Payment of the second instalment afforestation grant is claimed four years after tree planting. This instalment is valued at between €525 and €1,260/ha depending on the grant/premium category and species planted.

The grant is paid “subject to the plantation being successfully established and maintained” according to the Forestry Standards and Procedures Manual published by the Forest Service. The application form (Form 3) received from the Forest Service needs to be completed and signed by the forest owner and a registered forester.

This signing off needs to be based on a recent field inspection by the registered forester who is in a position to declare that the grant-aided crop meets the “required standard” in the manual. Applications may be inspected by the Forest Service and failure to achieve the required standard results in refusal of the grant and possibly the withdrawal of annual premium payments until corrective action is carried out.

While the registered foresters will only be in a position to carry out periodic checks on crop performance, plantation owners should continuously inspect their plantations, especially in the early years.

During inspection, check the plant number as one of the main reasons for the withdrawal of grants is under-stocked crops.

Growers should aim to achieve 100% stocking rates and survival, which is between 2,500/ha and 3,100/ha. For example in most coniferous crops plant spacing is 2 x 2m or 2,500/ha, while spacing for broadleaves is 2 x 1.5m, or 3,300/ha, with the exception of alder (2 x 2m).

Ideally, sample plots should be taken to determine plant density but by walking through the plantation, the owner can see how the crop is performing. If plants are missing, damaged, discoloured or suffering from vegetation competition, bring this to the attention of your forester or forestry company so that filling in or other remedial work can be carried out by year four.