Forestry Standards and Procedures Manual

1 Forestry Standards and Procedures Manual January 2015. i January 2015. Contents 1. INTRODUCTION 7. 2. APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THE AFFORESTATION AND NATIVE WOODLAND. (ESTABLISHMENT) SCHEMES (2014 - 2020) 8. Application for Pre-planting Approval - Form 1 8. Changes to Specifications 10. Application for 1st instalment Grant and 1st Premium Form 2 10. Statement of Costs 11. Application for 2nd instalment grant Form 3 11. Forest Management Plans 12. Application for subsequent Premium Payments - Form 4 12. Rules for reduction/withholding of payments 12.

2 1st Instalment Grants 12. 2nd Instalment Grants 12. Premiums 13. Registered Foresters and Forestry Companies 13. 3. OWNERSHIP 14. Proof of Ownership 14. Commonage 14. Leases 14. Joint Management 15. Constraints on ownership 16. Change of Ownership 16. 4. PLANTATION RULES AND GRANT PREMIUM CATEGORIES (GPC'S) 18. General 18. Plantations 18. Grant and Premium Categories and Plots 19. Examples of Plantation Payment Calculations 19. Planting of Alder in GPC 5, 6 and 7 22. 5. GENERAL SITE REQUIREMENTS 23. ii Land for Afforesatation 23.

3 Commercial Crop 23. Access 24. Ownership of Access 24. Adequate Access 24. Minimum Area 25. Conifer plantations: 25. Broadleaf plantations: 25. Minimum Width 25. 6. UNPLANTED AREAS, BIODIVERSITY AND SETBACK DISTANCES 26. Eligibility as an ABE 26. Criteria for ABE Eligibility 27. Grant aiding ABE plots 28. Setback/corridor width Conventions 28. Public road setback strip 28. Dwelling Houses/associated buildings setback areas 29. Rights of way held by parties other than the owner 29. Major Water mains (Local Authority or Group Scheme) 29.

4 Gas line 29. ESB corridors (see also Chapter 7) 30. Wind Turbines 30. Ridelines 30. Internal roads & turning bays etc. 30. Hedgerows 30. Streams, Rivers, lakes, reservoirs 30. Firebreaks 31. Railway setback strips 31. Points of Water Abstraction 31. Setback from Swallow holes, turloughs 31. 7. ESB POWER LINES 32. Unplanted Corridors 32. Claiming Compensation 33. Compensation levels 33. 75% of land value 33. Compensation for loss of premium 33. Proof of Forest Premium loss letter 34. 8. SILVICULTURAL Standards 35.

5 Species Selection 35. Soil Analysis 40. Provenance Selection 40. Accepted Seed Origins/Provenances 40. EU Forest Reproductive Material Regulations 43. ii EU Plant Health Regulations 44. Plants originating in Ireland and other EU Countries 45. Plants originating in non-EU countries 45. Conifer Mixtures 46. Drainage 46. General Drainage Objectives 46. Buffer zones and exclusion zones 47. Flat' difficult to drain areas 47. Drainage Survey 47. Drain types 48. Sediment Control and Management 50. Burning and Clearing Vegetation 51.

6 Ground Cultivation Methods 53. Mounding 53. Stocking and Spacing 55. Plant Quality 56. Plant Handling and Planting 57. General Plant Handling Issues 57. Using Co-extruded plastic bags 57. Planting Methods 58. Lifting and Planting Dates 58. Cold Store Plants 59. Fertiliser Application 60. General. 60. Phosphate 60. Potassium 62. Nitrogen 63. Aerial Fertilisation 64. Fencing 65. General 65. Fencing wire and netting Standards 65. Fire 68. Procedure for reporting fire damage to forest plantations 69. Fire and the Obligation of Forest Owners 69.

7 Fire Plan and Preparedness 70. Weed Control 71. Required Plantation and Forest Management Standards 71. General 71. Fertility 74. Fences, Roads, Firebreaks, Drains and Sediment traps. 76. Formative shaping 76. Pests and Diseases 78. 9. AGROFORESTRY (GPC11) 79. General 79. Stocking 79. Minimum Area and Width 79. Species 79. iii Site Type 79. Planting 79. Weed Control 79. Fencing 80. Allowable Agricultural Activities 80. Grant Rates and Premiums 80. 10. Forestry FOR FIBRE (GPC 12 A AND B) 82. General 82.

8 Stocking 82. Minimum Area and Width 82. Species 82. Site Type 82. Planting 83. Weed Control 83. Fencing 83. Rotation length 83. 11. NATIVE WOODLAND ESTABLISHMENT (GPC 9 AND 10) 84. 12. Forestry SCHEMES MAPPING REQUIREMENTS 85. General 85. Claims/payments for the Afforestation and Support Schemes (2015-2020) 85. Direct Payments (2015-2020), Cross Compliance and Land Use Reconciliation 86. Maps Required for Approval and Grant Aid 87. Pre-Approval Map Requirements (Form 1) 87. Maps Required for Grant Claims (Form 2 and Form 3) 87.

9 Map Formats - Paper and Electronic Submission of Certified Species Maps 87. Paper Submission Osi Map Original or Composites 87. Form 1, Pre-Approval Online Submissions 88. Paper Form 2 and Form 3 Submissions (Hardcopy Outputs from iNET) 88. Use of Standardised Symbols, Colours and Text 88. Mapping Plantation and Plot Boundaries 89. Compiling the Certified Species Map plot table 90. Plot No. (Plot Number) 91. Area (ha)(Claimed Area) 91. GPC (Grant and Premium Category) 91. LUT (Land Use Type) 93. Spp.

10 (Approved Species Planted Species Abbreviations) 93. Spp. of Trees (000s) (Number of trees planted) (Form 2 only) 94. Spp. % (Species Percentage) 95. Mix. Type (Mixture Type) 95. (Planting Year) (Forms 2 and 3 only) 95. Est. YC (Estimated Yield Class) 96. Exc. Area (ha) (Exclusion area hectares) 96. Exc. Type (Exclusion Type) 96. Certified Species Map Plot Table - A Worked Example 97. Updating Plot Information (Form 2, Form 3 and Management plans) 98. Fencing Map 104. Biodiversity Map (BIO Map) 107. Identifying, Mapping and Recording ABE Features 108.