plica
tions
. The
curre
nt CO
FORD
fund
ed M
ARTT
Proj
ect is
deve
loping
the
conc
ept o
f GIS
base
d agre
ed ro
utes m
ap fo
r sus
taina
ble tim
ber
trans
port i
n Irel
and a
nd al
so a
mobil
e App
‘Rou
te Ta
gger
’. More
work
is
requir
ed to
comp
lete a
natio
nal a
greed
netw
ork of
prefe
rred r
outes
.4.1
1Su
pport
mea
sures
to op
timise
the e
nviro
nmen
tally
efficie
nt an
d sus
taina
ble re
cove
ry of
harve
sting
resid
ues f
or en
ergy.
No ch
ange
but g
uidan
ce
requir
edLo
ok at
gene
ral G
uidan
ce N
ote on
mea
sures
to op
timise
envir
onme
ntally
effi
cient
and s
ustai
nable
reco
very
of ha
rvesti
ng re
sidue
s for
energ
y.Th
e ong
oing C
OFOR
D fun
ded F
ORES
ITE P
rojec
t led b
y UCD
look
ing at
Mo
nitori
ng an
d Ass
essm
ent o
f Criti
cal B
iomas
s Rem
oval
in Iris
h Fore
sts
will a
ssist
with
a str
ategy
for o
ptimi
sing t
he en
viron
menta
lly ef
ficien
t and
su
staina
ble re
cove
ry of
harve
sting
resid
ues f
or en
ergy.
Also,
the C
OFOR
D fun
ded F
ORES
TENE
RGY
Proje
ct led
by W
IT loo
king a
t Harv
estin
g &
Proc
essin
g Fore
st Bio
mass
for E
nergy
Prod
uctio
n will a
ssist
with
a str
ategy
for s
ustai
nable
reco
very
of ha
rvesti
ng re
sidue
s for
energ
y. Th
e fin
al rep
ort fo
r this
projec
t is in
prep
aratio
n.
5To
supp
ort th
e dev
elopm
ent o
f a co
mpeti
tive,
innov
ative
, va
lue-ad
ded a
nd m
arket
focus
ed w
ood p
roces
sing s
ector
wh
ich pr
ovide
s sus
taina
ble so
lution
s to a
dive
rse po
rtfolio
of
users
in th
e con
struc
tion,
lifesty
le, re
newa
ble en
ergy,
furnit
ure
and r
elated
mark
ets.
5.1DA
FM to
facil
itate
a rev
iew of
the w
ood p
roces
sing a
nd
wood
base
d pan
els se
ctor w
ith a
view
to im
provin
g lon
g ter
m su
staina
ble ro
undw
ood s
upply
from
both
the pr
ivate
secto
r and
Coil
lte, id
entify
ing ar
eas w
here
colla
borat
ion ca
n co
ntribu
te to
realis
ing in
creas
ed le
vels
of su
pply
from
the
priva
te se
ctor.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingCO
FORD
’s Mo
bilisa
tion I
relan
ds Fo
rest R
esou
rce re
port (
March
2015
) ha
s gon
e a lo
ng w
ay in
prog
ressin
g this
actio
n. A f
ollow
up C
OFOR
D W
ood M
obilis
ation
and P
roduc
tion F
oreca
sting
Work
ing G
roup w
as se
t up
to rev
iew an
d rep
ort on
the r
ecom
mend
ation
s con
taine
d in t
he M
obilis
ing
Irelan
d’s Fo
rest R
esou
rce R
eport
and t
he R
ound
wood
forec
astin
g sys
tems
and o
utcom
es to
gethe
r with
revie
w an
d inp
ut to
Natio
nal R
enew
ables
Po
licy.
Work
is cu
rrentl
y ong
oing o
n upd
ating
the d
eman
d side
forec
ast to
20
20 an
d 202
5 to b
e com
pleted
in 20
17.
46 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
No.
Origi
nal S
trateg
ic Ac
tion
Chan
ges R
equir
ed (S
ee
also m
inutes
of m
eetin
gs)
Prog
ress
and D
evelo
pmen
ts to
Date
Rese
arch
& D
evelo
pmen
t in S
uppo
rt of
Stra
tegic
Actio
ns5.2
State
agen
cies i
nclud
ing E
nterpr
ise Ire
land w
ill sup
port
initia
tives
to ad
d valu
e, inc
luding
nich
e mark
ets, to
the
curre
nt ran
ge of
timbe
r prod
ucts
being
proc
esse
d and
to
the de
velop
ment
of ne
w an
d inn
ovati
ve pr
oduc
ts, in
cludin
g bio
fuels,
whic
h can
be m
anufa
ctured
from
exist
ing an
d futu
re
raw m
ateria
ls.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingDA
FM w
ill liai
se w
ith E
nterpr
ise Ire
land i
n rela
tion t
o sup
portin
g init
iative
s to
add v
alue t
o the
curre
nt ran
ge of
timbe
r prod
ucts
includ
ing bi
ofuels
throu
gh
differ
ent fu
nding
prog
ramme
s suc
h as H
orizo
n 202
0.The
curre
nt CO
FORD
fun
ded I
rish T
imbe
r Res
earch
and I
nnov
ation
Cen
tre ba
sed i
n NUI
G wi
ll as
sist w
ith th
is aim
. DAF
M als
o prov
ides s
uppo
rt for
Woo
d Tec
hnolo
gy
Irelan
d whic
h prov
ides t
echn
ical s
uppo
rt for
the sp
ecific
ation
and u
se of
wo
od pr
oduc
ts in
cons
tructi
on an
d othe
r area
s. CO
FORD
has e
stabli
shed
a F
orestr
y and
Bio
econ
omy W
orking
Grou
p whic
h will a
ssist
with
prov
iding
inf
ormati
on to
addre
ss th
is ac
tion.
SEAI
is in
volve
d in r
esea
rch th
at ha
s rele
vanc
e in t
his ar
ea, s
ee
inform
ation
on ta
sk 42
on bi
orefin
ing ht
tp://w
ww.ie
a-bioe
nergy
.task
42-
biorefi
nerie
s.com
/en/ie
abior
efine
ry.htm
The
rece
nt CO
FORD
fund
ed
Explo
itatio
n and
Rea
lisati
on of
Thinn
ings f
rom H
ardwo
ods (
EART
H)
Proje
ct led
by N
UI G
alway
with
the o
bjecti
ve of
deve
loping
know
ledge
on
the w
ood q
uality
of Iri
sh ha
rdwoo
d thin
nings
and i
denti
fying
poss
ible
end-u
se ap
plica
tions
and n
ew pr
oduc
ts wi
ll ass
ist in
addre
ssing
this
SA. T
he re
cent
COFO
RD fu
nded
, Com
merci
alisa
tion o
f Irish
Cros
s-La
mina
ted Ti
mber
(CIC
LT) P
rojec
t, led
by N
UI G
alway
with
the o
bjecti
ve
of de
velop
ing th
e nec
essa
ry da
ta to
supp
ort th
e com
merci
alisa
tion o
f us
ing Iri
sh S
itka s
pruce
to m
anufa
cture
a cros
s-lam
inated
timbe
r mod
ular
floori
ng sy
stem
will s
uppo
rt add
ressin
g this
SA.
5.3
State
agen
cies w
ill sup
port m
easu
res ai
med a
t fores
t prod
uct
marke
t iden
tifica
tion a
nd ex
ploita
tion i
nclud
ing m
arkets
and
uses
for s
mall d
iamete
r hard
wood
s.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingDA
FM/FS
has a
pprov
ed gr
ant a
id fun
ding f
or wo
rk on
the p
ropert
ies an
d uti
lisati
on of
home
grow
n hard
wood
s to b
e carr
ied ou
t in G
MIT L
etterf
rack,
Natio
nal C
entre
for E
xcell
ence
in Fu
rnitur
e Des
ign an
d Tec
hnolo
gy. D
AFM
supp
orts t
he Iri
sh B
ioene
rgy As
socia
tion’s
Woo
d Fue
l Qua
lity As
suran
ce
Sche
me an
d the
Irish
Timb
er Re
searc
h and
Inno
vatio
n Cen
tre at
NUI
G.
The r
ecen
t COF
ORD
funde
d Exp
loitat
ion an
d Rea
lisati
on of
Thinn
ings
from
Hardw
oods
(EAR
TH) P
rojec
t led b
y NUI
Galw
ay w
ith th
e obje
ctive
of
deve
loping
know
ledge
on th
e woo
d qua
lity of
Irish
hardw
ood t
hinnin
gs an
d ide
ntifyi
ng po
ssibl
e end
-use a
pplic
ation
s and
new
produ
cts w
ill ass
ist in
ad
dress
ing th
is str
ategic
actio
n. 5.4
DAFM
will f
acilita
te pro
jects
and m
easu
res w
hich l
ead t
o the
deve
lopme
nt of
more
reliab
le for
ecas
ting t
ools
and
metho
dolog
ies.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingTh
e 201
6 COF
ORD
Roun
dwoo
d Prod
uctio
n Fore
casti
ng G
roup e
mploy
ed
Rems
oft so
ftware
to im
prove
forec
astin
g acc
uracy
in th
e 201
6-203
5 for
ecas
t. COF
ORD
Woo
d Mob
ilisati
on an
d Prod
uctio
n Fore
casti
ng
Work
ing G
roup w
as se
t up t
o rev
iew an
d rep
ort on
the r
ecom
mend
ation
s co
ntaine
d in t
he M
obilis
ing Ire
land’s
Fores
t Res
ource
Rep
ort. W
ork
on th
e Nati
onal
Fores
t Inve
ntory
(NFI)
is on
going
and t
he 3
rd cy
cle
was c
omple
ted in
2017
. Spa
tial ro
undw
ood f
oreca
sting
tool
has b
een
deve
loped
by D
AFM
to im
prove
regio
nal a
nd sp
atial
produ
ction
forec
astin
g an
d to i
mprov
e acc
ess t
o fore
casti
ng in
forma
tion a
nd te
chno
logy,
see
https
://www
.agric
ulture
.gov.i
e/rou
ndwo
odpro
ducti
onfor
ecas
tsyste
m/
GROW
FOR
Forec
astin
g Mod
els ar
e bein
g diss
emina
ted to
the s
ector
on
an on
going
basis
.
The c
urren
t COF
ORD
funde
d FOR
ECAS
TMOD
EL P
rojec
t led b
y Tea
gasc
ha
s the
objec
tive o
f impro
ving t
imbe
r forec
astin
g in I
relan
d. Th
e proj
ect
is ex
amini
ng fo
rest g
rowth
and m
odell
ing ai
med a
t impro
ving t
he pr
ivate
secto
r timb
er pro
ducti
on fo
recas
t by a
ddres
sing k
ey co
mpon
ents
of the
pro
ducti
on fo
recas
ting p
roces
s. Ho
w inv
entor
y and
man
agem
ent d
ata
from
future
man
agem
ent p
lans c
ould
be ut
ilised
as in
puts
to the
natio
nal
forec
astin
g sys
tem w
ill be e
xplor
ed. T
his FO
RECA
STMO
DEL P
rojec
t will
also p
rovide
furth
er inf
ormati
on on
acce
ssibi
lity of
priva
te pla
ntatio
ns an
d ma
nage
ment
inten
tions
of pr
ivate
fores
t own
ers in
orde
r to de
rive a
more
rob
ust m
anag
emen
t regim
e for
forec
astin
g. Als
o, the
curre
nt CO
FORD
fun
ded B
ETTE
RFOR
Proj
ect le
d by U
CD is
look
ing at
evalu
ating
and
refinin
g tim
ber fo
recas
ting t
ools
using
the N
FI da
ta.5.4
aFu
ture A
ll Irel
and F
oreca
sts to
prov
ide vo
lume i
nform
ation
by
main
produ
ct ca
tegory
New
strate
gic ac
tion
5.5DA
FM w
ill give
cons
iderat
ion to
supp
ort fo
r the s
upply
of
quali
ty an
d add
ed va
lue fu
els fro
m the
tend
ing of
broa
dleav
ed
spec
ies, e
spec
ially
where
this
involv
es lo
cally
orga
nised
pro
duce
r grou
ps.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingW
oodla
nd Im
prove
ment
-Thin
ning &
Tend
ing sc
heme
in pl
ace.
Fores
t Ro
ad G
rant s
chem
e ava
ilable
. Tea
gasc
work
ing w
ith P
roduc
er Gr
oups
on
an on
going
basis
and c
ontin
ues t
o dev
elop a
nd pr
ovide
skills
traini
ng
and r
esea
rch ge
nerat
ed ad
vice t
o fore
st ow
ners.
Futur
e dev
elopm
ent o
f KT
G in
relati
on to
Woo
d Mob
ilisati
on. D
AFM
supp
orts t
he Iri
sh B
ioene
rgy
Asso
ciatio
n’s W
ood F
uel Q
uality
Assu
rance
sche
me.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 47
5.6DA
FM, in
colla
borat
ion w
ith E
nterpr
ise Ire
land,
SEAI
and
secto
r stak
ehold
ers to
mon
itor th
e bala
nce b
etwee
n fore
cast
supp
ly an
d dem
and a
cross
the w
ood e
nergy
, woo
d bas
ed
pane
ls an
d saw
millin
g sec
tors.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingW
ork is
curre
ntly o
ngoin
g on u
pdati
ng th
e dem
and s
ide fo
recas
t to
2020
and 2
025 a
nd is
now
comp
leted
. DAF
M/FS
is al
so w
orking
with
sta
keho
lders
and D
epart
ment
of Co
mmun
icatio
ns, E
nergy
and N
atural
Re
sourc
es on
the fi
nalis
ation
of th
e draf
t upd
ating
the B
ioene
rgy P
lan,
which
inclu
des w
ork on
the i
ntrod
uctio
n of a
SSR
H sc
heme
. COF
ORD’
s Mo
bilisa
tion I
relan
ds Fo
rest R
esou
rce re
port h
as go
ne so
me w
ay to
wards
ma
king p
rogres
s on t
his ac
tion.
A foll
ow up
COF
ORD
Woo
d Mob
ilisati
on
and P
roduc
tion F
oreca
sting
Work
ing G
roup w
as se
t up t
o rev
iew an
d rep
ort on
the r
ecom
mend
ation
s con
taine
d in t
his M
obilis
ing Ire
land’s
Fores
t Re
sourc
e Rep
ort an
d the
Rou
ndwo
od fo
recas
ting s
ystem
s.5.7
DAFM
in co
llabo
ration
with
Woo
d Tec
hnolo
gy Ire
land (
WTI)
to
unde
rtake
aware
ness
prog
ramme
for L
ocal
Autho
rities
on us
e of
timbe
r in bu
ilding
s and
fire r
isk
New
Strat
egic
Actio
n
5.8DA
FM in
colla
borat
ion w
ith W
TI an
d woo
d proc
essin
g se
ctor to
activ
ely en
gage
with
the c
onstr
uctio
n sec
tor on
the
promo
tion o
f incre
ased
use o
f timb
er
New
Strat
egic
Actio
n
5.9En
terpri
se Ire
land t
o fac
ilitate
an in
dustr
y led
disc
ussio
n and
to
poten
tially
scop
e the
requ
ireme
nts fo
r a C
entre
of O
perat
ions
Exce
llenc
e to s
uppo
rt see
d inn
ovati
on in
the s
ector
and t
o pro
mote
marke
t-led n
ew pr
oduc
t/sys
tems d
evelo
pmen
t
New
Strat
egic
Actio
n
6To
main
tain a
healt
hy fo
rest e
nviro
nmen
t throu
gh su
staina
ble
fores
t man
agem
ent a
nd ea
rly de
tectio
n and
contr
ol me
asure
s to
preve
nt the
intro
ducti
on an
d spre
ad of
harm
ful in
vasiv
e ali
en sp
ecies
, pes
ts an
d dise
ases
6.1A f
ull-tim
e Nati
onal
Deer
Mana
geme
nt Un
it (ND
MU) to
be
estab
lishe
d with
in DA
FM to
coord
inate
deer
mana
geme
nt po
licy d
evelo
pmen
t and
imple
menta
tion,
in co
nsult
ation
with
sta
keho
lders,
and t
o lea
d the
deve
lopme
nt of
a prof
essio
nal
deer
mana
geme
nt cu
lture
in Ire
land.
Leav
e acti
on as
is re
flecti
ng
cons
ensu
s of th
e mee
ting
Deer
Mana
geme
nt in
Irelan
d - A
Fram
ework
for A
ction
Rep
ort w
as
comp
leted
in 20
15. T
he Iri
sh D
eer M
anag
emen
t Foru
m (ID
MF) w
as
estab
lishe
d sho
rtly af
ter an
d inc
ludes
relev
ant s
takeh
olders
(DAF
M,
NPW
S, Te
agas
c, hu
nting
orga
nisati
ons,
farmi
ng an
d fore
stry s
ector
s rep
resen
tative
s, etc
) with
the o
bjecti
ve to
imple
ment
the re
comm
enda
tions
of
this R
eport
and d
eal w
ith or
mak
e rec
omme
ndati
ons o
n any
deer
rel
ated i
ssue
. A Fo
restry
and A
gricu
ltural
Impa
ct Gr
oup w
ill be e
stabli
shed
in
early
2017
for th
e purp
ose o
f kno
wled
ge tra
nsfer
, with
an em
phas
is on
man
agem
ent te
chniq
ues a
nd ac
credit
ed co
urses
aime
d at fo
restry
pro
fessio
nals/
land
man
agers
. (See
http
s://w
ww.ag
ricult
ure.go
v.ie/
fores
tservi
ce/fo
restse
rvice
gene
ralinf
ormati
on/de
erman
agem
ent/
irishd
eerm
anag
emen
tforum
/ ). D
AFM
in pa
rtners
hip w
ith D
CHG
have
ten
dered
to es
tablis
h a nu
mber
of De
er ma
nage
ment
units
in C
ounty
W
icklow
to co
ver a
three
year
timefr
ame T
he ai
m wi
ll be t
o help
man
age
deer
popu
lation
s at s
ustai
nable
leve
ls in
the gr
eater
Wick
low re
gion.
48 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
No.
Origi
nal S
trateg
ic Ac
tion
Chan
ges R
equir
ed (S
ee
also m
inutes
of m
eetin
gs)
Prog
ress
and D
evelo
pmen
ts to
Date
Rese
arch
& D
evelo
pmen
t in S
uppo
rt of
Stra
tegic
Actio
ns6.2
The N
DMU
to un
derta
ke a
natio
nal c
ensu
s of d
eer p
opula
tion
distrib
ution
and d
ensit
y and
base
d on t
his to
deve
lop an
ap
propri
ate cu
lling r
egim
e in t
he co
ntext
of a n
ation
al str
ategy
for
deer
mana
geme
nt, pa
rticula
rly in
fores
t area
s.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingW
ork is
unde
rway
in th
is are
a; for
exam
ple a
hot s
pot m
ap ha
s bee
n pre
pared
show
ing de
er po
pulat
ion de
nsitie
s. Th
e COF
ORD
funde
d FO
RDEE
R pro
ject o
n the
use o
f fores
ts by
deer
in Ire
land w
ill also
assis
t in
deve
loping
an ap
propri
ate cu
lling r
egim
e. De
spite
sign
ifican
t num
bers
of de
er be
ing cu
lled e
ach y
ear (
12,00
0 in W
icklow
alon
e) the
fact
remain
s tha
t not
enou
gh de
er are
being
culle
d to m
aintai
n dam
age a
t acc
eptab
le lev
els. D
AFM
will li
aise w
ith th
e DMF
in ho
w the
Forum
will p
rogres
s a
natio
nal c
ensu
s of d
eer p
opula
tion d
istrib
ution
and d
ensit
y and
also
in
deve
loping
an ap
propri
ate cu
lling p
olicy
. The
estab
lishm
ent o
f a nu
mber
of
deer
mana
geme
nt un
its in
Cou
nty W
icklow
whe
re de
er ma
nage
ment
plans
will b
e dev
elope
d and
imple
mente
d sho
uld ge
nerat
e goo
d lea
rning
op
portu
nities
for p
rogres
sing a
cullin
g poli
cy an
d in c
arryin
g out
a dee
r ce
nsus
. 6.3
DAFM
to up
date
the fo
rmat
for th
e fore
st ma
nage
ment
plan
to inc
lude a
n ove
rall ri
sk as
sess
ment
(bioti
c and
abiot
ic)
and i
denti
ficati
on of
appro
priate
mitig
ation
and p
reven
tion
meas
ures.
Temp
late f
or HI
RA in
clude
d as a
nnex
to FM
P tem
plate.
Bas
ic sit
e risk
as
sess
ment
chec
klist
(bioti
c and
abiot
ic) an
d init
ial id
entifi
catio
n of
poten
tially
requ
ired a
pprop
riate
mitig
ation
and p
reven
tion m
easu
res ha
s be
en in
clude
d in t
he K
TG Fo
rest C
ertific
ation
Initia
tive.
Also w
ider K
TG
initia
tives
wou
ld pre
sent
a goo
d opp
ortun
ity fo
r fores
t own
ers to
learn
me
thods
of ov
erall r
isk as
sess
ment
(bioti
c and
abiot
ic) an
d ide
ntific
ation
of
appro
priate
mitig
ation
and p
reven
tion m
easu
res.
The o
ngoin
g COF
ORD
funde
d WIN
DRIS
K Pr
oject
on w
indthr
ow ris
k mo
dellin
g led
by U
CD w
ill ass
ist in
wind
throw
risk a
sses
smen
t. Th
e aim
of
the pr
oject
is to
deter
mine
the f
actor
s tha
t influ
ence
the r
isk of
wind
da
mage
and g
enera
te a m
odel
that c
an be
used
to as
sess
that
risk.
How
thinn
ing pr
actic
e and
fores
t des
ign in
fluen
ces r
isk w
ill also
be in
vesti
gated
an
d rec
omme
ndati
ons p
rovide
d as t
o how
to m
inimi
se ris
k. Th
e COF
ORD
funde
d MAS
AD pr
oject
on as
sess
ing Ire
land’s
risk t
o airb
orne s
pread
of
ash d
iebac
k dise
ase w
ith La
grang
ian st
ocha
stic m
odels
led b
y UCD
is
ongo
ing an
d may
assis
t in po
tentia
l iden
tifica
tion o
f app
ropria
te mi
tigati
on
meas
ures t
o red
uce t
he sp
read o
f ash
dieb
ack.
6.4
The F
orest
Prote
ction
Guid
eline
s and
Fores
try S
chem
es
Manu
al to
be up
dated
in lig
ht of
new
and e
mergi
ng th
reats
to for
ests
and s
uppo
rted w
here
appro
priate
with
publi
c aw
arene
ss ca
mpaig
ns an
d info
rmati
on ta
rgeted
at fo
rest
owne
rs, la
ndow
ners
and t
he ge
neral
publi
c.
Cons
ider n
ew ac
tion t
o ad
dress
lack
of de
dicate
d for
est e
ntomo
logist
and
fores
t path
ologis
t
Some
infor
matio
n on f
orest
pests
avail
able
on D
AFM,
Teag
asc a
nd
indus
try w
ebsit
es. R
econ
stitut
ion gr
ant s
chem
e for
Ash d
iebac
k is
curre
ntly a
vaila
ble an
d bein
g rev
ised.
Teag
asc a
nd gr
owers
orga
nisati
ons
activ
e in i
nform
ing gr
owers
of ne
w an
d pote
ntial
pests
and a
pprop
riate
mitig
ation
mea
sures
. Add
itiona
l infor
matio
n to b
e mad
e ava
ilable
with
pu
blic a
waren
ess c
ampa
igns a
nd in
forma
tion t
argete
d at fo
rest o
wners
, lan
down
ers an
d the
gene
ral pu
blic.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded F
ORM
Proje
ct, Fo
rest M
anag
emen
t Res
earch
to
enha
nce p
roduc
tivity
and p
est c
ontro
l and
dise
ases
resis
tance
in ke
y for
est s
pecie
s has
rece
ntly c
omme
nced
in U
CD an
d will a
ssist
in dr
awing
up
futur
e Fore
st Pr
otecti
on G
uideli
nes a
nd in
mak
ing re
comm
enda
tions
on
the us
e of s
pecie
s and
prov
enan
ces w
ith pr
oven
dise
ase r
esist
ance
. The
CO
FORD
fund
ed M
ASAD
proje
ct on
Asse
ssing
Irelan
d’s ris
k to a
irborn
e sp
read o
f ash
dieb
ack d
iseas
e with
Lagra
ngian
stoc
hasti
c mod
els is
on
going
. The
COF
ORD
funde
d DAF
M PH
YTOF
OR P
rojec
t’s fin
al rep
ort
is in
prepa
ration
whic
h will a
ssist
with
detec
tion a
nd ep
idemi
ology
and
contr
ol of
Phyto
phtho
ra ram
orum
and P
hytop
hthora
kerno
viae.
The
COFO
RD fu
nded
WIG
S Pr
oject
in NU
IG on
the s
pread
of gr
ey sq
uirrel
to
the w
est o
f Irela
nd is
also
in fin
al pre
parat
ion an
d will a
id in
upda
ting f
orest
protec
tion g
uideli
nes.
6.4a
In lig
ht of
increa
sing b
iotic
threa
ts du
e to c
limate
chan
ge an
d glo
balis
ation
, DAF
M to
emplo
y ded
icated
fores
t path
ologis
t/en
tomolo
gist to
impro
ve de
tectio
n and
resp
onse
to pe
sts an
d dis
ease
s
New
strate
gic ac
tion
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 49
6.5Th
e curr
ent fo
rest fi
re wa
rning
risk a
sses
smen
t carr
ied ou
t by
Met O
ffice s
hould
be su
pport
ed. D
AFM
in co
llabo
ration
with
the
Loca
l Auth
oritie
s and
relev
ant s
takeh
olders
to pu
t in pl
ace
guida
nce,
in ord
er to
increa
se aw
arene
ss an
d red
uce t
he ris
k of
fores
t fires
, whic
h wou
ld fac
ilitate
a co-o
rdina
ted sy
stem
of fire
plan
s (inc
luding
deali
ng w
ith fir
e outb
reaks
) for fo
rest
planta
tions
and i
mplem
ent b
y 201
4 the
reco
mmen
datio
ns of
the
Land
and F
orest
Fires
Work
ing G
roup.
Cons
ider a
mend
ing or
new
actio
n to a
ddres
s iss
ues
aroun
d burd
en of
proo
f, lan
d eli
gibility
and t
rainin
g. No
te bu
rden o
f proo
f a le
gal is
sue
A rec
omme
ndati
on of
Land
and F
orest
Fires
Work
ing G
roup w
as
addre
ssed
by th
e pub
licati
on of
a se
t of g
uideli
nes t
o adv
ise fa
rmers
on
all as
pects
of co
ntroll
ed bu
rning
, inclu
ding p
lannin
g, sa
fety,
notifi
catio
n an
d the
lega
l requ
ireme
nts. A
‘Cod
e of P
ractic
e for
Pres
cribe
d Burn
ing’
was d
evelo
ped w
hich i
nclud
ed th
e pub
licati
on of
guide
lines
on co
ntroll
ed
burni
ng. A
colou
r cod
ed Fo
rest F
ire D
ange
r rati
ng w
arning
syste
m an
d the
ris
k ass
essm
ent n
otific
ation
by th
e Met
Offic
e are
in pla
ce. D
AFM,
Teag
asc
and g
rower
asso
ciatio
ns is
sue r
eleva
nt cir
cular
s on f
oot o
f this
inform
ation
wh
ich is
also
avail
able
on th
e DAF
M, Te
agas
c and
indu
stry w
ebsit
es.
Teag
asc i
n con
juncti
on w
ith th
e Fore
st Se
rvice
orga
nises
pres
cribe
d bu
rning
infor
matio
n day
s in h
igh ris
k area
s in c
oope
ration
with
othe
r org
anisa
tions
. The
Cork
Wild
fire C
o-ope
ration
Grou
p is b
een e
xpan
ded
from
one t
o fou
r Meit
heal
group
s, wi
th the
traini
ng of
key m
embe
rs in
conju
nctio
n with
the F
ire S
ervice
, with
a fur
ther tr
aining
even
t to be
org
anise
d in e
arly 2
017.
6.5a
DAFM
/Teag
asc t
o dev
elop a
nd im
pleme
nt a t
rainin
g pro
gramm
e for
priva
te for
est o
wners
on fir
e prev
entio
n and
co
ntrol
meas
ures
New
strate
gic ac
tion
6.6Th
e use
of sp
ecies
and p
roven
ance
s with
prov
en di
seas
e res
istan
ce to
be fa
voure
d in g
rant-a
ided a
ffores
tation
and
enco
urage
d in a
ll plan
ting.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingDA
FM is
fund
ing tri
als in
the U
K on
Cha
lara r
esist
ance
in As
h. Ja
pane
se
Larch
and A
sh re
move
d from
the l
ist of
gran
t app
roved
spec
ies du
e to
disea
se ris
k.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded F
ORM
Proje
ct, Fo
rest M
anag
emen
t Res
earch
to
enha
nce p
roduc
tivity
and p
est c
ontro
l and
dise
ase r
esist
ance
in ke
y for
est s
pecie
s has
rece
ntly c
omme
nced
in U
CD w
ill ass
ist in
mak
ing
recom
mend
ation
s on t
he us
e of s
pecie
s and
prov
enan
ces w
ith pr
oven
dis
ease
resis
tance
. Tea
gasc
also
invo
lved i
n res
earch
to fin
d Cha
lara
‘toler
ant’ a
sh (h
ttps:/
/www
.teag
asc.i
e/crop
s/fore
stry/r
esea
rch/as
h-res
istan
ce-to
-ash-d
iebac
k/) an
d res
earch
into
altern
ative
conif
er sp
ecies
to
enco
urage
a mo
re sp
ecies
dive
rse na
tiona
l fores
t esta
te.6.7
DAFM
to co
ntinu
e to i
denti
fy an
d ana
lyse f
orest
pest
and
disea
se ris
ks fro
m ab
road a
nd to
main
tain m
onito
ring,
bio
secu
rity an
d phy
tosan
itary
meas
ures t
o red
uce t
he ris
k of
entry
and e
stabli
shme
nt of
harm
ful no
n-nati
ve pe
sts, d
iseas
es
and i
nvas
ive al
ien sp
ecies
and,
depe
nding
on im
pend
ing
threa
ts, co
nside
r the e
stabli
shme
nt of
a Bio
secu
rity Ta
skfor
ce.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingTh
e Fore
st Se
rvice
is re
spon
sible
for im
pleme
nting
the f
orestr
y asp
ects
of the
EU
Plant
Healt
h Dire
ctive
, Cou
ncil D
irecti
ve 20
00/29
/EC
on pr
otecti
ve
meas
ures a
gains
t the i
ntrod
uctio
n into
the C
ommu
nity o
f orga
nisms
ha
rmful
to pl
ants
or pla
nt pro
ducts
and a
gains
t their
sprea
d with
in the
Co
mmun
ity. T
he Fo
rest S
ervice
imple
ments
the p
rovisi
ons r
elatin
g to
timbe
r, woo
d pac
kagin
g mate
rial (p
allets
, crat
es et
c), fo
rest p
lants,
Ch
ristm
as tre
es an
d othe
r fores
t prod
ucts
and u
ndert
akes
surve
ys of
the
natio
nal fo
rest e
state
for qu
aranti
ne fo
rest p
ests
and d
iseas
es.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded F
ORM
Proje
ct, Fo
rest M
anag
emen
t Res
earch
to
enha
nce p
roduc
tivity
and p
est c
ontro
l and
dise
ases
resis
tance
in
key f
orest
spec
ies ha
s rec
ently
comm
ence
d in U
CD in
asso
ciatio
n with
Te
agas
c and
othe
r part
ners
and w
ill ass
ist in
draw
ing up
futur
e Fore
st Pr
otecti
on G
uideli
nes a
nd in
mak
ing re
comm
enda
tions
on th
e use
of
spec
ies an
d prov
enan
ces w
ith pr
oven
dise
ase r
esist
ance
. The
COF
ORD
funde
d MAS
AD pr
oject
on As
sess
ing Ire
land’s
risk t
o airb
orne s
pread
of
ash d
iebac
k dise
ase w
ith La
grang
ian st
ocha
stic m
odels
is on
going
. Th
e COF
ORD
funde
d DAF
M PH
YTOF
OR P
rojec
t’s fin
al rep
ort is
in
prepa
ration
whic
h will a
ssist
with
detec
tion a
nd ep
idemi
ology
and c
ontro
l of
Phyto
phtho
ra ram
orum
and P
hytop
hthora
kerno
viae.
6.8
DAFM
/COF
ORD
to im
pleme
nt a d
ecisi
on su
pport
syste
m (D
SS) to
facil
itate
the se
lectio
n and
plan
ting o
f mos
t ap
propri
ate sp
ecies
in th
e ligh
t of th
e pote
ntial
impa
ct of
clima
te ch
ange
and t
o guid
e the
fores
t indu
stry a
ccord
ingly.
Comp
lete b
ut req
uiring
dis
semi
natio
nDA
FM to
conti
nue t
o sup
port t
he di
ssem
inatio
n of th
e CLIM
ADAP
T spe
cies
selec
tion t
ool a
nd an
y nec
essa
ry up
dates
. Diss
emina
te fur
ther in
forma
tion
on C
LIMAD
APT (
see a
lso 1.
17).
The c
urren
t COF
ORD
funde
d CFO
RREP
Proj
ect le
d by U
CD is
de
velop
ing ad
dition
s to t
he Iri
sh fo
rest c
arbon
acco
untin
g and
repo
rting
tool (s
ee w
ww.uc
d.ie/c
forrep
/) will a
ssist
with
this
actio
n. Te
agas
c res
earch
into
altern
ative
conif
er sp
ecies
to en
coura
ge a
more
spec
ies
divers
e nati
onal
fores
t esta
te (A
lterna
tive C
onife
r Proj
ect).T
he re
cent
COFO
RD fu
nded
Irish
Land
Use
Emi
ssion
and S
eque
strati
on S
uppo
rt To
ol (IR
ISHL
ANDU
SES)
Proj
ect le
d by T
eaga
sc w
ith th
e key
objec
tive t
o de
velop
a mo
dellin
g cap
acity
to ex
amine
futur
e sce
nario
s for
agric
ultura
l gre
enho
use g
as em
ission
s and
carbo
n seq
uestr
ation
by fo
restry
in Ire
land
will a
ssist
in ad
dress
ing th
is str
ategic
actio
n.
50 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
No.
Origi
nal S
trateg
ic Ac
tion
Chan
ges R
equir
ed (S
ee
also m
inutes
of m
eetin
gs)
Prog
ress
and D
evelo
pmen
ts to
Date
Rese
arch
& D
evelo
pmen
t in S
uppo
rt of
Stra
tegic
Actio
ns6.9
DAFM
/COF
ORD
to co
nside
r sup
port o
f field
scale
evalu
ation
of
non-c
hemi
cal m
easu
res in
cludin
g nem
atode
s, an
d sil
vicult
ural p
ractic
es an
d foll
owing
this
indica
te ap
propri
ate
meas
ures f
or the
contr
ol of
the la
rge pi
ne w
eevil
.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingSe
e also
the F
orest
Rese
arch I
relan
d (FO
RI) r
eport
and c
urren
t rese
arch
progra
mme.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded M
COP
Proje
ct loo
king a
t mult
i age
nt co
ntrol
optio
ns fo
r pine
wee
vil le
d by N
UIM
is on
going
and w
ill ass
ist in
indic
ating
ap
propri
ate m
easu
res fo
r the c
ontro
l of th
e larg
e pine
wee
vil.
6.10.
DAFM
to co
-ordin
ate ef
forts
acros
s the
fores
t sec
tor to
co
llabo
rate w
ith th
e NPW
S an
d othe
r orga
nisati
ons i
n the
ea
rly id
entifi
catio
n and
contr
ol of
invas
ive al
ien sp
ecies
wh
ich re
prese
nt a t
hreat
to for
est b
iodive
rsity
and e
cono
mic
deve
lopme
nt.
Nativ
e Woo
dland
Con
serva
tion s
chem
e gran
t aids
the r
emov
al of
some
inv
asive
alien
spec
ies. A
long w
ith H
orticu
lture
& Pla
nt He
alth D
ivisio
n and
the
Veter
inary
side,
the Fo
rest S
ervice
are D
AFM
memb
ers of
the D
AHG
Invas
ive Al
ien S
pecie
s (IA
S) S
takeh
older
Grou
p. Th
e NPW
S is
the le
ad
imple
menti
ng ag
ency
in re
lation
to IA
S. D
AHG
have
held
two o
f thes
e gro
up m
eetin
gs- t
he la
st on
9 Ma
rch 20
16. T
his gr
oup w
as se
t up b
y DA
HG w
ith re
gard
to the
imple
menta
tion o
f the n
ew E
U IA
S Re
gulat
ion.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded R
HODO
Proj
ect o
n ach
ieving
effec
tive
Rhod
oden
dron c
ontro
l will a
ssist
in re
lation
to re
comm
enda
tions
on
Rhod
oden
dron c
ontro
l in fo
rests.
6.11
In the
light
of the
new
regula
tions
(SI 4
77 of
2011
), DAF
M to
cons
ider p
rovidi
ng su
pport
for th
e con
trol o
f rhod
oden
dron a
nd
other
IAS
in all
fores
ts an
d on l
ands
adjac
ent to
fores
ts wh
ich
act a
s a se
ed so
urce.
Whe
re ap
propri
ate, s
uppo
rt for
contr
ol sh
ould
be co
nside
red un
der th
e new
CAP
refor
m me
asure
s.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingNa
tive W
oodla
nd C
onse
rvatio
n sch
eme p
rovide
s sup
port f
or rem
oval
of inv
asive
exoti
cs su
ch as
laure
l and
rhod
oden
dron.
Supp
ort is
prov
ided
unde
r the S
eed S
tand a
nd S
eed O
rchard
Sch
eme i
n the
man
agem
ent o
f Se
ed S
tands
whic
h inc
ludes
the r
emov
al of
IAS.
The C
OFOR
D fun
ded
RHOD
O Pr
oject
on ac
hievin
g effe
ctive
Rho
dode
ndron
contr
ol wi
ll sup
port
achie
ving t
his st
rateg
ic ac
tion.
6.12
DAFM
shou
ld ev
aluate
the o
ption
of lic
ensin
g the
cuttin
g and
us
e of rh
odod
endro
n for
deco
rative
purpo
ses,
espe
cially
in th
e are
a of ‘p
roof o
f orig
in’.
No le
gal b
asis
exist
s for
the cu
tting a
nd us
e of rh
odod
endro
n for
deco
rative
pu
rpose
s unle
ss a
new
SI is
intro
duce
d.
6.13
DAFM
to de
velop
and d
issem
inate
guida
nce o
n fore
st bio
secu
rityNe
w St
rateg
ic Ac
tion
6.14
DAFM
to de
velop
guida
nce o
n the
man
agem
ent o
f dise
ased
/pe
st inf
ected
crop
s e.g.
Ash a
nd C
halar
aNe
w St
rateg
ic Ac
tion
6.15
DAHG
/DAF
M in
asso
ciatio
n with
fores
t sec
tor st
akeh
olders
to
activ
ely co
mmun
icate
to the
secto
r reg
arding
IAS
and t
heir
poten
tial im
pact
on fo
rests
and t
he en
viron
ment
New
Strat
egic
Actio
n
7To
ensu
re the
avail
ability
of su
itable
prog
ramme
s of e
duca
tion
and t
rainin
g acro
ss th
e sec
tor an
d res
earch
prog
ramme
s tar
geted
at id
entifi
ed ne
eds.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 51
7.1Su
pport
mea
sures
and i
nitiat
ives t
o esta
blish
an ov
erarch
ing
fores
t sec
tor bo
dy w
hich w
ill guid
e and
co-or
dinate
activ
ities
relati
ng to
rese
arch a
nd de
velop
ment,
traini
ng an
d edu
catio
n ac
ross t
he se
ctor w
ith a
focus
on in
nova
tion,
adde
d valu
e and
inc
rease
d com
petiti
vene
ss.
Ongo
ing - L
ittle p
rogres
sMa
ny su
pport
ing m
easu
res ha
ve al
ready
been
put in
plac
e as f
or ex
ample
, the
COF
ORD
Coun
cil pu
blish
ed in
Octo
ber 2
014 t
he S
trateg
ic Re
searc
h Ag
enda
for F
orestr
y in I
relan
d “Fo
rest R
esea
rch Ire
land (
FORI
) – m
eetin
g the
need
s of Ir
eland
’s for
est s
ector
to 20
17 an
d bey
ond t
hroug
h res
earch
an
d inn
ovati
on”,
which
give
s guid
ance
for fu
ture c
alls f
or res
earch
pro
posa
ls. In
the a
rea of
deve
lopme
nt, th
e COF
ORD
Coun
cil ar
e ad
dress
ing th
is thr
ough
the W
ood M
obilis
ation
Rep
ort an
d the
All Ir
eland
Ro
undw
ood P
roduc
tion F
oreca
st 20
16 -2
035.
With
rega
rd to
traini
ng th
is are
a is b
eing s
uppo
rted t
hroug
h the
Dep
artme
nt’s d
evelo
pmen
t of C
PD
with
the S
ociet
y of Ir
ish Fo
rester
s and
its w
ork w
ith th
e Fore
st Ma
chine
Op
erator
s Trai
ning G
roup.
Woo
d Prod
ucts
and S
tanda
rds ar
e bein
g ma
nage
d and
deve
loped
by th
e new
Woo
d Tec
hnolo
gy Ire
land g
roup.
(See
also
9.1 w
hich w
as pr
eviou
sly di
scus
sed)
Sinc
e 198
8 Tea
gasc
has
provid
ed vo
catio
nal fo
restry
educ
ation
and t
rainin
g and
rece
ntly a
cquir
ed a
harve
ster s
imula
tor an
d is w
ell pl
aced
to co
ntribu
te thr
ough
its ed
ucati
onal
progra
mme a
nd its
advis
ory an
d res
earch
prog
ramme
s.7.2
In ord
er to
increa
se th
e lev
el of
involv
emen
t of th
e fore
st se
ctor in
fund
ing re
searc
h DAF
M wi
ll exa
mine
the f
easib
ility of
the
secto
r part
-fund
ing na
tiona
l fores
t rese
arch.
DAFM
to ex
amine
mod
els fo
r fun
ding r
esea
rch el
sewh
ere
and t
heir r
eleva
nce t
o Irel
and
Refer
ence
to pr
ivate
secto
r fund
ing of
fores
t rese
arch i
s mad
e in s
ectio
ns
2.5.3
and 4
.3 of
the Fo
rest R
esea
rch Ire
land r
eport
(FOR
I). W
hile a
small
nu
mber
of res
earch
proje
cts ha
ve be
en jo
int fu
nded
with
the p
rivate
secto
r to
date,
it is
gene
rally
the ca
se th
at thi
s sup
port n
ormall
y com
es in
the f
orm
of Be
nefit
in Kin
d in t
erms o
f time
, use
of eq
uipme
nt etc
and r
arely
in the
for
m of
actua
l cas
h con
tributi
on to
the r
esea
rch pr
opos
ed.
7.3DA
FM w
ill eva
luate
the fin
dings
from
the 20
11 FT
EI tra
ining
ne
eds a
nalys
is for
the f
orest
secto
r and
issu
es ra
ised b
y the
Fa
rm S
afety
Partn
ership
Advis
ory C
ommi
ttee a
nd pr
epare
a p
hase
d imp
lemen
tation
plan
to ad
dress
prior
itised
need
s, inc
luding
comp
etenc
y bas
ed tra
ining
and c
ertific
ation
sy
stems
.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingTh
e 20
11 FT
EI Tr
aining
need
s ana
lysis
was r
eview
ed as
part o
f de
velop
ing th
e fore
stry p
rogram
me 20
14 - 2
020 a
nd w
as re
cogn
ised a
s a
stren
gth in
the S
WOT
analy
sis of
the s
ector
. Mea
sure
7 of th
e prog
ramme
ca
lled K
nowl
edge
Tran
sfer a
nd In
forma
tion a
ction
s allo
cates
fund
ing to
ad
dress
the fi
nding
s of th
at rep
ort. T
rainin
g is
curre
ntly b
eing s
uppo
rted
throu
gh th
e Dep
artme
nt’s d
evelo
pmen
t of C
PD an
d its
work
with
the
Fores
t Mac
hine O
perat
ors Tr
aining
Grou
p. W
ood P
roduc
ts an
d Stan
dards
are
being
man
aged
and d
evelo
ped b
y the
new
Woo
d Tec
hnolo
gy Ire
land
Grou
p. Th
e Dep
artme
nt’s F
orest
Certifi
catio
n init
iative
will i
nclud
e rele
vant
certifi
catio
n sys
tems f
or gro
wers
group
s. Th
e Tea
gasc
educ
ation
al pro
gramm
e thro
ugh t
he Q
QI Le
vel 5
& 6
fores
try co
urses
prov
ide
comp
etenc
y bas
ed tra
ining
and c
ertific
ation
. Cha
insaw
skills
and p
estic
ides
appli
catio
n elem
ents
are al
ready
certifi
ed un
der Q
QI L5
and L
67.4
The w
ood i
ndus
try in
colla
borat
ion w
ith IF
FPA a
nd Iri
sh
Busin
ess a
nd E
mploy
ers C
onfed
eratio
n (IB
EC) s
hould
put
in pla
ce a
traini
ng pr
ogram
me, u
tilising
Skil
lnets
and o
ther
initia
tives
as ap
propri
ate, to
mee
t the n
eeds
of th
e woo
d ind
ustry
.
No pl
ans t
o imp
lemen
tAn
alter
nativ
e app
roach
to tra
ining
has b
een s
uppo
rted b
y the
Irish
Fo
restry
and F
orest
Prod
ucts
Asso
ciatio
n (IFF
PA) to
date.
This
includ
es
supp
ort fo
r the d
evelo
pmen
t of a
Fores
t Mac
hine O
perat
or co
urse a
nd
traini
ng co
urses
for fo
rester
s run
by Te
agas
c. Te
agas
c also
has a
fores
try
traini
ng pr
ogram
me in
plac
e, off
ering
QQI
Leve
l 5 &
Leve
l 6 aw
ards.
Includ
ed ar
e majo
r, mino
r and
skills
comp
onen
ts (ht
tp://q
searc
h.qqi.
ie/W
ebPa
rt/Awa
rdDeta
ils?a
wardC
ode=
5M34
25 &
http:
//qse
arch.q
qi.ie/
Web
Part/A
wardD
etails
?awa
rdCod
e=6M
4337
) whic
h are
review
ed
regula
rly th
rough
fores
try ed
ucati
onal
stake
holde
rs me
eting
s.
52 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
No.
Origi
nal S
trateg
ic Ac
tion
Chan
ges R
equir
ed (S
ee
also m
inutes
of m
eetin
gs)
Prog
ress
and D
evelo
pmen
ts to
Date
Rese
arch
& D
evelo
pmen
t in S
uppo
rt of
Stra
tegic
Actio
ns7.5
Teag
asc i
n coll
abora
tion w
ith th
e HSA
and o
ther p
ublic
bo
dies t
o heig
hten a
waren
ess a
mong
fores
t own
ers of
their
res
pons
ibility
rega
rding
emplo
ymen
t of c
ontra
ctors
and h
ealth
an
d safe
ty iss
ues.
Syste
m for
reco
rding
ac
ciden
ts an
d nea
r miss
es
acros
s sec
tor an
d usin
g les
sons
learn
ed to
impro
ve
H&S
practi
ces (
See n
ew S
A 7.5
a belo
w)
Teag
asc s
its on
the f
orestr
y HSA
subc
ommi
ttee a
nd th
ere is
HSA
rep
resen
tation
at Te
agas
c eve
nts (b
oth pr
actic
al de
mons
tratio
ns an
d inf
ormati
on). H
SA ar
e inv
ited (
and a
ttend
) Talk
ing Ti
mber
even
ts an
d othe
r for
estry
even
ts. Th
e Dep
artme
nt’s F
orest
Certifi
catio
n init
iative
will i
nclud
e rel
evan
t cert
ificati
on re
lated
syste
ms fo
r grow
ers gr
oups
. Und
er Te
agas
c’s
fores
try ed
ucati
onal
progra
mme a
spec
ific m
odule
is de
dicate
d to H
ealth
&
Safet
y (Fo
rest S
afety)
.Teag
asc F
orestr
y dev
elopm
ent o
fficers
prov
ide
advis
e and
guida
nce t
hroug
h site
visit
s, co
urses
, eve
nts, d
emon
strati
ons
and s
ocial
med
ia.
7.5 a
DAFM
to fa
cilita
te he
alth a
nd sa
fety (
H&S)
aware
ness
thr
ough
supp
orting
the d
evelo
pmen
t of a
syste
m for
reco
rding
ac
ciden
ts an
d nea
r miss
es ac
ross s
ector
and u
sing l
esso
ns
learne
d to i
mprov
e H&S
prac
tices
New
Strat
egic
Actio
n
7.6DA
FM to
cons
ider th
e pos
sibility
of su
pport
ing a
netw
ork of
for
estry
demo
nstra
tion f
arms.
Such
farm
s hav
e lim
ited l
ife.
May n
ot be
imple
mente
d as
drafte
d
Teag
asc h
ave a
numb
er of
well r
un fo
rests
that th
ey re
fer to
whe
n loo
king
for “b
est in
clas
s” ex
ample
s of fo
rest m
anag
emen
t. The
se w
ere us
ed in
the
Dep
artme
nts pr
omoti
onal
video
s for
fores
try. T
eaga
sc ar
e prep
aring
a pro
posa
l on d
emon
strati
on fo
rests
to pu
t thes
e fore
sts on
a mo
re for
mal
footin
g. Th
is wi
ll nee
d to c
onsid
er iss
ues t
hat m
ay ar
ise w
ith re
gard
to H&
S,
insura
nce c
over
and r
emun
eratio
n for
facilita
ting v
isits.
In 20
17, T
eaga
sc is
su
pport
ing th
e new
Farm
Fores
t cate
gory
in the
RDS
fores
try aw
ards.
The r
ecen
t COF
ORD
funde
d Iris
h priv
ate fo
rest o
wners
: The
role
of kn
owled
ge tra
nsfer
and s
ocial
netw
orks (
FORO
WN)
Proj
ect le
d by U
CD
lookin
g at u
nders
tandin
g the
exten
t of fo
rest o
wner
’ eng
agem
ent in
ma
nage
ment
and t
he fa
ctors
that in
fluen
ce it,
will a
ssist
in ad
dress
ing th
is str
ategic
actio
n.
7.7DA
FM to
main
tain,
in rea
l term
s, the
curre
nt lev
el of
State
-led
inves
tmen
t in fo
rest re
searc
h ove
r the c
oming
deca
de.
See 9
.1, 9.
2 and
9.4 w
hich w
ere pr
eviou
sly di
scus
sed.
7.8Na
tiona
l fores
t rese
arch a
nd de
velop
ment
priori
ties w
ill be
estab
lishe
d by D
AFM
in co
nsult
ation
with
the m
embe
rship
of CO
FORD
coun
cil, o
ther g
overn
ment
agen
cies a
nd
stake
holde
rs.
Comp
leted
but n
eed t
o rep
eat
This
has b
een a
ddres
sed b
y pub
licati
on in
Octo
ber 2
014 o
f the S
trateg
ic Re
searc
h Age
nda f
or Fo
restry
in Ire
land “
Fores
t Res
earch
Irelan
d (FO
RI)
– mee
ting t
he ne
eds o
f Irela
nd’s
fores
t sec
tor to
2017
and b
eyon
d thro
ugh
resea
rch an
d inn
ovati
on.”
7.9DA
FM, in
coop
eratio
n with
the C
OFOR
D Co
uncil
to ex
amine
the
feas
ibility
of es
tablis
hing l
ong-t
erm re
searc
h prog
ramme
s inv
olving
partn
ership
s betw
een S
tate a
genc
ies an
d thir
d lev
el ins
titutio
ns.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingTh
is str
ategic
actio
n is s
hared
by D
AFM’
s Res
earch
Divi
sion a
nd is
ref
erenc
ed in
Sec
tion 2
.5.1 o
f the F
orest
Rese
arch I
relan
d Rep
ort (F
ORI).
Re
cogn
ising
the i
mport
ance
of a
long t
erm ap
proac
h to f
orest
resea
rch,
DAFM
inclu
ded a
Long
Term
Fores
t Res
earch
(LTF
R) In
itiativ
e in i
ts 20
14
call f
or pro
posa
ls. A
two s
tage a
pplic
ation
proc
ess w
as ad
opted
invo
lving
an
expre
ssion
of in
teres
t (EoI)
& su
bmiss
ion of
full p
ropos
als. A
large
co
nsort
ium w
ith w
ide ex
pertis
e suc
cess
fully
nego
tiated
stag
e 1 of
this
proce
ss. H
owev
er, th
e full
prop
osal
was u
nsuc
cess
ful th
rough
stag
e 2 of
the
proc
ess a
nd th
e prop
osal
was n
ot fun
ded o
n this
occa
sion.
DAFM
is
cons
iderin
g opti
ons i
n this
area
. Tea
gasc
has a
numb
er of
resea
rch pl
ots
that h
ave b
een d
esign
ed fo
r med
ium- to
long
-term
rese
arch.
Teag
asc w
ill su
pport
the f
acilita
tion o
f a lo
ng-te
rm re
searc
h prog
ramme
.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 53
7.10
Ensu
re tha
t eco
logica
l and
envir
onme
ntal a
spec
ts of
fores
try
are ad
equa
tely c
overe
d in e
duca
tion a
nd tra
ining
cours
es.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingEc
ologic
al an
d env
ironm
ental
aspe
cts of
fores
try w
ill be c
overe
d in
all re
levan
t train
ing co
urses
(see
7.3 a
bove
). Trai
ning u
nder
Nativ
e W
oodla
nds s
uppo
rts ec
ology
and w
ater v
alues
. KTG
initia
tives
will
assis
t in co
verin
g Hab
itats
Direc
tive a
nd W
ater F
ramew
ork D
irecti
ve an
d oth
er req
uirem
ents.
Und
er Te
agas
c’s Q
QI ce
rtified
fores
try ed
ucati
onal
progra
mme a
spec
ific aw
ard is
dedic
ated t
o Fore
stry a
nd th
e Env
ironm
ent.
Refer
ence
s to t
he en
viron
ment
and l
egisl
ation
are i
mbed
ded i
nto ot
her
relev
ant a
wards
such
as S
ustai
nable
Fores
try, S
ilvicu
lture,
etc.
7.11
The C
OFOR
D co
uncil
, in co
llabo
ration
with
fores
t indu
stry,
relev
ant S
tate a
genc
ies an
d sec
tor st
akeh
olders
to un
derta
ke
a rev
iew of
the S
trateg
ic Re
searc
h Age
nda w
ith a
view
to pri
oritis
ing ar
eas f
or inv
estm
ent in
rese
arch a
nd de
velop
ment
acros
s the
secto
r.
Comp
leted
but n
eed t
o rep
eat
This
has b
een a
ddres
sed t
hroug
h the
publi
catio
n and
laun
ch in
Octo
ber
2014
of th
e Stra
tegic
Rese
arch A
gend
a for
Fores
try in
Irelan
d “Fo
rest
Rese
arch I
relan
d (FO
RI) –
mee
ting t
he ne
eds o
f Irela
nd’s
fores
t sec
tor to
20
17 an
d bey
ond t
hroug
h res
earch
and i
nnov
ation
”
7.12
DAFM
and s
ector
stak
ehold
ers to
enco
urage
more
balan
ced
gend
er div
ersity
throu
gh ac
tively
prom
oting
fores
t train
ing an
d ed
ucati
on an
d care
er op
tions
New
strate
gic ac
tion
8Fo
rest p
roduc
ts, fo
rest s
ervice
s and
the m
anag
emen
t of th
e for
est re
sourc
e will h
ave a
stron
g, ma
rket-le
d, qu
ality
focus
.8.1
DAFM
to fa
cilita
te vo
luntar
y fore
st ce
rtifica
tion t
hroug
h the
str
uctur
e and
conte
nt of
envir
onme
ntal g
uideli
nes,
an up
dated
Co
de of
Bes
t Fore
st Pr
actic
e and
fores
t man
agem
ent
plann
ing sy
stems
, and
throu
gh ot
her m
easu
res, in
orde
r to
facilita
te ac
cess
to m
arket.
Ongo
ing &
certifi
catio
n sc
heme
s sho
uld be
en
coura
ged t
o mak
e fore
st ce
rtifica
tion m
ore vi
able
for
small
fores
t own
ers.
The f
orest
certifi
catio
n proj
ect h
as es
tablis
hed t
wo C
ertific
ation
Grou
ps to
he
lp fos
ter a
natio
nal c
ertific
ation
netw
ork. C
ertific
ation
temp
lates
have
also
be
en de
livere
d as p
art of
this
projec
t and
is ac
cess
ible t
o all.
Susta
inable
Fo
rest M
anag
emen
t Irela
nd (S
FMI),
forme
rly FS
C Ire
land,
was e
stabli
shed
in
2016
and h
eld a
succ
essfu
l con
feren
ce on
certifi
catio
n for
priva
te for
est
owne
rs. U
pdati
ng of
Env
ironm
ental
Guid
eline
s ong
oing -
Affor
estat
ion an
d En
viron
menta
l guid
eline
s draf
ted. C
OFOR
D FM
P tem
plate
unde
rtake
n. Up
date
of Co
de of
Bes
t Fore
st Pr
actic
e is c
urren
tly be
ing re
viewe
d by
DAFM
. Tea
gasc
is in
strum
ental
in th
e FSC
Irelan
d SDG
prop
osal
to FS
C Int
ernati
onal
and w
ill con
tribute
once
set u
p.8.2
DAFM
will e
ngag
e in a
nd su
pport
the d
evelo
pmen
t of fo
rest
produ
ct an
d othe
r stan
dards
of re
levan
ce to
the I
rish f
orest
secto
r.
Ongo
ingDA
FM pr
ovide
supp
ort fo
r Woo
d Tec
hnolo
gy Ire
land (
WTI)
whic
h pro
vides
tech
nical
supp
ort fo
r the s
pecifi
catio
n and
use o
f woo
d prod
ucts
in co
nstru
ction
and o
ther a
reas.
DAFM
supp
orts t
he Iri
sh B
ioene
rgy
Asso
ciatio
n’s W
ood F
uel Q
uality
Assu
rance
Sch
eme a
nd th
e Iris
h Tim
ber
Rese
arch a
nd In
nova
tion C
entre
at N
UIG.
DAF
M an
d othe
r stak
ehold
ers
are su
pport
ing S
ustai
nable
Fores
t Man
agem
ent Ir
eland
(SFM
I) init
iative
. Ma
chine
opera
tor tra
ining
cours
e at T
eaga
sc B
allyh
aise C
olleg
e will b
e to
City
& Gu
ilds S
tanda
rd. D
AFM
liaisi
ng th
rough
conta
ct pe
rson w
ith
Enter
prise
Irelan
d and
othe
r Age
ncies
with
rega
rd to
produ
ct de
velop
ment
and a
cces
sing f
unds
unde
r Hori
zon 2
020.
The r
ecen
t COF
ORD
funde
d Exp
loitat
ion an
d Rea
lisati
on of
Thinn
ings
from
Hardw
oods
(EAR
TH) P
rojec
t led b
y NUI
Galw
ay w
ith th
e obje
ctive
of
deve
loping
know
ledge
on th
e woo
d qua
lity of
Irish
hardw
ood t
hinnin
gs
and i
denti
fying
poss
ible e
nd-us
e app
licati
ons a
nd ne
w pro
ducts
will
assis
t in ad
dress
ing th
is St
rateg
ic Ac
tion.
The r
ecen
t COF
ORD
funde
d, Co
mmerc
ialisa
tion o
f Irish
Cros
s-Lam
inated
Timb
er (C
ICLT
) Proj
ect,
led by
NUI
Galw
ay w
ith th
e obje
ctive
of de
velop
ing th
e nec
essa
ry da
ta to
supp
ort th
e com
merci
alisa
tion o
f emp
loying
Irish
Sitk
a spru
ce to
ma
nufac
ture a
cros
s-lam
inated
timbe
r mod
ular fl
oorin
g sys
tem w
ill ass
ist
in ad
dress
ing th
is str
ategic
actio
n.
54 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
No.
Origi
nal S
trateg
ic Ac
tion
Chan
ges R
equir
ed (S
ee
also m
inutes
of m
eetin
gs)
Prog
ress
and D
evelo
pmen
ts to
Date
Rese
arch
& D
evelo
pmen
t in S
uppo
rt of
Stra
tegic
Actio
ns9
Polic
y will b
e imp
lemen
ted th
rough
ongo
ing m
onito
ring
and r
eport
ing of
prog
ress i
n con
sulta
tion w
ith st
akeh
olders
, an
d the
polic
y will b
e upd
ated t
o mee
t cha
nging
need
s and
cir
cums
tance
s.9.1
Estab
lish a
Fores
t Cou
ncil,
repres
entat
ive of
the f
orest
and r
elated
secto
rs, w
ith a
perm
anen
t sec
retari
at an
d thr
ee su
bordi
nate
comm
ittees
(a) r
esea
rch an
d sec
toral
deve
lopme
nt, (b
) sch
emes
and m
easu
res an
d (c)
envir
onme
nt, w
hich w
ould
have
the r
espo
nsibi
lity fo
r ong
oing
monit
oring
and r
eport
ing of
prog
ress o
n poli
cy im
pleme
ntatio
n ag
ainst
agree
d ind
icator
s of a
chiev
emen
t and
prov
iding
ad
vice o
n the
upda
ting o
f poli
cy an
d or s
trateg
ic me
asure
s.
No ch
ange
- prog
ress a
ction
to
be pr
ioritis
edUn
der c
onsid
eratio
n by D
AFM
9.2Es
tablis
h a Ta
sk Fo
rce to
cons
ider th
e esta
blish
ment
of a
stand
-alon
e gov
ernme
nt bo
dy or
agen
cy w
hich c
ould
have
the
respo
nsibi
lity of
addre
ssing
deve
lopme
nt an
d prom
otion
of th
e for
est s
ector
and f
orest
produ
cts na
tiona
lly an
d inte
rnatio
nally.
Th
e Tas
k Forc
e wou
ld rep
ort to
DAF
M thr
ough
the F
orest
Coun
cil.
No ch
ange
- no p
rogres
sUn
der c
onsid
eratio
n by D
AFM
9.3Th
e lev
el of
imple
menta
tion o
f the r
ecom
mend
ation
s from
the
BioF
orest
report
wou
ld be
asse
ssed
by th
e env
ironm
ent
group
.
As th
e vari
ous e
nviro
nmen
tal re
quire
ments
are r
olled
out, s
tartin
g with
aff
oresta
tion,
the ap
propri
ate re
comm
enda
tions
in th
e BIO
FORE
ST re
port
will b
e inc
orpora
ted in
to the
se re
quire
ments
.9.4
The F
orest
Servi
ce to
publi
sh fiv
e yea
r and
annu
al bu
sines
s pla
ns w
hich c
learly
set o
ut the
work
prog
ramme
for th
e co
ming
perio
d, ind
icator
s of a
chiev
emen
t and
the f
undin
g arr
ange
ments
.
No ch
ange
- acti
ons o
ngoin
g on
5 ye
ar cy
cleFo
restry
prog
ramme
2014
-202
0 add
resse
s this
actio
n.
9.5DA
FM to
liaise
with
the E
PA to
ensu
re tha
t the B
ioFore
st rep
orts (
2006
) find
ings a
nd re
comm
enda
tions
are u
pdate
d an
d inc
lude f
orestr
y exp
ertise
New
Strat
egic
Actio
n
10To
supp
ort th
e dev
elopm
ent o
f the f
orest
secto
r throu
gh a
comb
inatio
n of fu
nding
and fi
scal
arran
geme
nts in
cludin
g joi
nt EU
fund
ing, d
irect
State
fund
ing an
d fac
ilitatin
g priv
ate
inves
tmen
t.10
.1Th
e tax
treatm
ent o
f fores
try sh
ould
be ex
amine
d tak
ing
into a
ccou
nt the
timing
and s
cale
of tim
ber r
even
ues a
nd
refore
statio
n cos
ts to
ensu
re tha
t tax t
reatm
ent d
oes n
ot ac
t as
a dis
incen
tive f
or the
achie
veme
nt of
natio
nal p
olicy
goals
in
partic
ular fo
rest c
over,
roun
dwoo
d sup
ply to
indu
stry a
nd
clima
te ch
ange
mitig
ation
.
Ongo
ing -S
ee ne
w SA
10.7
below
Remo
val o
f the h
igh in
come
thres
hold
in Bu
dget
2016
for th
ose a
ctive
in
fores
try ha
s add
resse
d a m
ajor ta
xatio
n iss
ue.
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 55
10.2
The r
ecom
mend
ation
s of th
e rev
iew of
tax s
chem
es
(Dep
artme
nt of
Finan
ce 20
06) a
nd th
e Com
miss
ion on
Ta
xatio
n (20
09) in
relat
ion to
thres
holds
to be
imple
mente
d.
Comp
leted
Remo
val o
f the h
igh in
come
thres
hold
in Bu
dget
2016
for th
ose a
ctive
in
fores
try ha
s add
resse
d the
taxa
tion i
ssue
.
10.3
DAFM
to ex
plore
finan
cial a
nd fu
nding
mec
hanis
ms to
en
coura
ge a
greate
r leve
l of in
stitut
ional
inves
tmen
t in
affore
statio
n and
in m
obilis
ing w
ood s
upply
from
the ex
isting
pri
vate
fores
t esta
te.
Ongo
ingPr
ogres
s bein
g mad
e in t
his ar
ea as
a res
ult of
sing
le pre
mium
and f
orest
inves
tmen
t veh
icles
.
10.4
DAFM
and t
he Fo
rest S
ervice
to w
ork w
ith C
oillte
and o
ther
bodie
s to e
xplor
e the
viab
ility an
d cos
t of a
natio
nal c
arbon
-ba
sed a
ffores
tation
sche
me.
No ch
ange
- work
ongo
ingNe
wERA
have
done
some
work
on th
e UK
Carbo
n Cod
e with
the U
K Fo
restry
Com
miss
ion an
d this
work
is on
going
.
10.5
Gove
rnmen
t to ex
amine
poss
ibility
of m
ulti-a
nnua
l fund
ing fo
r aff
oresta
tion a
nd fo
rest ro
ad sc
heme
s.Co
mplet
edFo
restry
prog
ramme
2014
-202
0 add
resse
s this
actio
n
10.6
DAFM
to ex
amine
the f
easib
ility of
co-fu
nding
the a
ffores
tation
pro
gramm
e and
supp
ort m
easu
res un
der th
e Rura
l De
velop
ment
Regu
lation
.
Comp
leted
Decis
ion ta
ken a
t a se
nior le
vel w
ithin
the D
epart
ment
that th
e Fore
stry
Prog
ramme
wou
ld be
100%
finan
ced t
hroug
h the
exch
eque
r.
10.7
Harm
onise
the t
ax tre
atmen
t of fo
restry
and a
gricu
lture
reg
arding
eligi
bility
for r
etirem
ent re
lief (C
GT) a
nd bu
sines
s rel
ief (C
AT)
New
Strat
egic
Actio
nRe
venu
e eBr
ief N
o. 06
/18 da
ted 10
th Janu
ary ha
s help
ed to
clari
fy the
po
sition
rega
rding
eligi
bility
for r
etirem
ent re
lief
11To
ensu
re tha
t fores
t relat
ed le
gislat
ion is
relev
ant to
the n
eeds
of
the se
ctor a
nd un
derpi
ns th
e prin
ciples
of su
staina
ble fo
rest
mana
geme
nt wh
ile re
cogn
ising
the m
ultifu
nctio
nal n
ature
of for
estry
.11
.1DA
FM to
addre
ss im
pleme
ntatio
n of P
lannin
g and
De
velop
ment
Act in
line w
ith S
trateg
ic Ac
tion 2
.7.On
going
- Awa
iting l
egisl
ation
DAFM
in co
mmun
icatio
ns w
ith D
epart
ment
of Ho
using
, Plan
ning a
nd Lo
cal
Gove
rnmen
t on a
sing
le co
nsen
t sys
tem fo
r fores
t entr
ance
s.11
.2DA
FM to
ensu
re tha
t the F
orestr
y Bill i
nclud
es pr
ovisi
on
for fo
rest m
anag
emen
t plan
s and
their
use f
or sim
plifie
d pe
rmitti
ng pr
oced
ures f
or the
unde
rtakin
g of fo
rest o
perat
ions
includ
ing th
inning
, clea
rfellin
g and
rege
nerat
ive fe
llings
.
Comp
leted
Unde
r sec
tion 1
0 of th
e Fore
st Ac
t 201
4, pro
vision
s were
intro
duce
d tha
t giv
e the
Mini
ster p
owers
to re
quire
an ow
ner o
f a fo
rest t
o sub
mit a
fores
t ma
nage
ment
plan.
The A
ct in
itself
howe
ver d
oes n
ot ma
ke it
mand
atory
for fo
rest o
wners
to pr
epare
a for
est m
anag
emen
t plan
even
in th
e co
ntext
of su
bmitti
ng an
appli
catio
n for
a fell
ing lic
ence
. The
Cofo
rd Fo
rest
Mana
geme
nt Pla
nning
Grou
p, wh
ich in
clude
d rep
resen
tative
s from
acros
s the
fores
t sec
tor, h
ave d
evelo
ped a
fores
t man
agem
ent p
lan te
mplat
e. Ho
weve
r, it is
wort
h noti
ng th
at the
subm
ission
of a
FMP
in su
pport
of a
fellin
g lice
nce a
pplic
ation
is no
t a m
anda
tory r
equir
emen
t.11
.3DA
FM to
ensu
re tha
t the F
orestr
y Bill p
rovide
s for
a tra
nspa
rent a
nd in
depe
nden
t app
eals
proce
dure.
Comp
leted
New
Appe
als st
ructur
e is p
rovide
d for
withi
n the
Fores
try Ac
t 201
4.
56 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
No.
Origi
nal S
trateg
ic Ac
tion
Chan
ges R
equir
ed (S
ee
also m
inutes
of m
eetin
gs)
Prog
ress
and D
evelo
pmen
ts to
Date
Rese
arch
& D
evelo
pmen
t in S
uppo
rt of
Stra
tegic
Actio
ns11
.4DA
FM to
inclu
de pr
ovisi
ons i
n the
Fores
try B
ill for
a more
fle
xible
appro
ach t
o the
remo
val o
f area
s from
fores
try to
othe
r lan
d use
type
s.
New
Fores
try Ac
t co
mmen
ced w
ith on
ly lim
ited
flexib
ility
This
posit
ion w
as re
viewe
d by t
he D
epart
ment
in the
conte
xt of
recen
t pro
posa
ls by
the E
U Co
mmiss
ion on
clim
ate ch
ange
to 20
30 an
d the
De
partm
ent’s
posit
ion is
to co
ntinu
e with
the p
olicy
of re
planti
ng as
a co
nditio
n of a
fellin
g lice
nce.
The n
ew Fo
restry
Act w
as co
mmen
ced l
ast
May a
nd in
clude
s prov
ision
s tha
t allo
w de
fores
tation
but o
nly un
der s
pecia
l lic
ence
, i.e.
the co
nvers
ion of
fores
t land
to ot
her la
nd us
e typ
es. D
AFM
polic
y is t
o inc
rease
the a
rea of
fores
t from
10.5%
to 18
% by
2046
, throu
gh
the re
fores
tation
of ex
isting
fores
t land
s and
affor
estat
ion. In
line w
ith th
is lon
g-term
aim,
it is
vital
that D
AFM
maint
ain a
robus
t repla
nting
polic
y.
Whe
re de
fores
tation
is lic
ense
d by D
AFM
it is i
mport
ant th
at alt
ernati
ve
lands
are a
ffores
ted to
repla
ce th
e fore
st are
a bein
g los
t.11
.5DA
FM to
ensu
re tha
t the i
mplem
entin
g leg
islati
on fo
r the E
U Tim
ber R
egula
tion t
akes
full a
ccou
nt of
fores
t cert
ificati
on an
d ch
ain of
custo
dy an
d doe
s not
adve
rsely
impa
ct on
the w
ood
payin
g cap
acity
with
in the
secto
r.
Comp
leted
The i
mport
ance
of ce
rtifica
tion a
nd ch
ain of
custo
dy w
as hi
ghlig
hted b
y Ire
land d
uring
the d
raftin
g stag
es of
the E
UTR
Regu
lation
s and
this
has
been
refle
cted i
n the
final
draft.
Nati
onal
imple
menti
ng le
gislat
ion w
as
introd
uced
in m
id 20
14 –
SI N
O 31
6 of 2
014.
This
solel
y con
centr
ates
on th
e des
ignati
on of
Irelan
d’s E
UTR
Comp
etent
Autho
rity, o
ffenc
es,
pena
lties,
autho
rised
offic
ers, c
ompli
ance
notic
es, fi
xed p
enalt
y noti
ces,
appe
als, w
arran
ts an
d proc
eedin
gs et
c. Th
is leg
islati
on w
as de
velop
ed
unde
r the g
uidan
ce an
d in c
onjun
ction
with
Lega
l Serv
ices D
ivisio
n and
the
Parl
iamen
tary D
raugh
tsman
’s Of
fice.
DAF
M as
Com
peten
t Auth
ority
will c
ontin
ue to
imple
ment
the E
UTR
in a f
air m
anne
r app
lying
a ris
k bas
ed
appro
ach w
hich p
rimari
ly foc
uses
on pr
oduc
t from
high
risk s
ource
s.12
Coillte
to w
ork in
co-op
eratio
n with
the i
ndus
try an
d the
pri
vate
growi
ng se
ctor in
deve
loping
a via
ble an
d com
petiti
ve
harve
sting
capa
bility
whic
h will m
eet th
e nee
ds of
the o
veral
l se
ctor. A
ny si
gnific
ant d
evelo
pmen
ts in
harve
sting
syste
ms
shou
ld be
imple
mente
d in a
co-or
dinate
d man
ner w
ith al
l pa
rties t
o ens
ure a
stron
g and
comp
etitiv
e nati
onal
harve
sting
inf
rastru
cture.
12.1
Coillte
to w
ork in
co-op
eratio
n with
the i
ndus
try an
d the
pri
vate
growi
ng se
ctor in
deve
loping
a via
ble an
d com
petiti
ve
harve
sting
capa
bility
whic
h will m
eet th
e nee
ds of
the o
veral
l se
ctor. A
ny si
gnific
ant d
evelo
pmen
ts in
harve
sting
syste
ms
shou
ld be
imple
mente
d in a
co-or
dinate
d man
ner w
ith al
l pa
rties t
o ens
ure a
stron
g and
comp
etitiv
e nati
onal
harve
sting
inf
rastru
cture.
See a
ction
4.2
New
COFO
RD W
ood M
obilis
ation
Grou
p esta
blish
ed to
assis
t in
imple
menti
ng m
obilis
ation
repo
rt rec
omme
ndati
ons.
12.2
Coillte
to w
ork in
co-op
eratio
n with
othe
r indu
stry p
layers
to
reduc
e sup
ply ch
ain co
sts. C
oillte
toge
ther w
ith pr
ivate
owne
rs, th
e fore
st ind
ustry
and s
takeh
olders
shou
ld fac
ilitate
the de
velop
ment
of a s
tanda
rd sy
stem
for tim
ber
meas
ureme
nt an
d rem
ovals
.
No ch
ange
- con
sens
us fo
r na
tiona
l sys
temCo
illte is
work
ing w
ith a
serie
s of i
ndus
try pa
rtners
to de
velop
inno
vativ
e me
thods
of tra
cking
and c
oordi
natin
g tim
ber h
arves
ting a
nd re
mova
ls by
ele
ctron
ic me
ans.
Eleme
nts ar
e now
opera
tiona
l suc
h as e
lectro
nic do
ckets
(el
imina
ting n
eed f
or pa
per d
ocke
ts) an
d sma
rt tim
ber s
ecuri
ty sy
stem.
12.2a
Estab
lish a
COF
ORD
initia
tive t
o prog
ress a
natio
nal s
tanda
rd
syste
m for
timbe
r mea
surem
ent a
nd re
mova
lsNe
w str
ategic
actio
n
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 57
12.3
In co
njunc
tion w
ith S
trateg
ic Ac
tion 4
.4, C
oillte
, as a
n own
er of
publi
c lan
ds, to
imple
ment
initia
tives
to pr
ogres
s co-o
perat
ion
with
priva
te gro
wers
in fac
ilitatin
g acc
ess t
o priv
ate fo
rest
areas
for h
arves
ting.
Coillte
and p
rivate
grow
ers to
deve
lop
a fram
ework
to al
low sh
ared u
se of
fores
t road
s for
fores
t op
eratio
ns
No ch
ange
- awa
iting C
oillte
lic
ence
proto
col
Simila
r to re
comm
enda
tion 5
.1 wh
ere co
llabo
ration
betw
een p
ublic
and
priva
te for
est o
wners
is re
ferred
to as
a me
ans o
f incre
asing
supp
ly fro
m pri
vate
produ
cers.
In re
lation
to sh
ared r
oads
the D
epart
ment
has
introd
uced
supp
ort fo
r con
necti
ng ro
ads t
o enc
ourag
e sha
red us
e of
exist
ing in
frastr
uctur
e. C
oillte
is pr
epari
ng a
set o
f guid
eline
s on t
hird p
arty
use o
f its r
oad n
etwork
- curr
ently
at dr
aft st
age.
12.4
Any f
uture
strate
gy fo
r Coil
lte sh
ould
contr
ibute
to the
su
staina
ble de
velop
ment
of the
overa
ll fore
st se
ctor.
Ongo
ing - C
oillte
comm
itted
to su
staina
ble de
velop
ment
This
is ag
reed a
nd w
ill be s
uppo
rted b
y the
DAF
M.
13To
supp
ort th
e dev
elopm
ent o
f the F
orest
Servi
ce as
an
efficie
nt de
livery
servi
ce or
ganis
ation
mee
ting t
he ne
eds o
f Go
vernm
ent, n
ation
al for
est p
olicy
and t
he fo
rest s
ector
.13
.1DA
FM sh
ould
unde
rtake
a fun
ction
al an
d effic
iency
as
sess
ment
of the
Fores
t Serv
ice w
hich w
ould
exam
ine
the ex
tent to
whic
h this
struc
ture i
s opti
mally
effic
ient in
the
deliv
ery of
servi
ces a
cross
the s
ector
and t
he ex
tent to
whic
h sk
ills ca
pacit
ies m
eet e
xistin
g and
futur
e nee
ds.
Outst
andin
gDA
FM or
ganis
ation
revie
w un
derw
ay ac
ross a
ll divi
sions
with
in De
partm
ent, t
he pr
elimi
nary
conc
lusion
s are
being
cons
idered
by D
AFM.
13.2
DAFM
/Fores
t Serv
ice sh
ould
estab
lish p
erman
ent s
tructu
res
to su
pport
the d
evelo
pmen
t of th
e fore
st se
ctor, i
n area
s suc
h as
roun
dwoo
d sup
ply an
d dem
and,
clima
te ch
ange
mitig
ation
, ec
osys
tem se
rvice
s, wo
od en
ergy,
certifi
catio
n and
prod
uct
stand
ards.
Link w
ith 9.
1 and
9.2
Prog
ress b
eing m
ade i
n the
se ar
eas;
Clim
ate ch
ange
mitig
ation
now
being
ma
nage
d by F
orest
Deve
lopme
nt Di
vision
. www
.Woo
dene
rgy.ie
has b
een
estab
lishe
d to h
elp pr
omote
woo
d ene
rgy. S
tructu
res to
supp
ort ce
rtifica
tion
for pr
ivate
fores
t own
ers ar
e well
unde
rway
with
the e
stbali
shme
nt of
two
certifi
catio
n grou
ps an
d tem
plates
for c
ertific
ation
avail
able
to all
. A ne
w Fo
rest M
anag
emen
t and
Cert
ificati
on S
chem
e is a
lso in
the p
ipelin
e whic
h wi
ll sup
port p
rivate
fores
t own
ers in
achie
ving c
ertific
ation
for th
eir fo
rests.
Te
agas
c hav
e a ro
le in
round
wood
supp
ly an
d dem
and w
here
they h
old
a num
ber o
f Talk
ing Ti
mber
Even
ts thr
ough
out th
e cou
ntry w
here
these
iss
ues a
re dis
cuss
ed. T
he al
l Irela
nd ro
undw
ood p
roduc
tion f
oreca
st 20
16 -
2035
also
addre
sses
this
actio
n. (S
ee al
so S
trateg
ic Ac
tions
9.1 a
nd 9.
2)13
.3Th
e Fore
st Se
rvice
shou
ld re-
instat
e a st
and-a
lone A
nnua
l Re
port,
provid
ing a
review
of ac
hieve
ment
versu
s spe
cific
goals
in ar
eas s
uch a
s affo
restat
ion, ti
mber
produ
ction
, en
viron
menta
l com
plian
ce an
d clim
ate m
itigati
on w
hile a
lso
provid
ing a
statis
tical
datab
ase f
or rep
orting
and p
lannin
g. Th
e An
nual
Repo
rt sho
uld al
so fe
ature
on D
AFM’
s web
site.
Includ
e more
up to
date
data
on em
ploym
ent, c
ontrib
ution
to
GDP,
etc in
the a
nnua
l rep
ort. A
mend
form
at to
includ
e poli
cy de
livera
bles
in rep
ort
Most
of thi
s info
rmati
on is
avail
able
in va
rious
repo
rts su
ch as
the F
orest
Servi
ce m
onthl
y stat
istics
repo
rt, CO
FORD
s Woo
d Flow
Rep
ort an
d all
Irelan
d Rou
ndwo
od fo
recas
t and
infor
matio
n on c
limate
chan
ge m
itigati
on.
Reorg
anisa
tion o
f DAF
M we
bsite
is un
derw
ay an
d will p
ull to
gethe
r this
inform
ation
for e
ase o
f acc
ess b
y sec
tor.
13.4
DAFM
to cl
early
outlin
e the
miss
ion, fu
nctio
nal u
nits a
nd th
e rol
es an
d res
pons
ibilitie
s and
repo
rting a
rrang
emen
ts of
the
Fores
try D
ivisio
ns w
ithin
DAFM
New
Strat
egic
Actio
n
58 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Appendix 3 - Adaptation options
Tabl
e 1:
Som
e ad
apta
tion
optio
ns fo
r th
e la
nd u
se a
nd fo
rest
sect
ors (
base
d on
Tab
le 3
in A
dapt
atio
n Pl
anni
ng -
Dev
elop
ing
Res
ilien
ce to
Clim
ate
Cha
nge
in th
e Ir
ish A
gric
ultu
re
and
Fore
st S
ecto
r).
Tim
efra
me
Res
pons
ibili
ty
Nat
iona
l Act
ions
Kee
p un
der r
evie
w a
nd u
pdat
e th
e ag
ricul
ture
and
fore
st s
ecto
ral a
dapt
atio
n pl
an in
the
cont
ext o
f the
Clim
ate
Act
ion
and
Low
Car
bon
Dev
elop
men
t Act
201
5.
Sho
rt - M
ediu
m T
erm
D
AFM
Ensu
re a
dapt
atio
n re
quire
men
ts a
re c
onsi
dere
d du
ring
the
esta
blis
hmen
t of s
ecto
ral p
olic
ies,
stra
tegi
es, p
lans
and
mea
sure
s.
Sho
rt Te
rm/O
ngoi
ngD
AFM
Impl
emen
tatio
n of
rele
vant
legi
slat
ion
and
othe
r sta
tuto
ry a
nd c
ontro
l ins
trum
ents
. S
hort
Term
/Ong
oing
DA
FM
Inte
rage
ncy
Inte
rdep
artm
enta
l and
inte
rage
ncy
inte
ract
ion
in re
latio
n to
ada
ptat
ion,
env
ironm
enta
l pol
icy
deve
lopm
ent a
nd m
onito
ring.
S
hort
Term
/Ong
oing
DA
FM a
nd re
leva
nt
Dep
artm
ents
and
A
genc
ies
Inte
ract
ion
with
Met
Éire
ann.
S
hort
Term
/Ong
oing
DA
FM, T
eaga
sc
Met
Éire
ann
Act
ive
parti
cipa
tion
with
the
Offi
ce o
f Em
erge
ncy
Pla
nnin
g.
Sho
rt Te
rm/O
ngoi
ngD
AFM
Offi
ce o
f Em
erge
ncy
Plan
ning
Kno
wle
dge
Tran
sfer
and
Com
mun
icat
ion
Reg
ular
com
mun
icat
ion
to s
take
hold
ers
incl
udin
g vi
a th
e kn
owle
dge
trans
fer n
etw
ork
and
advi
ce p
rovi
sion
sys
tem
at l
ocal
, na
tiona
l and
inte
rage
ncy
leve
ls.
Sho
rt Te
rm/O
ngoi
ngD
AFM
, Tea
gasc
Rep
rese
ntat
ive
Org
anis
atio
ns
Con
tinue
to p
artic
ipat
e in
nat
iona
l, in
tern
atio
nal f
ora
and
initi
ativ
es in
agr
i-foo
d an
d fo
rest
so
as to
sha
re e
xper
ienc
es a
nd
best
pra
ctic
es.
Sho
rt Te
rm/O
ngoi
ngD
AFM
Res
earc
h
Sus
tain
ed m
onito
ring
of re
sear
ch re
sults
and
dis
sem
inat
ion
of re
sults
to re
leva
nt p
artie
s.
Ong
oing
D
AFM
Sus
tain
ed m
onito
ring
of re
sear
ch re
sults
and
dis
sem
inat
ion
of re
sults
to re
leva
nt p
artie
s.
Ong
oing
D
AFM
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 59
Ada
ptat
ion
Opt
ions
Enc
oura
ge p
olic
y cr
eatio
n w
hich
take
s ad
vant
age
of te
chno
logi
cal a
dvan
ces
in a
dapt
atio
n.
Sho
rt-M
ediu
m T
erm
D
AFM
Mon
itor a
dapt
atio
n op
tions
in p
lace
in o
ther
cou
ntrie
s to
ext
ract
kno
wle
dge
whi
ch c
an b
e im
plem
ente
d w
ithin
the
Irish
co
ntex
t. M
ediu
m T
erm
D
AFM
Con
side
r the
app
ropr
iate
ness
of t
he in
trodu
ctio
n of
new
pla
nt, c
rop,
tree
and
live
stoc
k va
rietie
s w
hich
are
mor
e re
silie
nt to
th
e ch
angi
ng c
limat
e.
Med
ium
-Lon
g Te
rm
DA
FM
Enc
oura
ge re
sear
ch in
to th
e ef
fect
s of
clim
ate
chan
ge a
nd a
dapt
atio
n m
easu
res
thro
ugh
prog
ram
mes
info
rmed
by
rele
vant
st
rate
gic
rese
arch
age
ndas
at n
atio
nal a
nd in
tern
atio
nal l
evel
s.
Sho
rt-M
ediu
m T
erm
D
AFM
Res
earc
h an
d im
plem
ent m
etho
ds to
mon
itor,
revi
ew a
nd e
valu
ate
the
adap
tatio
n op
tions
put
in p
lace
.
Long
Ter
m
DA
FM
Land
Man
agem
ent
Con
tinue
rese
arch
on,
and
pro
mot
ion
of, b
ette
r lan
d m
anag
emen
t in
light
of p
roje
cted
clim
atic
cha
nges
. S
hort
Term
D
AFM
Con
tinue
with
pes
t and
dis
ease
sur
veill
ance
, mon
itorin
g an
d re
sear
ch.
Sho
rt Te
rm
DA
FM
Pro
mot
e th
e us
e of
fore
st d
ecis
ion
supp
ort s
yste
ms
to s
uppo
rt ad
aptiv
e fo
rest
man
agem
ent.
Sho
rt Te
rm
DA
FM
Impl
emen
tatio
n of
For
est P
rote
ctio
n an
d H
ealth
mea
sure
s.
Sho
rt Te
rm
DA
FM
Impl
emen
tatio
n of
risk
ass
essm
ent a
nd ri
sk w
arni
ng s
yste
ms
in re
latio
n to
unc
ontro
lled
wild
fire
s.
Sho
rt Te
rm
DA
FM
Impl
emen
tatio
n of
Sus
tain
able
For
est M
anag
emen
t inc
ludi
ng tr
aini
ng a
nd a
dvic
e on
spe
cies
sel
ectio
n, e
tc.
Sho
rt Te
rm
DA
FM, C
oillt
e
Con
tinue
d im
plem
enta
tion
of th
e P
estic
ide
Con
trol S
ervi
ce.
Sho
rt Te
rm
DA
FM
60 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Appendix 4 - Supply chain
Fore
st In
du
stri
es In
tern
atio
nal
Su
pp
ly C
hai
n
A Report on Policy Implementation with Recommendations | 61
Appendix 5 - COFORD Forest Policy Review Group (CFPRG) members
The COFORD Forest Policy Review Group (CFPRG) comprised the following members:
Karl Coggins (DAFM)
Pat Collins (IFA)
Seamus Dunne (DAFM)
Michael Glennon (ITC)
Eugene Hendrick (DAFM)
Neil Kerrigan (Enterprise Ireland)
Daragh Little (IFFPA)
Gerard Murphy (Coillte)
Nuala Ni Fhlatharta (Teagasc)
John Phelan (COFORD)
Donal Whelan (ITGA) Chairman
The staff from the DAFM above participated in the meetings and provided clarification on regulatory and technical issues and information on recent developments and planned future actions by DAFM.
Henry Phillips (forestry consultant) provided technical support for the review process and in drafting of the report.
62 | COFORD Forest Policy Review Group Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’(2014)
Stand Tall.
NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR FOREST RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENTAN COMHAIRLE NÁISÚNTA UM THAIGDE AGUS FORBAIRT FORAOISEDepartment of Agriculture, Food and the MarineAgriculture HouseKildare StreetDublin 2Ireland
www.coford.ie
CO
FOR
D Forest Policy R
eview G
roup Report on ‘Forests, products and people - Ireland’s forest policy – a renew
ed vision’ (2014) A R
eport on Policy Implem
entation with R
ecomm
endations