This article is from page 59 of the 2007-09-25 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 59 JPG
CLARE IFA Farm Forestry Rep- resentative, Martin Murphy, has warned farmers that they might require a licence from the Forest Service before they undertake scrub clearance.
This comes at a time when many farmers are carrying out develop- ment work for the Farm Waste Man- agement Scheme.
“Felling of trees is controlled un- der the 1946 Forestry Act. In gen- eral terms, if you want to cut down any tree or uproot any tree over 10 years you must lodge a felling notice with the Garda Sergeant at your local
Garda Station,’ he said.
“The Forest Service will then in- spect the trees that you intend to fell and issue you with a felling licence. The licence may or may not have conditions, such as a replanting con- dition, attached.
“Some farmers make the mistake of thinking that the scrub that they are clearing wouldn’t be considered trees but generally if you can see a single straight stem you will need a licence. It is better to check with the Forest Service first than end up in court later.”
The provisions of the act apply re- gardless of whether the trees were planted or grew from natural regen-
eration. Approval for grant aid or planning permission does not exempt you from requiring a licence.
‘Farmers should contact the local Forest Service Inspector or the fell- ing section of the Forest Service in Johnstown Castle before they start development work to be on the safe side,’ advised Mr Murphy.
Meanwhile, Mary Wallace, Minis- ter of State at the Department of Ag- riculture and Food with responsibility for forestry, last week announced the approval by the EU Commission of Ireland’s Afforestation Programme 2007-2013.
“I am pleased to announce the authorisation by the EU Commis-
sion for our new Afforestation Pro- eramme, which follows long and detailed negotiation between my de- partment and the commission,” she said.
“This provides welcome stability at a crucial time for Irish forestry and allows us to focus our efforts on new planting. As noted by the EU Com- mission, forest cover in Ireland 1s the second lowest in the European Un- eye
“It is my hope that this aid package, worth more than EUR900m over the period 2007 – 2013, will re-energise the forestry programme and that we will see a steady increase in our for- est-cover over the next seven years.”