We contacted sawmillers, foresters, farmers, forestry companies and other stakeholders around the country and asked each to provide three wishes for 2019.
Brexit, forestry and the community, research and the need to establish a forestry development agency featured strongly, while many wished to see a much speedier system of application approvals to increase activity in afforestation and wood mobilisation as well as a strong forestry promotional programme.
We will feature some of their wishes and ones we had to omit, in more detail during the year but in the meantime, the following is a summary of participants’ wishes for 2019 and beyond in a few instances.
“An independent forestry development agency (FDA) needs to be established and resourced so that the opportunities staring us in the face in the forestry sector are fully grasped for this and future generations,” was Paddy Bruton’s only wish. “I’m not greedy so this wish is sufficient because if granted, other benefits will flow, including shorter timelines for afforestation grant and felling licence approvals, as well as increasing public awareness that forestry is positive for the environment, rural employment and climate change,” said the MD of Forestry Services Ltd.
“My main wish is for landowners to realise that forestry is a viable land use choice for many farmers and not an option of last resort,” said John O’Reilly, CEO, Green Belt. His second wish was for a united approach to forestry by all stakeholders. He also called for a much faster turnaround time for afforestation and felling licence approvals.
John Phelan, MD, Woodland Managers Ltd, divided his wishes as follows:
Brexit or Fixit? – let’s all – State and private – be on the same page to prioritise jobs and exports.Streamline processes for licences – Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and companies to identify business process improvements such as digital signing and many more. Improved research structures – DAFM to implement the COFORD recommendations in the “Longer Term Forest Research” report.Brexit featured prominently in Pat Glennon’s wish list. The joint MD of Glennon Brothers regards Brexit as one of the greatest economic challenges ever to face the State. “Our main wish is for some clarification on Brexit,” he said. “Half of our business is based in the UK, so we are part-insulated against the worst excesses of a bad Brexit,” he explained.
However, Glennon’s Irish based division, like other sawmills, is vulnerable so his second wish is for a major increase in the Irish construction market which is long overdue.“We need to increase house building which would benefit the Irish sawmilling and wood processing sectors.” His final wish is for “greater wood mobilisation in Ireland, especially from privately owned forests”.
John McCarthy, None so Hardy Nurseries, called for:
An independent forestry agency as forestry is the only natural resource sector in Ireland without the support of such a body.Turnaround times for afforestation approval should be within 60 days.Environmental service payment to acknowledge non-wood benefits of forestry including carbon sequestration and the role the sector can play in helping agriculture achieve greenhouse gas emission targets. Marina Conway, CEO of Western Forestry Co-op, placed strong emphasis on the community benefits of forestry, to:
Allow rural-based jobs in the farm forestry sector continue to increase, creating a vibrant sector that supports rural communities.Ensure farmers and local landowners to be the main beneficiaries of private forestry in Ireland. Foster an indigenous forest culture with generational handover of forests between families so that the benefits of farm forestry remain in the local communities they were intended for.Gerry Murphy, president of the Society of Irish Foresters, identified “long-term forest research, which is critical to support the development of the sector into the 21st century and beyond. Introducing a 30% broadleaf planting programme needs to be accompanied by research that matches long rotations for broadleaves.” He also called for a proactive promotional drive to address misleading references to forestry “by highlighting case studies of good commercial and environmental outcomes from our forests”. The society’s final wish is the establishment of an independent forestry organisation or entity to represent and support the industry which exists in other sectors including food, marine and tourism.
The State needs to acknowledge the wider benefits of forestry including carbon sequestration and water quality improvement, which is why the introduction of an “Environmental Services Payment” features in the wish list of Vincent Nally, IFA farm forestry committee chair. His second wish is for a geographically balanced afforestation programme as planting – especially in Munster – has fallen dramatically. He believes there are innovative ways to achieve a more even spread of afforestation. “For example, a promotional programme – forestry for everyone – would incentivise all farmers to consider planting some of their land even if it is only a field corner or a few awkward acres.” His final wish is to examine the replanting obligation which is a major afforestation barrier.
Donal Whelan, technical director of the Irish Timber Growers Association (ITGA), called for “a united approach by the sector to improve co-ordination and communications and better achieve cross sectoral aims”. He also called for “wider use of technology in forestry which has the capacity to improve efficiencies and lower costs across the industry”.
He maintained that the potential of our forestry sector can often be highlighted and communicated to the wider public by new and novel non-wood initiatives. For the season that’s in it, he said ITGA “will continue to focus on initiatives, such as working with the Rye River Brewing Company in the sourcing of spruce needle tips for its 2018 Spruce Tip Saison”. He is confident that all Irish Farmers Journal readers will drink to that!
We contacted sawmillers, foresters, farmers, forestry companies and other stakeholders around the country and asked each to provide three wishes for 2019.
Brexit, forestry and the community, research and the need to establish a forestry development agency featured strongly, while many wished to see a much speedier system of application approvals to increase activity in afforestation and wood mobilisation as well as a strong forestry promotional programme.
We will feature some of their wishes and ones we had to omit, in more detail during the year but in the meantime, the following is a summary of participants’ wishes for 2019 and beyond in a few instances.
“An independent forestry development agency (FDA) needs to be established and resourced so that the opportunities staring us in the face in the forestry sector are fully grasped for this and future generations,” was Paddy Bruton’s only wish. “I’m not greedy so this wish is sufficient because if granted, other benefits will flow, including shorter timelines for afforestation grant and felling licence approvals, as well as increasing public awareness that forestry is positive for the environment, rural employment and climate change,” said the MD of Forestry Services Ltd.
“My main wish is for landowners to realise that forestry is a viable land use choice for many farmers and not an option of last resort,” said John O’Reilly, CEO, Green Belt. His second wish was for a united approach to forestry by all stakeholders. He also called for a much faster turnaround time for afforestation and felling licence approvals.
John Phelan, MD, Woodland Managers Ltd, divided his wishes as follows:
Brexit or Fixit? – let’s all – State and private – be on the same page to prioritise jobs and exports.Streamline processes for licences – Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and companies to identify business process improvements such as digital signing and many more. Improved research structures – DAFM to implement the COFORD recommendations in the “Longer Term Forest Research” report.Brexit featured prominently in Pat Glennon’s wish list. The joint MD of Glennon Brothers regards Brexit as one of the greatest economic challenges ever to face the State. “Our main wish is for some clarification on Brexit,” he said. “Half of our business is based in the UK, so we are part-insulated against the worst excesses of a bad Brexit,” he explained.
However, Glennon’s Irish based division, like other sawmills, is vulnerable so his second wish is for a major increase in the Irish construction market which is long overdue.“We need to increase house building which would benefit the Irish sawmilling and wood processing sectors.” His final wish is for “greater wood mobilisation in Ireland, especially from privately owned forests”.
John McCarthy, None so Hardy Nurseries, called for:
An independent forestry agency as forestry is the only natural resource sector in Ireland without the support of such a body.Turnaround times for afforestation approval should be within 60 days.Environmental service payment to acknowledge non-wood benefits of forestry including carbon sequestration and the role the sector can play in helping agriculture achieve greenhouse gas emission targets. Marina Conway, CEO of Western Forestry Co-op, placed strong emphasis on the community benefits of forestry, to:
Allow rural-based jobs in the farm forestry sector continue to increase, creating a vibrant sector that supports rural communities.Ensure farmers and local landowners to be the main beneficiaries of private forestry in Ireland. Foster an indigenous forest culture with generational handover of forests between families so that the benefits of farm forestry remain in the local communities they were intended for.Gerry Murphy, president of the Society of Irish Foresters, identified “long-term forest research, which is critical to support the development of the sector into the 21st century and beyond. Introducing a 30% broadleaf planting programme needs to be accompanied by research that matches long rotations for broadleaves.” He also called for a proactive promotional drive to address misleading references to forestry “by highlighting case studies of good commercial and environmental outcomes from our forests”. The society’s final wish is the establishment of an independent forestry organisation or entity to represent and support the industry which exists in other sectors including food, marine and tourism.
The State needs to acknowledge the wider benefits of forestry including carbon sequestration and water quality improvement, which is why the introduction of an “Environmental Services Payment” features in the wish list of Vincent Nally, IFA farm forestry committee chair. His second wish is for a geographically balanced afforestation programme as planting – especially in Munster – has fallen dramatically. He believes there are innovative ways to achieve a more even spread of afforestation. “For example, a promotional programme – forestry for everyone – would incentivise all farmers to consider planting some of their land even if it is only a field corner or a few awkward acres.” His final wish is to examine the replanting obligation which is a major afforestation barrier.
Donal Whelan, technical director of the Irish Timber Growers Association (ITGA), called for “a united approach by the sector to improve co-ordination and communications and better achieve cross sectoral aims”. He also called for “wider use of technology in forestry which has the capacity to improve efficiencies and lower costs across the industry”.
He maintained that the potential of our forestry sector can often be highlighted and communicated to the wider public by new and novel non-wood initiatives. For the season that’s in it, he said ITGA “will continue to focus on initiatives, such as working with the Rye River Brewing Company in the sourcing of spruce needle tips for its 2018 Spruce Tip Saison”. He is confident that all Irish Farmers Journal readers will drink to that!
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