This article is from page 51 of the 2007-04-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 51 JPG
ALMOST €60 million in funding was allocated to Irish forestry plan- tation holders for 2007, representa- tion one of the largest payments ever made in the history of the state. Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food, Mary Wal- lace, made the announcement last week of €57 million to be allocated to the 15,000 forestry plantations na- tionwide. This is the annual forestry premium payment under the Forest- ry programme of the Department of Agriculture and Food. With the aver- age size of forestry holdings being in the region of eight hectares, and the average payment per forest-owner will be approximately €3,800. “New planting of forestry is vital
to sustain the forestry sector into the years ahead and it is important that the package on offer is most attrac- tive to landowners,” said Minister AWETEE Teron
“I was particularly pleased there- fore that planting grant levels have increased in some cases by up to 25 per cent in the last two years, while the annual forestry premium paid to farm foresters has increased by 15 per cent, with a new maximum pay- ment of up to €574 per hectare per annum.”
In addition to this the newly intro- duced Forest Environment Protec- tion Scheme (FEPS) providing a top up grant of €200 per hectare bring- ing the €574 per hectare to €774 per hectare per annum. This scheme was designed to encourage the establish-
ment of high nature value forestry on farms that participate in REPS.
“Properly planned forestry is one of the most environmentally friendly end-uses to which we can put our land, directly affecting the sequestra- tion of carbon from the atmosphere. Forestry in Ireland already delivers a significant range of environmental goods in addition to its timber out- jouulm
“I believe that every landowner should seriously examine forestry as a land use option taking into account the returns, both short and long term, and how it would fit in with their cur- rent enterprises and activities.”
Meanwhile, Minister Wallace also warned forest owners about the risk of forest fires in the coming weeks. Every spring in Ireland, several hun-
dred hectares of forests and wood- land are destroyed by fire.
Recent good weather conditions indicate a serious risk of forest fires over the next few days and weeks.
‘Forest owners have a duty to make themselves aware of these threats and to take appropriate actions to se- cure the safety of their forest invest- ments,” she said.
“The highest risk period occurs between February and June, when eround vegetation is dead and dry following winter. The areas at high- est risk from wildfire tend to be lo- cated adjacent to or within moorland areas. Prolonged dry periods and seasonal high winds in spring help create ideal conditions for wildfire to spread quickly through highly flam- mable moorland vegetation.”