Changes sought to new DAFM reforestation scheme
The national farm forestry chair of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), Padraic Stapleton has described the new Climate Resilient Reforestation Pilot Scheme as "another missed opportunity".
The scheme was launched by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) last week and offers financial support of up to €4,000/ha to forest owners who wish to reforest "for a different purpose".
There are three separate elements offered under the scheme, these are: reforestation for Coninuous Cover Forestry (CCF); reforestation for native forests; and reforestation for biodiversity and water.
Stapleton said the IFA will write to Minister of State for land use and biodiversity, Pippa Hackett to seek a meeting to outline its "issues with the scheme". Changes are "absolutely necessary" to make the scheme attractive for forest owners, he added.
Outlining his disappointment at the detail of the new Climate Resilient Reforestation Pilot Scheme, Stapleton said: “This is another missed opportunity by the Department of Agriculture.
"The scheme overall is very disappointing, especially for commercial forests where a setback will apply and the area is not included in this scheme."
The IFA national farm forestry chair also criticised the premium payments ranging from €150/ha to €650/ha per year for a duration of seven years, which he said is "too short and should be extended".
Forest owners can only apply for the Climate Resilient Reforestation Pilot Scheme if they either hold or have applied for a felling licence to clearfell their forest before the end of 2027, according to the DAFM.
The grant and premium rates available under the new Climate Resilient Reforestation Pilot Scheme are as follows:
| Elements | Fixed grant (per hectare) | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Reforestation for CCF | €1,800 | €150 |
| Reforestation for native forests (high ecological priority area) | €4,000 | €650 |
| Reforestation for native forests (all other sites) | €2,225 | €500 |
| Reforestation for biodiversity and water | €2,500 | €350 |
The grant will be paid in two instalments. The first instalment (75%) will be payable immediately after replanting when all relevant documentation is submitted. The second instalment (25%) will be payable four years after replanting.
Scheme applicants can select more than one element, however, each element being applied for cannot be mixed within the same plot. Each plot proposed must relate to just one single element, the DAFM said.
The maximum area per application is 12ha. Applications for the reforestation for biodiversity and water element are limited to an area no greater than 5 ha. One application can be made per forest owner per year.
