Regardless of forest size, a management plan is essential; the larger the forest the more detailed the plan. The Forest Service now insist that after payment of the 11th annual premium “all applicants under the Afforestation Scheme must submit a Forest Management Plan (FMP) to cover the period from year 12 to the end of the rotation or final harvesting”. The FMP applies to plantations greater than 5 ha. Without the management plan, premium payment will cease, which sounds extreme but in reality it isn’t because all forest owners should have a plan in place throughout the life of a forest. This is especially important from year 12 on as the forest or woodland is about to enter its productive phase. While the withdrawal of premia is the stick, the Forest Service is providing a carrot by way of a €300 payment on receipt of the plan not to mention the continuation of seamless payments of annual premia.
Three periods
A management plan should be prepared when a forest is established to cover three periods in the life of a forest:
Establishment – the establishment phase extends to year four when the final grant payment is paid. By then, the young plantation will have outgrown competing vegetation and should have the required number of healthy trees to form a sufficiently stocked forest.Pre-production – this period can vary, but year four to 11 is recognised as a realistic period when the plantation requires little more than maintenance when inspection paths are brashed – post thicket stage when branches meet – to allow free movement to monitor the performance of the crop. At year 11, the FMP should be forwarded to the Forest Service to cover the next period which is the production phase.Production phase – the management plan to cover this period in the life of a forest is essential as it includes; inspection paths, crop measurement, roading, felling licence applications, tending (broadleaves) and thinning. This phase covers the period up to final harvest and reforestation unless an alternative silvicultural regime is adopted such as continued cover forestry (CCF).
CertificationCurrently, foresters and forest owners are submitting plans based on a template provided in the ‘Forestry Schemes Manual 2011’. This is a basic plan and the Forest Service along with relevant stakeholders are working on a more comprehensive plan that would also play a major role in achieving certification for individual forest owners now that certification has been achieved by two forest owner groups.
“A Forest Management Plan provides a general outline of how the forest will be managed and what operations will be required and undertaken over a specified time period,” according to the Forest Service. “The Department has developed a management plan template which must be completed for all grant-aided forests 5 ha or greater.” The FMP must be prepared by a registered forester and signed by the applicant. There are a number of components to the plan including species treatment, roading, fire plan and a checklist (Table 1 at bottom of page).
A higher grant may be offered to forest owners who succeed in achieving certification of all their forests by joining a recognised certification group.
Andrew Doyle Minister of State with responsibility for forestry has announced a new nationwide scheme to establish Knowledge Transfer Groups (KTGs) for forestry. The scheme is based on the successful pilot KTG projects run last year in counties Donegal, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary.
“Knowledge transfer groups are well established in other sectors and I am very pleased to be announcing them for the forestry sector now,” said Minister Doyle. “They’re a proven method of sharing best practice amongst participants in a sector and empowering them to maximise the value of their holding. They have a clearly defined role for the forestry sector now and by filling this knowledge gap a potential barrier to the mobilisation of timber and biomass can be removed.”
He said the scheme is aimed at private forest owners that require additional knowledge to help them undertake appropriate management activities in their forests. “Discussions will be facilitated by a professional forester and will incorporate both classroom style learning as well as practical elements,” he maintained.
“ KTGs will also encourage these forest owners to engage with forestry groups and forestry professionals. KTGs will provide the mechanism for gaining this expertise and empower them to manage their own forest over its rotation.”
Under the scheme, forestry groups, forestry companies and forestry consultants can apply to organise KTGs. According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s recent publication “Forest Statistics – Ireland 2017”, nearly 21,994 unique private forest owners have received grant aid to establish forests since 1980.
The average size of these forests is 8.8 hectares according to Minister Doyle. “Working with these private forest owners to allow them to maximise the value of their forest is a priority for my Department,” he said.
Regardless of forest size, a management plan is essential; the larger the forest the more detailed the plan. The Forest Service now insist that after payment of the 11th annual premium “all applicants under the Afforestation Scheme must submit a Forest Management Plan (FMP) to cover the period from year 12 to the end of the rotation or final harvesting”. The FMP applies to plantations greater than 5 ha. Without the management plan, premium payment will cease, which sounds extreme but in reality it isn’t because all forest owners should have a plan in place throughout the life of a forest. This is especially important from year 12 on as the forest or woodland is about to enter its productive phase. While the withdrawal of premia is the stick, the Forest Service is providing a carrot by way of a €300 payment on receipt of the plan not to mention the continuation of seamless payments of annual premia.
Three periods
A management plan should be prepared when a forest is established to cover three periods in the life of a forest:
Establishment – the establishment phase extends to year four when the final grant payment is paid. By then, the young plantation will have outgrown competing vegetation and should have the required number of healthy trees to form a sufficiently stocked forest.Pre-production – this period can vary, but year four to 11 is recognised as a realistic period when the plantation requires little more than maintenance when inspection paths are brashed – post thicket stage when branches meet – to allow free movement to monitor the performance of the crop. At year 11, the FMP should be forwarded to the Forest Service to cover the next period which is the production phase.Production phase – the management plan to cover this period in the life of a forest is essential as it includes; inspection paths, crop measurement, roading, felling licence applications, tending (broadleaves) and thinning. This phase covers the period up to final harvest and reforestation unless an alternative silvicultural regime is adopted such as continued cover forestry (CCF).
CertificationCurrently, foresters and forest owners are submitting plans based on a template provided in the ‘Forestry Schemes Manual 2011’. This is a basic plan and the Forest Service along with relevant stakeholders are working on a more comprehensive plan that would also play a major role in achieving certification for individual forest owners now that certification has been achieved by two forest owner groups.
“A Forest Management Plan provides a general outline of how the forest will be managed and what operations will be required and undertaken over a specified time period,” according to the Forest Service. “The Department has developed a management plan template which must be completed for all grant-aided forests 5 ha or greater.” The FMP must be prepared by a registered forester and signed by the applicant. There are a number of components to the plan including species treatment, roading, fire plan and a checklist (Table 1 at bottom of page).
A higher grant may be offered to forest owners who succeed in achieving certification of all their forests by joining a recognised certification group.
Andrew Doyle Minister of State with responsibility for forestry has announced a new nationwide scheme to establish Knowledge Transfer Groups (KTGs) for forestry. The scheme is based on the successful pilot KTG projects run last year in counties Donegal, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary.
“Knowledge transfer groups are well established in other sectors and I am very pleased to be announcing them for the forestry sector now,” said Minister Doyle. “They’re a proven method of sharing best practice amongst participants in a sector and empowering them to maximise the value of their holding. They have a clearly defined role for the forestry sector now and by filling this knowledge gap a potential barrier to the mobilisation of timber and biomass can be removed.”
He said the scheme is aimed at private forest owners that require additional knowledge to help them undertake appropriate management activities in their forests. “Discussions will be facilitated by a professional forester and will incorporate both classroom style learning as well as practical elements,” he maintained.
“ KTGs will also encourage these forest owners to engage with forestry groups and forestry professionals. KTGs will provide the mechanism for gaining this expertise and empower them to manage their own forest over its rotation.”
Under the scheme, forestry groups, forestry companies and forestry consultants can apply to organise KTGs. According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s recent publication “Forest Statistics – Ireland 2017”, nearly 21,994 unique private forest owners have received grant aid to establish forests since 1980.
The average size of these forests is 8.8 hectares according to Minister Doyle. “Working with these private forest owners to allow them to maximise the value of their forest is a priority for my Department,” he said.
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