Analysis has been done by my Department, through COFORD (National Council for Forest Research and Development), on the environmental effects of forestry operations, including forest replanting, on peatland.
The PEnrich project (Forestry Operations and Eutrophication), was a joint COFORD/EPA funded project which examined the influence of forestry and forest operations on water quality. The project studied, inter alia, the influence of forest operations such as harvesting — clearfelling, thinning and re-establishment of forests in a blanket peatland catchment on the Ballinagee River, in the Wicklow Uplands. The final project report is available from the EPA. Another joint COFORD/EPA research project — "Quantification of Erosion and Phosphorus Release from a Peat Soil Forest Catchment (Xiao, L. Rodgers, M. O’Connor, M., 2008), examined the effects of clearfelling and reforesting in peat soil forest catchments. The final report is available from EPA.
In addition to the above work, my Department is currently funding a number of research projects which are examining, inter alia, issues relating to the impact of various forestry operations on peatland and other sensitive sites and the potential mitigation measures to avoid such impacts. The SANIFAC project is carrying out an assessment and mitigation of soil and nutrient losses from acid-sensitive (peat) forest catchments and is due to be completed later this year. The WESTFOREST project aims to develop a decision support system for the optimal management of forests on sensitive western peatland sites. The project is focusing on forests established on peatlands and other environmentally sensitive areas, where felling and reforestation decisions need to take environmental factors into account. The REDAREAS project has examined alternative management options for forests planted on western peatlands, including options for redesigning some of those forests to provide environmental services rather than timber production.
The HYDROFOR project is a joint COFORD/EPA research project which is being undertaken by UCD. The project is examining the potential impact of forestry on surface water quality with respect to acidification, eutrophication and sedimentation at the various stages in the forest cycle. Work scheduled for Autumn 2010 includes a hydrochemical assessment of reforestation sites. Further information on these projects will be available shortly on the Departments website.