Axe falls on forest road planning concessions
Tuesday July 13 2010
CHANGES to the planning rules have ended an exemption for forestry owners building new roadways onto public roads.
Forestry owners will now have to apply for planning permission for any new roadway, ending the 'consent system' that previously operated between growers and the Forest Service.
Up to now forestry growers applied to the Forest Service if access to plantations from a public road was required. The Forest Service then notified the relevant local authority once their engineer was satisfied there was no safety issue.
The changes have angered growers' representatives who say it will and add another layer of bureaucracy and cost and will affect the supply of wood for renewable energy.
IFA forestry chairman Pat Hennessy warned it could make the thinning and clearfell of many forest farms unsustainable and force many growers to opt for a non-thin management regime that could lead to a significant loss in quality.
"The priority should have been to support farmers, not to impose impediments," Mr Hennessy said.
"The construction of an essential forest road network would encourage the mobilisation of the farm forestry resource."
Donal Whelan of the Irish Timber Growers' Association (ITGA) said the changes would complicate and slow down the process of extracting timber and bringing it to market.
"There is a shortage of timber in Ireland and Forest Service figures show there has been an 81pc increase this year in applications for felling licences.
"The ITGA will be approaching the Government to ensure that levies will not be applied on foot of forest owners wishing to harvest their timber," Mr Whelan said.
- Majella O'Sullivan
Irish Independent
