DEAR SIR: Donal Magner’s excellent series of articles in the Irish Farmers Journal relating to the forestry replanting obligation has highlighted many interesting issues in relation to the implication of the replanting obligation. It is noteworthy in his articles that, apart from the Department of Agriculture Forestry Service, all of the other forestry agencies and organisations favour the removal of the replanting obligation.

I fully endorse the IFA position – that the statuary obligation to replant forestry land after the mature crop has been harvested represents “a major deterrent to farmers and land owners considering forestry growing in Ireland”. Most land owners would be reasonably disposed to tie up their marginal land for 35/40 years to produce a mature crop of trees. However, many land owners would have serious issues with being legally obliged to replant their land in perpetuity.

In practice, the 35-/40-year period required to produce a good crop of trees extends to over 80% of the average farmers’ land ownership time span. Being legally obliged to replant extends forestry growing to second and possible third-generation ownership, which creates unnecessary problems in relation to succession to family members. This may also have a negative effect on the future standard of management of the replanted forestry plantations, that’s so essential to ensure high-grade timber log production.

With no planting grants or premiums, there is a real risk that the replanting obligation will only lead to substandard afforestation.

Storm Darwin in February 2014 resulted in enormous damage to forestry plantations, especially in the south and west of Ireland. This led to substantial areas of semi-mature plantations having to be cut away and replanted at a huge financial loss to the owners. As a result of Darwin and subsequent storms, it has now clearly emerged that some forestry plantations – due to exposure to prevailing winds and poor ground conditions – are subject to wind-blow and storm damage on an ongoing basis.

Given the huge losses suffered by forestry owners as a result of Darwin, it is totally illogical that those plantations should be subjected to the replanting obligation.

Since November 2015, at least six active storms have hit the south and west of the country. The fact that such storms were accompanied by torrential rainfall created the exact conditions to facilitate the occurrence of wind-blow and plantation damage.

Climate change experts have been telling us for some time that future weather patterns in Ireland will include more frequent storms and heavier rainfall during the winter months. Already there are clear signs that this is happening. Such trends necessitate that the 2014 Forestry Act be revisited by the incoming Government – to remove the replanting obligation, which is now becoming a serious disincentive to the sustainability of the private forestry planting programme.