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. 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.

2 5. GENERAL SITE REQUIREMENTS 23. ii Land for Afforesatation 23. 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. 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.

3 Compensation for loss of premium 33. Proof of Forest Premium loss letter 34. 8. SILVICULTURAL Standards 35. 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. 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.

4 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. 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. 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.

5 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. 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. (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.

6 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. Mapping ABE plots 111. Claim reductions for plantation ABE areas in excess of allowable thresholds 111. iv Forest Road Scheme Mapping Conventions 112. General 112. Forest Road Scheme Mapping Requirements 112. Woodland Improvement Scheme - Mapping Conventions 117. Tending and Thinning of Broadleaves (WIS) 117. Plantation access for fertiliser application/foliar analysis 117. Environmental Enhancement of Forests (EEF) 117. Reconstitution of Woodlands Scheme - Mapping Conventions 121. Summary of Map Requirements by Scheme Type 124. 13. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND CONTROLS - CONSULTATION. PROCESS 125. Overview 125. Public Consultation Process 132. Appeals Process 132. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) 133. Appropriate Assessment Procedure 133.

7 European Communities (Forest Consent and Assessment) Regulations 2010 134. Public Consultation 135. Offences 135. Penalties 135. Directions in respect of certain work 135. Further information 135. Forest Road Approval System 136. Guidance for seeking approval for the construction of forest roads 136. Forest Road Grant Scheme 136. Other Forest Road projects 136. Definition of forest road works 136. Definition of works ancillary to road construction 137. 14. INTERACTION OF AFFORESTATION SCHEME WITH AGRICULTURE SCHEMES. 139. REPS (Rural Environmental Protection Scheme) 139. GLAS (Green, Low-Carbon, Agri-Environment Scheme) 139. Early Retirement Scheme (ERS) 139. Basic Payment Scheme 139. v Appendices APPENDIX 1: PROVENANCE DECLARATION FORM 141. APPENDIX 2: MANDATE OF GRANTS 143. APPENDIX 3: MANDATE /ASSIGNMENT OF GRANT TO REGISTERED FORESTER/COMPANY 144. APPENDIX 4: MANAGEMENT PLAN (FORM 2) 145. APPENDIX 5: MANAGEMENT PLAN YEAR 12 END OF ROTATION 148. APPENDIX 6: CERTIFICATION OF LAND TRANSFER 149.

8 APPENDIX 7: COMMONAGE CONSENT FORM 150. APPENDIX 8: JOINT MANAGEMENT CONSENT FORM 151. APPENDIX 9: RELEASE OF TURBARY RIGHTS CONSENT FORM 153. APPENDIX 10: RELEASE OF GRAZING RIGHTS CONSENT FORM 154. APPENDIX 11: LAND TYPES FOR AFFORESTATION 155. APPENDIX 12: SHELL MARL AND CALCAREOUS SOILS 157. APPENDIX 13: SOIL SAMPLING Procedures 158. APPENDIX 14: SAMPLE COLLECTION FOR FOLIAR ANALYSIS 162. APPENDIX 15: PROTOCOL FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE ACID SENSITIVITY OF SURFACE WATER 165. APPENDIX 16: STATEMENT OF TOTAL COSTS 171. APPENDIX 17: STATEMENT OF COSTS (APPLICANTS) 172. APPENDIX 18: AREAS OF POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE TO FISHERIES 173. APPENDIX 19: ARCHAEOLOGY: SCHEDULED VENUES TO VIEW RECORD OF MONUMENTS AND PLACES 176. APPENDIX 20: STANDARD ANNUITY TABLE 177. Forest Service Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Johnstown Castle Estate Co. Wexford Tel: Lo-Call 1890 200 509. E-mail: Web: vi 1. Introduction The Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is Ireland's national forest authority.

9 It is responsible for, inter alia, national forest policy, promotion of private Forestry , administration of forest consent system and Forestry support schemes, forest health and protection, control of felling and promotion of research in Forestry and forest products. The objective of the Forest Service is to develop Forestry to a scale and in a manner which maximises its contribution to the national economic and social wellbeing on a sustainable basis and which is compatible with the protection of the environment . The Forestry Standards and Procedures Manual provides guidance on the operational requirements of the various Schemes which are subject to the conditions set out in each of the Scheme documents. Eligibility under the various schemes is governed by the terms and conditions of the relevant scheme document, as published by the Department. The scheme documents as well circulars amending or updating scheme requirements are available on the Department's website. This Manual complements, and should be read in conjunction with, the National Forest Standard, the Code of Best Forest Practice and the suite of mandatory environmental guidelines published by the Department relating to Archaeology, Biodiversity, Landscape, Water Quality, Aerial Fertilisation, Harvesting, Forest Protection, Otters and Kerry Slug.

10 Adherence to the measures described in these publications is a condition of all grant schemes. This Manual relates to the Schemes funded by the State under the Forestry Development Programme for 2014-2020. The programme is 100% funded from the Exchequer and is subject to European Union State Aid rules. 7. 2. Application Process for the Afforestation and Native Woodland (Establishment) Schemes (2014 - 2020). All proposed afforestation developments must receive the prior written approval of the Forest Service. It is an offence to undertake afforestation without the prior written approval of the Minister. Any afforestation development which proceeds without such approval will not be eligible for grant payment and premium under the Scheme. Under the European Communities (Forest Consent and Assessment) Regulations 2010 ( No. 558 of 2010), as amended (by No. 442 of 2012) the Minister may also require the removal of the forest and may seek to prosecute the applicant through the Courts. No differentiation is made between farmers and non-farmers in relation to the rate of premium payable under the Afforestation and Native Woodland (Establishment) Grant and Premium Schemes 2014-2020.