A few years ago, forestry would have made an awkward presence in a strategy document for the development of the agri-food sector, such as Food Wise 2025, launched last week by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
While the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) had little option but to include forestry, as it is responsible for much of what goes on in the sector, there were other more compelling reasons.
While Food Wise is, as the title suggests, almost solely concerned with agri-food development, it contains what might be termed a “wood wise” section that recognises the role that forestry can play as a standalone sector, but also as a complementary land use to mainstream sustainable agriculture.
While the strategy acknowledges the annual economic performance of the forest industry, “currently estimated at €2.3bn”, the main reason for its inclusion centres on sustainability.
In this regard, the strategy acknowledges the role of forests in reducing greenhouse gas concentrations through carbon sequestrations and wood energy.
It aims: “[To] maximise uptake of allocated funding for the Forestry Programme 2014-2020 to help increase afforestation levels to capture carbon, and sustain the production of forest-based biomass to meet renewable energy targets.”
However, it accepts that current annual planting levels (little over 6,000ha) are too low and features a key stand-out action plan “to support long-term sustainable roundwood supply through an increase in the annual afforestation level to 15,000ha from 2021”, with the proviso that this target is “subject to demand and the availability of funding”.
The strategy aims to increase the roundwood harvest to 4.6m cubic metres by 2025, a 60% increase over current production.
The action plans for afforestation and timber mobilisation are ambitious and while the strategy is short in detail in relation to funding, it clearly expects greater private investment to supplement state aid in both these actions.
It states: “DAFM should explore innovative financial and funding mechanisms to encourage greater level of institutional investment in afforestation and in mobilising wood supply from the existing private forest estate.”
In relation to timber production, the strategy aims to “produce a new all-Ireland roundwood production forecast” and to “develop a flexible and environmentally responsible roundwood supply chain to enhance the competitiveness of the processing sector and the production of high-value products”.
The current anomaly in woodland taxation that ignores the long-term nature of the sector is also addressed in the following aim: “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.”
The strategy aims to introduce a national forest management planning system.
It promises to provide “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”.
It addresses training and education requirements, as well as “research programmes targeted at identified needs” and stresses “the importance of investment in training, research and development”. While forestry has to fulfil certain environmental aims and fulfil its capacity to provide public goods and services, the final action plan emphasises that “forest products, forest services and the management of the forest resource must have a strong, market-led, quality focus”.
Comment
While Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney claimed that Food Wise 2025 “sets out a comprehensive plan for the development of Ireland’s agri-food sector” up to 2025, it lacks detail in a number of areas, not least the action plan to achieve a 15,000ha afforestation programme after 2021.
While most stakeholders welcome this action plan, they maintain that it is not achievable unless the current afforestation level (approximately 6,000ha) is scaled up by at least 1,000ha annually, beginning with 7,000ha next year, to ensure an annual afforestation programme of 15,000ha in six years’ time.
The strategy has undoubted ambitious plans for the forestry sector, but misses the opportunity to address how these will be achieved. In recent years, the sawmilling sector, the Irish Timber Growers Association and various stakeholders have raised the need for an independent structure that addresses the needs of the forestry and forest products sector.
The current stop-go policy in relation to forestry development will continue in the absence of an authority equipped or mandated to drive existing policy initiatives forward, including Food Wise.
In this respect, forestry is quite different from other natural resource sectors, such as food, sea and inland fisheries, tourism, renewable energy and shipping, which are all served by active State promotional and development bodies.
The availability to Government, through the Department, of a dynamic, independent entity, equipped and resourced, is essential. This body would:
Monitor and advise on existing policy and implementation.Provide timely, professional advice on both day-to-day and long-term strategic issues.Proactively drive a sustainable forestry development agenda, including afforestation, timber mobility, timber processing, carbon sequestration, renewable energy and interaction with mainstream agriculture.Support for an independent structure would be interpreted as a positive, unequivocal signal from Government that acknowledges interdependency throughout the sector and the need for a partnership approach to achieve a viable forestry sector.
A few years ago, forestry would have made an awkward presence in a strategy document for the development of the agri-food sector, such as Food Wise 2025, launched last week by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
While the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) had little option but to include forestry, as it is responsible for much of what goes on in the sector, there were other more compelling reasons.
While Food Wise is, as the title suggests, almost solely concerned with agri-food development, it contains what might be termed a “wood wise” section that recognises the role that forestry can play as a standalone sector, but also as a complementary land use to mainstream sustainable agriculture.
While the strategy acknowledges the annual economic performance of the forest industry, “currently estimated at €2.3bn”, the main reason for its inclusion centres on sustainability.
In this regard, the strategy acknowledges the role of forests in reducing greenhouse gas concentrations through carbon sequestrations and wood energy.
It aims: “[To] maximise uptake of allocated funding for the Forestry Programme 2014-2020 to help increase afforestation levels to capture carbon, and sustain the production of forest-based biomass to meet renewable energy targets.”
However, it accepts that current annual planting levels (little over 6,000ha) are too low and features a key stand-out action plan “to support long-term sustainable roundwood supply through an increase in the annual afforestation level to 15,000ha from 2021”, with the proviso that this target is “subject to demand and the availability of funding”.
The strategy aims to increase the roundwood harvest to 4.6m cubic metres by 2025, a 60% increase over current production.
The action plans for afforestation and timber mobilisation are ambitious and while the strategy is short in detail in relation to funding, it clearly expects greater private investment to supplement state aid in both these actions.
It states: “DAFM should explore innovative financial and funding mechanisms to encourage greater level of institutional investment in afforestation and in mobilising wood supply from the existing private forest estate.”
In relation to timber production, the strategy aims to “produce a new all-Ireland roundwood production forecast” and to “develop a flexible and environmentally responsible roundwood supply chain to enhance the competitiveness of the processing sector and the production of high-value products”.
The current anomaly in woodland taxation that ignores the long-term nature of the sector is also addressed in the following aim: “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.”
The strategy aims to introduce a national forest management planning system.
It promises to provide “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”.
It addresses training and education requirements, as well as “research programmes targeted at identified needs” and stresses “the importance of investment in training, research and development”. While forestry has to fulfil certain environmental aims and fulfil its capacity to provide public goods and services, the final action plan emphasises that “forest products, forest services and the management of the forest resource must have a strong, market-led, quality focus”.
Comment
While Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney claimed that Food Wise 2025 “sets out a comprehensive plan for the development of Ireland’s agri-food sector” up to 2025, it lacks detail in a number of areas, not least the action plan to achieve a 15,000ha afforestation programme after 2021.
While most stakeholders welcome this action plan, they maintain that it is not achievable unless the current afforestation level (approximately 6,000ha) is scaled up by at least 1,000ha annually, beginning with 7,000ha next year, to ensure an annual afforestation programme of 15,000ha in six years’ time.
The strategy has undoubted ambitious plans for the forestry sector, but misses the opportunity to address how these will be achieved. In recent years, the sawmilling sector, the Irish Timber Growers Association and various stakeholders have raised the need for an independent structure that addresses the needs of the forestry and forest products sector.
The current stop-go policy in relation to forestry development will continue in the absence of an authority equipped or mandated to drive existing policy initiatives forward, including Food Wise.
In this respect, forestry is quite different from other natural resource sectors, such as food, sea and inland fisheries, tourism, renewable energy and shipping, which are all served by active State promotional and development bodies.
The availability to Government, through the Department, of a dynamic, independent entity, equipped and resourced, is essential. This body would:
Monitor and advise on existing policy and implementation.Provide timely, professional advice on both day-to-day and long-term strategic issues.Proactively drive a sustainable forestry development agenda, including afforestation, timber mobility, timber processing, carbon sequestration, renewable energy and interaction with mainstream agriculture.Support for an independent structure would be interpreted as a positive, unequivocal signal from Government that acknowledges interdependency throughout the sector and the need for a partnership approach to achieve a viable forestry sector.
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