Forestry Council Report March 2025

1. Policy proposals for approval by National Council 
2. IFA Farm Forestry committee propose that the private sector should have the option to be paid for timber in meters cubed. To do so, Department officials would be required to work at the sawmills verifying the volume of timber on the weighbridge and completing the conversion of timber from tonnage to meters cubed.
3. IFA Farm Forestry committee proposes, due to recent storm damage, an emergency fund to be made available for clear-felling windblown trees and for the replanting obligation. Forest owners cannot absorb the cost of the replanting obligation if the timber value is vastly reduced.

• Market Review 
• The Forestry Weekly Dashboard showed that as of the beginning of February 2025, 429 hectares of new forest have been planted and 10 km of forest roads constructed. Afforestation licences issued to establish 6,314 hectares under the Afforestation scheme and 428 under the Native Tree Area scheme. 87 private felling licences issued compared with 26 Coillte felling licences.

1. Activity since last National Council

Forest Windblow taskforce set up by Department. The Department of Agriculture has set up a forest windblow taskforce to ensure that the nearly 24,000ha of storm-damaged forests are managed safely and appropriately. IFA and other key forest stakeholders have joint Department Officials on the taskforce now entering its 5^th meeting. 

• The objective of the windblow taskforce is to prioritise felling licences in respect of the storm damage and to examine issues that arise in relation to harvesting, haulage, and sawmilling of the blown trees. The scale of the windblow damage is more than twice the annual volume of forest harvested in Ireland. 
• Existing thinning licences are now valid to clear forests that suffered windblow damage during storms Darragh and Eowyn. In the case of thinning – only licenced, forest owners must fill-in required form found on https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/tree-felling-and-management/ and email it to felling.forestservice@agriculture.gov.ie with the subject line ‘Notification of storm utilisation of Thinning licence.’ 
• Minister Michael Healy-Rae has giving assurance that the nearly 24,000 ha of forestry that has suffered windblow damage will be granted with assistance schemes. He stated, “those with necessary licences can proceed with clearance and replanting without fear of being disadvantaged in future assistance schemes”. 
• The Department has launched two enhanced decision support tools. A tree volume and carbon calculator and a felling decision tool. Both tools are available on https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/tree-felling-and-management/ .

IFA Proposal for Windblow Damage.

IFA recognises that the development and implementation of the Windblow Taskforce established by Minister Michael Healy-Rae contributes to the Department’s and the wider sector’s response to the storms, with particular emphasis on dealing safely with the large areas of forest blown down by the storms. 

The issue of windblow trees has severely impacted farmers and landowners. It would be unacceptable that farmers and landowners be held solely financially responsible for the removal of windblow trees. The Government needs to support farmers and landowners sharing the responsibility to coordinate grant aided international help to safely remove windblow trees that pose a safety risk to road users, farmers, landowners and foresters. 

• Health and safety risks to road users and farmers.

There is an urgent need to develop a scheme to support the safe removal of Windblow trees. The health and safety risks to farmers during the removal of these trees and the risk to public road users if they are not removed are potentially devastating and require immediate action by Government.

• International Help.

Thousands of landowners, investors and pension stockholders who counted on forestry as a safe investment are affected by the catastrophic weather events. Harvesting must commence immediately. If not, timber a year on the ground means the difference between selling timber and selling firewood. Economically there is massive loss of value if this timber isn’t salvaged promptly. However, there is not sufficient industry resource in Ireland for felling and processing the timber nor for replanting the woodlands. 

International help is essential. We need experts who have delt with such a crisis before to help with a crisis emergency plan. Ireland does not have an adequate skillset to deal with the clean-up of salvageable timber under the time constraints. The work force must be coordinated to get as much timber salvaged as possible. Resultant contractor costs will be inflated due to supply and demand; therefore, grant aid is required urgently.

• Timber Storage.

How to prevent the timber from losing value is the greatest concern once salvaged. Where the timber will be stored if roadside storage isn’t an option, is another pressing concern. An intervention scheme is needed urgently as sawmills have now more timber than they forecasted.

IFA proposes that the private sector should have the option to be paid for timber in meters cubed. To do so, Department officials would be required to work at the sawmills verifying the volume of timber on the weighbridge and completing the conversion of timber from tonnage to meters cubed. This would provide relief to the private sector and ease some of the concerns regarding timber pricing. 

• Replanting Obligation

Replanting obligation to be reviewed on a site-by-site basis. The 24-month replanting obligation to be reviewed as the skill force simply cannot condemn the volume of work to be done in such a short time frame, given the scale of timber to be replanted. Emergency funds to be made available for the replanting obligation, as forest owners cannot absorb the cost of the replanting obligation if the timber value is vastly reduced.

• EU Funding.

EU civil protection mechanism needs to address some of our issues. An emergency fund to be established. Look at options for providing some level of compensation regarding contractor fees, foresters fees, replanting costs. There is not sufficient industry resource in Ireland for felling and processing the volume of windblown timber nor for replanting the woodlands in a timely manner as economically there is a massive loss of value if this timber isn’t salvaged promptly. Resultant contractor costs will be inflated due to supply and demand therefore grant aid is required urgently.

            Ends.

• Deer Management Strategy Group report update announced Farm Relief Services (FRS) has been awarded the role for Deer Management Strategy programme manager, following a Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine tender process. The appointment of the programme manager was a key recommendation of the Deer Management Strategy Group, chaired by Teddy Cashman.
• The programme manager will now be responsible for the establishment of 15 local deer management units. Overgrazing by deer is a pressure and threat for native woodlands in Ireland, including the woodland types listed under the EU’s Habitats Directive.
• Deer densities, in Co. Wicklow in particular, but also in parts of counties Tipperary, Waterford, Donegal and Galway, are above a sustainable level for land management activities and are impacting on farming, forestry, nature conservation and biodiversity.
• The Irish Deer Management Strategy Group was set up with representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS); and Coillte.
• The group published a final report that recommended, among other things, the appointment of a manager and the establishment of local management units in so-called “hot spots” for deer populations.
• Commenting on the awarding of the programme manager tender to FRS, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon said: “For agriculture, as well as our nature ecosystems, it is important that we are aware of the need for the sustainable management of our national deer population.
• The chair of the Deer Management Strategy Group, Cashman, said: “The programme manager is key to implementing the recommendations of the Deer Management Strategy Group and I look forward to working with FRS over the coming years making this a reality.”

Mid-Term Review of the Forestry Programme. The Department of Agriculture will undertake a mid-term review of the current Forestry Programme in 2025. IFA will be making a submission outlining proposed changes that are required to make the Forestry Programme more attractive and a diverse farming option for Irish landowners. 

Bark Beetle.

Over recent months, DAFM said it continued to engage closely with its Scottish and Northern Ireland counterparts. 

• In January 2025 Scottish Forestry informed the department that it cannot guarantee that the Scottish PFA is free from Ips cembrae bark beetles and, as such, can no longer meet EU phytosanitary import requirements.

• IFA attended the FITG meeting on the 6th November.
• Clare IFA Farm Forestry meeting 7th November.
• IFA attended the Irish Agroforestry Forum on the 8th November. 
• IFA attended COPA working party meeting on Plant Health on the 8th November. 
• IFA Farm Forestry online committee meeting 11th November.
• IFA attended the Department Agriculture, Food and Marine Plant Health Stakeholders Engagement Group on the 12th November.
• IFA attended Islandeady branch AGM on the 15th November.
• IFA attended Limerick Tipperary Forestry Group meeting on the 16th November. 
• IFA attended the Department Agriculture, Food and Marine EU Deforestation Regulation EU 2003/1115 meeting on the 25th November. 
• IFA attended the Joint preparatory meeting for the EU Stakeholders Platform on Forest and Forestry online meeting on the 25th November.
• IFA attended Forest Business Plan and Group Manual Stakeholder Engagement Group on the 28^th November.  
• IFA attended the Commission Expert Group on Forest and Forestry Stakeholder Platform online meeting on the 29th November.  
• IFA Farm Forestry committee meeting on the 11th December.
• IFA attended online DAFM EUDR webinar on the 16^th December.
• IFA attended DAFM FSCC meeting on people and wood on the 17^th December.
• IFA met with Inland Fisheries on the 21^st January.
• IFA attended the first DAFM Windblow Taskforce meeting on the 4^th February.
• IFA attended Kerry AGM on the 6^th February.
• IFA met with Nina Carberry MEP on the 7^th February.
• IFA attended DAFM EUDR IT stakeholder subgroup meeting on the 11^th February.
• IFA attended the second DAFM Windblow Taskforce meeting on the 11^th February. 
• IFA attended the third DAFM Windblow Taskforce meeting on the 25^th February.
• IFA Farm Forestry committee meeting took place on the 26^th February.
• IFA attended DAFM FSCC on the 3^rd March. 
• IFA attended online DAFM EUDR virtual training on the 6^th March. 

• Any EU/COPA developments
• IFA attended online COPA working party meeting on Agri – Foods ETS on the 18^th November.
• IFA attended online COPA meeting on the position on the EU amendments and on simplification of the EUDR on the 20th November.
• IFA attended online COPA Joint preparatory meeting for the stakeholder’s platform on forest and forestry on the 25^thNovember. 
• IFA attended COPA online Parpartory meeting for workshop 3 Agri-Food ETS on the 27^th November. 
• IFA attended Commission Export Group on Forst and Foresty Stakeholder Platform on the 29^th November.
• IFA attended online COPA working party on forestry on the 9^th December.
• IFA attended online COPA workshop with DG Agri on the 2025 annual work programme on the 16^th December.
• IFA attended online DG Envi and DG Agri Public hearing on forest monitoring on the 13^th January.
• IFA attended online COPA Exchange of views with DG Envi on EUDR on the 30^th January.
• IFA attended online COPA working party on forestry on the 17^th February. 

• Upcoming issues

–     IFA to host Forest Windblow Meeting in Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny on the 13th March.

–     IFA to attend the fourth Windblow Taskforce meeting on the 18th March. 

–     IFA to attend Teagasc Talking Timber event on the 15th April.

–     IFA Farm Forestry committee meeting to take place on the 23rd April.

–     IFA has been invited to meet with ESB. Date not finalised.

–     IFA has been invited to meet with the Irish Forestry Owners. Date not finalised. 

–     IFA will continue to lobby on the Local and European forestry proposals outlined in the IFA Election Manifesto.