Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 March 2017
50. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a large percentage of planted forestry land here features the Sitka spruce species as opposed to native Irish trees; the criteria for the selection of specific tree species for planted forestry land; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12185/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraForest cover in Ireland is now at almost 11% and Sitka spruce forests occupy 52.4% of this forest land. The remainder is made up of a wide range of species including over 25% broadleaves including several native species, mostly ash, oak and birch.
Ireland, however, has very few native tree species compared to other European countries. Native trees are often selected by landowners whose objectives include optimising the recreational and biodiversity aspects of the new forest while Sitka spruce is normally selected by landowners whose objectives include optimising the economic return. Where a landowner wishes to plant Sitka spruce they must plant a minimum of 10% broadleaves and have 10 to 15% unplanted Areas of Biodiversity Enhancement. In all cases the landowners plan must be examined and approved by my Department.
Under the Forestry programme 2014 – 2020 my Department operates a package of measures, aimed specifically at protecting and expanding Ireland’s native woodland resource. These measures, which are 100% funded by the exchequer, represent a key biodiversity component within Ireland’s national forest policy. My Department provides higher grants and annual premiums to landowners who wish to establish native woodlands.
Native Woodland Establishment as represented by Grant & Premium Categories (GPC) 9 and 10 under the Afforestation Scheme, funds the establishment of new native woodland on open ‘greenfield’ sites. The Native Woodland Conservation Scheme promotes the appropriate restoration of existing native woodland, including the conversion of non-native forest to native woodland, through the provision of financial support to forest holders towards the cost of appropriate works. A third strand in my Department' strategy to support and expand Ireland’s native woodlands is the Seed Stand and Seed Orchard Scheme. This Scheme encourages the registration of seed stands comprising of native species on the National List of Basic Material. Most importantly the scheme supports the improvement and management of sessile oak and pedunculate oak seed stands within ancient woodlands. The establishment of indoor and outdoor seed orchards for both native and non native species is also supported under this scheme.
Ireland’s climate allows a wide range of native and exotic species to be grown, as can be seen from the great diversity of both herbaceous and woody species that grow successfully side-by-side in Ireland’s gardens and arboreta. The ability to grow many species of trees presents foresters with opportunities to use different species, not only to maximise site productivity for the production of specific wood products, but also to enhance the amenity, landscape and biodiversity values of the forests. Under the Afforestation and Creation of Woodlands measure the selection of species, and provenances of trees take into account all the site conditions of the area concerned. The need to select species resilient to climate change has been described in my Department’s recent “Draft Adaptation Plan for the Agriculture and Forest Sector”.
Species selection to ensure that the most suitable species are planted is guided by the COFORD publication ‘A Guide to Forest Tree Species Selection and Silviculture in Ireland’.
