Watch: Forestry in Ireland is 'over-regulated' - Keane
Forestry is "over-regulated" in Ireland, according to the CEO of a software company that provides solutions to the global forest industry in over 40 countries.
Speaking at the RDS Finding Common Ground festival in Dublin today (Thursday, April 10) Enda Keane, CEO of Treemetrics Ltd, told the audience that he believes that for the last 10 years there had been "own goals, after own goals with the way the country has been regulated".
Keane, was one of a number of speakers on a lively panel at the event today, alongside Dr. Aileen O'Sullivan from Coillte, biologist Eanna Ní Lamhna, Marina Conway from Hometree, and forestry inspector at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Kevin Collins.
The DAFM forestry inspector spoke at the festival in the RDS about forestry's "legacy issues".
"There are forests and locations which are planted for different reasons, at a time with different values. That kept people in the land, but they were planted in areas which we wouldn't plant anymore.
"These areas are sensitive from a water perspective. The challenge is how do we harvest those areas.
"We have to do something - we can't leave them because they'll be windblow, and they'll create so much damage that way. So we have to actively manage our way out of those areas, and then go back in, potentially with a forest that's more sensitive to the location."
Collins also explained that DAFM are looking at habitat restoration as a way of increasing biodiversity in Irish forestry.
"Habitat restoration, that's now coming on very much.
"My team are looking after that area in terms of deforestation for strategic energy projects, and also for habitat restoration. That’s the trend that we see coming through," he added.
During the summit, there was also a discussion about the state's response to Storm Éowyn, and the role that the ESB played.
Collins outlined the ESB's role in Irish forestry: "There is an agreement between the ESB, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), and farmers whereby areas are set aside for overhead lines and there’s compensation that goes to the farmer.
"So the ESB are involved in setting the distances that are there currently.
"There is a Windblow Task Force led by the minister. That is looking at that issue, along with every other issue around the windblow, including what might go back in there".
The Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy, Darragh O'Brien, yesterday set out plans to "enhance the resilience of Ireland’s electricity grid".
Officials from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, the Attorney General and ESB Networks together with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Coillte are continuing to "assess legislation relating to forestry and its relationship to electricity infrastructure".
It is understood his department will seek approval from government to "amend legislation around forestry corridors to advance future resilience work for the electricity grid".
