Forestry Council Report May 2022

Market Review 

• IFA carried out a timber price survey for the period January – March 2022. The full survey is available here.

Product Type	Length (m)	Diameter (cm)	Price € /tonne
Pulp	3 m	< 7cm	15 – 39
Stakewood	1.6 m	> 8cm < 15 cm	27 – 48
Palletwood	2.5 m	> 14 cm	33 – 48
	3.1 m		55 – 68
	3.4 m		62 – 70
	3.7 m		65 – 75
Sawlog	4.9m	> 20cm	90 – 115
	5.5 m		102 – 120

Table 1. Roadside prices excluding VAT for Sitka spruce timber

Standing Prices	Price € /tonne
1st Thinning	20 – 25
2nd Thinning	20 – 28
3rd Thinning	25 – 36
Clearfell	52 – 90

        Table 2. Standing prices excluding VAT for Sitka spruce 

Figure 1. Roadside Timber Price Trend

Figure 2. Standing Timber Price Trend

The Department’s licence dashboard for April shows that a total of 452 forest licences issued, with is the equivalent to a weekly average of 90 licences.

• 254 licences issued to the private sector: 43 afforestation, 76 forest road and 135 felling licences.

• A total of 333 felling licences issued (135 issued to the private sector and 198 issued to Coillte). This means that approx. 60% of the felling licences issued to Coillte in April. 

Activity since last National Council

• As part of the public consultation on the new Working Towards Ireland’s Shared Vision for Forestry and a New Forest Strategy:
  • IFA prepared a briefing note to position farmers has crucial decision makers to the future success of the forest strategy and visions. 
  • Met with representatives from the Department to outline key strategic priorities for farmers in the new strategy.
  • Attended an idea session in Teagasc Oakpark Carlow to discuss and provide feedback on the future vision for forestry.
• IFA made a submission to the public consultation on a new Working Towards Ireland’s Shared Vision for Forestry and a New Forest Strategy on 27^th April (enclosed). The submission highlighted the importance of farmers as critical decision makers in any land use policy change, the benefits of commercial forestry, forests as cost effective carbon sinks and the importance of forestry to the rural economy. The submission also identified 12 key strategic priorities including, a new regulatory system that supports planting and managing forests at farm level, protection of farmers property rights, effective and proportionate incentives for planting and management, removal on restrictions on planting productive land types, relaxation of replanting obligation, proper supports for farmers affected by ash dieback etc. 
• IFA and Forestry Industry Ireland are in discussion about preparing a joint position paper to as part of the regulatory review. 
• IFA attended Project Woodland working group meetings to discuss the external regulatory review, which is expected to be finalised and reported on by June 2022. The working group offered feedback on the 15km radius for Appropriate Assessment screening and a single consent system that includes thinning and forest roads.
• IFA met with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on the Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan. The plan has a number of proposed measures including:
  • To continue research to investigate management prescriptions for felling and reforestation to improve or increase Hen Harrier breeding habitat.
  • To develop a programme of targeted forest removal focused on lower timber productivity forests adjoining open moorland habitat, to expand and link prime Hen Harrier habitat. 
  • Individual afforestation applications may be considered on non-supporting habitats
• The IFA Farm Forestry Committee met on the 3^rd March, 11^th April and the 10^th May.

Any EU/COPA developments

There are ongoing discussions at European level on how to reconcile the economic potentials of forestry beyond wood with reaching biodiversity and climate targets in the new EU Forest Strategy for 2030.

Upcoming issues

• IFA will continue with campaign to ensure that new Forestry Strategy reflects the views of farmers and supports a forestry at farm level. 
• Continued representation of farmers on Project Woodland. 
• IFA to meet with Coillte to discuss a number of issues including the new national forest strategic vision.