A leading forester has indicated that the 2023/2024 tree planting season in Northern Ireland could potentially be written-off.
Premier Woodlands managing director, John Hetherington said: “This is a direct result of delays created by Forest Service. To date, no tree planting contracts have been offered under the Forest Expansion Scheme and the Small Woodland Grant Scheme.
“In all previous years’ offers of planting, grants have been sent out before Christmas.
“These are the two measures that drive all private sector forestry and woodland creations in Northern Ireland.
“This week has come news of further delays on the part of Forest Service in getting contract offers out to landowners,” he said.
He said that civil servant strikes last week were a factor in this regard. Bu added that there are more fundamental issues also at play.
“These include the essential processes used by Forest Service staff to implement the tree planting support schemes available in Northern Ireland,” he continued.
“But one issue, above all else, stands out. And it’s this – the total lack of communication between Forest Service and the various stakeholder groups involved in the forestry and woodland development sectors. The silence is deafening.”
According to the Premier Woodlands representative, the 2023/2024 tree planting season may well be over by the time Forest Service completes all the implementation processes required to process the current round of applications, for both the Forest Expansion Scheme and the Small Woodland Grant Scheme.
“Initial applications for both measures were submitted almost six months ago,” Hetherington added.
So, why did the internal verifying processes not begin then, and allow completion before Christmas?
Tree planting season
Hetherington continued: “Another complication is the availability of seedling trees from the tree-supply nurseries.
“Orders for seedling trees must be confirmed by the end of January, to ensure they have not sold all their stock.
“Given current circumstances, forestry development companies are now left between a rock and hard place, not knowing if they should cancel orders already placed, or carry on in the hope that Forest Service may accelerate the current application procedures.”
John Hetherington is calling on Forest Service to allow ground preparation work to get underway as soon as Forestry Expansion Scheme and Small Woodland Grant Scheme applicants have returned their letters of offer.
“Normally, planting work, of any type, cannot commence until the final approved contract has been received by the land owner,” he said.
“Such an approach would speed up the entire process and allow the time that remains during the 2023/2024 tree planting season to be best utilised.
“All the tree planting delays incurred up to this point have been created by Forest Service.
“It is grossly unfair that farmers and other landowners committed to forest and woodland creation should be further hindered on the back of hold-ups, which they had not been responsible for in the first place, or have been informed of.”
Woodland creation
John Hetherington views 2024 as a watershed year for forest and woodland creation in Northern Ireland.
“The role of forestry and woodland creation as a land management tool in the context of climate change mitigation has been widely recognised and agreed by all relevant stakeholder organisations in Northern Ireland.
“However, we need to see definitive, future policy options put forward by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs [DAERA], where tree planting is concerned as a matter of priority.
“The current forestry and woodland development schemes have now run their course. It is imperative that information regarding the support measures, which will replace them, is put into the public domain without delay.”
