Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and Members of the Seanad for this opportunity to discuss forestry and to acknowledge the important contribution that forestry makes to our economy, our environment and our society. While we can see the obvious benefits of forestry such as loads of timber, logs and planks being transported on our roads, the cars of workers outside timber processing plants, firewood and timber products, the contribution of forestry in other ways, for example, to climate change mitigation, biodiversity and water quality, may not always be fully understood or appreciated. I propose to outline the development of Irish forestry to date, the way in which we are seeking to continue the progress and the benefits we derive from our investment.

While the State started from a very low base with forest cover of less than 1.5% of Ireland’s land area - or just 125,000 ha of forests - in the early 1900s, this has steadily increased over the 20th century. The bulk of this increase occurred since the late 1980s, following the introduction of State and, subsequently, EU funding towards the establishment of private forests. While the findings of the most recent national forestry inventory are due to be published shortly, the second such inventory found that the area of forest cover in Ireland in 2012 was nearly 732,000 ha, or 10.5% of the land area. Senators will agree that this was a significant increase, one outcome of which is a vibrant export-oriented timber industry with more than 75% of the output of Ireland’s saw milling and 80% of wood-based panel production being exported. It should also be noted that the overall Irish forest industry, comprising growing, harvesting and processing of forest products, contributes €2.3 billion to the national economy, generates annual exports of over €350 million and employs more than 12,000 people.

The economic activity of the forest sector is spread through every region of the State and makes an important contribution to regional development and the rural economy. Forestry also represents a significant income stream for landowners. My Department issues payments annually in respect of grant-aided forests to more than 15,000 forest owners, the majority of whom are farmers. In 2017, a total capital expenditure of nearly €100 million was paid under the forestry schemes with grants, premiums and funding for other support measures such as assistance towards building of forest roads to facilitate the management, thinning and harvesting of the timber crop. The timber crop itself also provides a valuable and increasingly important income stream.

The current forestry programme, under which my Department operates forestry schemes such as the afforestation scheme, runs to 2020. The programme offers an ambitious and attractive set of forestry measures aimed at increasing timber production while at the same time improving the quality of our natural environment. The achievement of these objectives involves the commitment of €482 million over the period of the programme. This level of investment will facilitate an increase in forest cover by almost 44,000 ha and the construction of 690 km of forest roads.

A recent mid-term review of the forestry programme found, however, that there has been a shortfall in overall planting levels, compared to the targets in the programme, and that the proportion of broadleaf planting is not meeting the annual target. The measures in the programme were re-examined and have now been enhanced with the aim of increasing planting levels and introducing greater diversity in terms of the species being planted, with a particular emphasis on increasing the percentage of broadleaf cover. Forests serve a multi-functional role, which I will elaborate on later. In view of this function, the enhanced measures also aim to support Government policy in other areas. For example, the introduction of improved grant and premium rates for agroforestry and forestry for fibre, while aimed at encouraging more farmers to see forestry as part of their farming mix, may also contribute to biomass supply in support of the proposed support scheme for renewable heat.

Native woodlands established along sensitive watercourses can deliver a range of water-related ecosystem services and can form part of the toolbox of measures the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and others might consider for strategic deployment under the river basin management plan. I will shortly be launching a woodlands for water measure, the aim of which will be to deliver meaningful ecosystem services that protect and enhance water quality and aquatic ecosystems. Further incentives such as higher rates and measures to protect broadleaf woodlands against deer damage have been put in place following the midterm review to encourage the planting of native species. Improvements to the native woodland conservation scheme and the introduction of a continuous cover forestry scheme will also support the objectives of the National Biodiversity Action Plan 2017-2021.

Forestry is an integral part of our landscape, a significant contributor to the economy, the environment and society and it also serves as a means to support and assist policy initiatives in other areas, as I have just outlined. I welcome the announcement by the Government, in the context of the national development plan, of its continued support for afforestation. Recently I announced a review of the national response to the ash dieback disease. This includes a review of the reconstitution ash dieback scheme and the all-Ireland chalara control strategy 2013. The review comes after a high-level stakeholder meeting in Dublin in which we received the most up-to-date scientific information on the prevalence of the disease in ash plantations in Ireland. I believe it is time for a new approach in Ireland to ash dieback. It is clear from the latest scientific advice that eradication here is no longer considered feasible. Given this updated advice, our policy response must also change.

The reconstitution ash dieback scheme will be reviewed to ensure its continued relevance and value for money, and to ensure that the forest owner is provided with a broader range of silvicultural and management options. For farmers this new policy response will mean more options if their forests are affected with the disease and we will continue to inform and support them if they have ash dieback. I believe that many farmers with ash dieback on larger trees would like the opportunity to grow the forest on and produce a crop of ash timber without fear of their annual premiums being stopped. As a first step, I recently announced that the Department will no longer be ending premium payments to farmers who wish to continue managing their ash plantations where the prevalence of the disease is low.

Among the benefits of forestry is the economic value of forestry for employment, exports and farm income. In that context, the forest sector is playing an increasingly important role in rural development, not only through the diversification of farm income from the payment of annual forestry premiums and income from timber sales but also through the provision of sustainable rural-based employment.

I shall now turn to the environmental benefits of forestry, which are wide ranging. Well sited forest plantations can provide a filtration buffer preventing sedimentation from reaching sensitive watercourses; they can slow down the flow of rainwater from higher elevations thereby reducing the risk of flooding and they provide important habitats for wildlife.

Forests also have an important role to play in climate change mitigation. Benefits include sequestering carbon, providing an additional long term store of carbon in harvested wood and substituting non-renewable, high emissions materials and fossil fuels.Under the provisionally agreed effort sharing regulation, up to 26.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from forests and other land uses can be accounted for in meeting our 2021 to 2030 emissions reduction target. The majority of this will come from the State’s investment in afforestation. The abatement cost of afforestation is estimated to be €23 per tonne which makes forestry very cost competitive as a climate change mitigation tool, particularly relative to alternative measures in the land sector. In addition, the ability of wood to substitute for emissions-intensive materials supports other sectors in their decarbonisation efforts. We hear increasing commentary about the bioeconomy which refers to the economic activity derived from the use of biological resources to produce food, feed materials and energy. The concept of a bioeconomy has emerged in response to the challenges of food security, energy security, climate change and the depletion of non-renewable resources. I understand that virtually everything that can be made from fossil resources can also be made from biological resources. Substituting sustainably produced biomass for fossil resources facilitates decarbonisation and continued economic growth.

The Irish forestry sector has a major role to play and huge potential in the emerging bioeconomy. This role and potential is explored in the report, Growing the Irish Forest Bioeconomy, produced by COFORD under the programme of competitive forestry research. This report gives a comprehensive overview of the subject and the way in which the further development of forestry could contribute to Ireland’s national policy on the bioeconomy. It is vital that the development of the forestry sector is focused on people because forests can deliver important social benefits. Forests, for example, provide people with opportunities to exercise, to spend time with their families in the outdoors, and to enjoy being close to nature and being surrounded by scenic landscapes. Time spent away from the hustle and bustle of modern life can contribute to a healthier state of mind and a feeling of well-being. For example, last year’s green ribbon campaign included a series of six forest walks organised by the IFA in association with See Change, Coillte and Mental Health Ireland. I understand that these "Let’s Talk and Walk" events have been a great initiative to help get people talking openly about mental health problems, and forest trails provide a relaxing, peaceful environment for such events.

Resources within my Department are therefore focused on developing recreational and environmental aspects of woodlands which can be enjoyed by local communities and visitors alike. This is being achieved through the enhancement of Ireland’s native woodland resource, thereby delivering landscape and ecological benefits to society and through investment in local amenity areas in the form of so-called neighbourwoods. Our national strategic goal for forestry is to develop an internationally competitive and sustainable forestry sector that provides a full range of economic, environmental and social benefits to society and which accords with the Forest Europe definition of sustainable forest management. I have outlined some of those benefits. My Department and I continue to work towards that goal through the introduction and enhancement of schemes and the roll-out of initiatives, including the development of knowledge transfer groups to assist forest owners to develop their knowledge of forestry and the design of a certification scheme to assist them to achieve forest certification. The Department also funds forest research projects to inform our policymaking and to assist the sector ranging from nurseries, growers, processors and end users.

I hope I have given a reasonable insight into the Irish forestry sector and I look forward to hearing the contributors. We will be taking notes. There is an official with me from the Department, a senior forestry inspector. I look forward to hearing the responses.