The need for ongoing conifer planting within the Irish forestry sector has been confirmed by a leading woodland development consultant.
John Hetherington is managing director of Premier Woodlands.
He is quick to endorse the principle that all tree planting initiatives – broadleaf and conifer – will deliver a significant reduction in atmospheric CO2 levels.
However, there has been speculation of late, that commercial conifer planting, particularly on peaty soils, will not deliver carbon footprint reductions across the areas on which they are established.
“This is not the case,” Hetherington insisted.
“A Forest Research report clearly showed that the likes of spruce plantations with a yield class of 8+ will continue to deliver significant carbon footprint reductions, therefore replanting on these sites will continue to be help reduce atmospheric CO2.
“The reality is, that most spruce woodlands established in Ireland can deliver yields that are at least three times – possibly four times, this production threshold,” he said.
Conifer planting
He added that the “continuing availability of improved plant genetics will help to boost these performance levels still further.
“So, yes, there is a continuing need for confer planting or replanting to be taking place at the very heart of Ireland’s forestry sector.”
The Premier Woodlands’ representative has specifically welcomed the re-opening of the Forest Expansion Scheme (FES) in Northern Ireland for two consecutive planting seasons: 2024/2025 and 2025/2026.
“This development will give a degree of certainty for the private woodland sector in Northern Ireland, looking ahead.
“However, a number of important issues remain to be confirmed on the part of Forest Service. Most importantly, these include the unit-cost rates of planting grant available under FES.
“These unit-costs have not been reviewed since the official opening of the scheme seven years ago,” he explained.
Hetherington added that “inflation and the more than significant increases in all of the costs associated with field work of any kind have greatly eroded the value of these unit-costs within FES grants.
“The scheme was designed to cover all the direct costs associated with the development of new woodlands – this is no longer the case.”
The Premier Woodlands’ representative is also calling on Forest Service to re-assess the FES unit-cost grant rates as a matter of priority and to announce the outcome of this review prior to the close of application date for the 2024/2025 scheme.
