Afforestation continues to fall, according to the latest data issued by the Forest Service up to the end of June. New planting first grants amounted to €5.7m compared with €7.1 last year. This translates to 1,936ha of land planted up to the end of June compared with 2,526ha for the first half of 2017, which was a record low.

The planting target this year is over 7,000ha, but it is now likely that a programme of less than 5,000ha will be achieved unless there is a dramatic increase in afforestation before year-end.

Worryingly, the initial level of interest, especially by farmers, is fading. For example, Form 1 applications, for grant aid, which averaged 17,750ha annually from 2012 to 2015 fell to 4,276ha for the first six months this year. Form 1s are the first sign of interest in planting but in many instances they don’t translate to actual planting for a number of reasons.

However, the conversion rate from Form 1s to actual land planted has increased from 31% to 49% in recent years which is a positive development. Even if this conversion is maintained, as Form 1s are unlikely to reach 9,000ha this year, an afforestation programme of under 5,000ha is likely.

Roading

Form 2s approved for road making for the first six months in 2017 reached 45.7km, but only 26.6km were approved up to 30 June this year. The annual roading target is 110km but at current performance, the likely programme will be less than 55km, which has implications for wood mobilisation.

Harvesting

Felling licence applications for private forest owners remains healthy compared with last year. By mid-year in 2017 felling licence applications for clearfells amounted to 1,197ha compared with 3,280ha this year, while 1,932ha of these were approved, which is well up on last year’s area of 992ha.

Applications for thinning licences are marginally down – 8,976ha this year compared with 9,032 in 2017 – while 7,282ha of licences have been issued already this year compared with an exceptionally high 9,459ha of approvals in 2017 boosted presumably by a backlog of licences issued from the previous year.

Many forestry companies are now shifting their resources from planting to harvesting activities in the absence of opportunities in forest establishment. One forestry company spokesperson said that the Department Land Availability for Afforestation report, which was launched two years ago “provided hope that good marginal land suitable for forestry would be planted”.

The report identified an additional 0.5m hectares of land as economically and environmentally suitable for diverse forestry without negatively affecting agricultural production, but “it has had little impact on afforestation policy in the relevant parts of the country, where it should have reactivated the planting programme,” he said.

As a result, the geographical shift in afforestation away from Munster counties, in particular, continues. For example, Co Limerick – which achieved annual afforestation programmes of over 400ha as recently as 2010 – is experiencing an alarming fall-off in planting to less than 100ha in 2017.

Private planting in Tipperary has dropped from over 500ha to 162ha over the same period, while planting in Cork and Kerry has halved.

If this trend continues, afforestation may collapse in at least three Munster counties as it did in Donegal between 2003 and 2011.

Also, the decline in land planted by farmers is disproportionate to land planted by investors and other landowners. Farmers who were the core drivers of the private planting programme and related forestry activities, regard aspects of the programme as cumbersome, especially when compared with other land uses.

Although income from premium payments and timber prices remain attractive, the planning and appeals system is slowing down activity throughout the forest rotation as it now applies to afforestation, roading and harvesting.

Business to continue after fire at Lissarda sawmill

While the recent fire at GP Wood sawmill in Lissarda, Co Cork, caused extensive damage, the owners are confident that the effect on jobs will be kept to a minimum and with a bit of reorganisation in material flow, it will be business as usual within a number of weeks and that the company will rebuild the mill and eventually resume full timber production.

GP Wood was formed in April 2013 as a result of the merger between two of the most successful timber processing companies in Ireland, both based in Co Cork – the Grainger Group in Enniskeane and the Palfab Group which operated out of Lissarda.

Both mills were founded in 1977 and since the merger, GP Wood has invested more than €15m in a range of initiatives including a new mill and product enhancement.

The group is extremely important to the local and national economy as it is a major purchaser of timber from State and private forests, as well as employing approximately 150 staff with a further 250 indirect employees in their forestry operations, contracting and services.

The group has a large-scale commercial biomass combined heat and power (CHP) plant, which was designed around Enniskeane mill’s energy requirements in 2005, the first of its kind in the country. The plant produces 2.5MW of electricity which is sold to the national grid, and 6MW of thermal energy.

Production of construction timber, fencing, garden products and packaging (pallets) are the group’s main markets. To ensure quality products for the domestic and export markets, the group has invested in modern technologically advanced kiln-drying, machining and timber treatment facilities. Most of these operations are not affected by the recent fire.

Forest and renewable energy at the Tullamore Show

The Tullamore Show continues to expand since it was revived in the 1990s. It attracts close to 60,000 visitors annually and is now the largest one-day agricultural show in Ireland.

The forest and renewable energy section, organised by Teagasc’s Forestry Development Department, has expanded with the show and will be well represented again on Sunday 12 August.

“This year, over 20 companies and organisations will be on hand to provide information and demonstrations at the dedicated forest and energy village in the Butterfield Estate, Blueball,” said Liam Kelly, forestry adviser with Teagasc and the chief organisers of the forestry section at Tullamore. “Many exhibitors have requested larger trade spaces in order to showcase their activities, products and services.”

Although planting has fallen in recent years, activity has increased in harvesting, timber processing and wood energy and there is widespread interest in forestry, especially among the farming community he said. “Because of this, forestry will be well represented as it is recognised as an important mainstream activity on many farms with almost 22,000 forest owners, 83% being farmers.”

Call in to the Teagasc Forestry Development Department stand (W439) on 12 August, where Teagasc advisers and researchers will be on hand to assist on all forestry enquiries. The forest and energy stands are located on rows W and X in the main trade area of the show.

For further information, contact Liam Kelly (liam.kelly@teagasc.ie or call 044-9340721/087-9090495).