OCE-154939 AIE 24 342
Proposed agenda for Friday
1 Licensing
2 mitigation update
3 FAC update
4 Defor regulation
5 afor status
6 land mitigation Hen Harrier
7 forest redesign.
External Board evaluation (last carried out 2021, required every 3 years)
Annual COP Checklist (remaining points to be clarified by 10/01)
Executive Appointments (Chair and Board member)
Annual report and accounts 2023 – timelines
Annual Section 14 letter and property excision lists (DAFM visit is required in 2024)
Shareholder letter of interest renewal in 2024
FESLUP – timelines
Coillte approach to implementing Forest Management Plans
Coillte Nature Projects and other Coillte projects update (only where questions arise)
People’s Millennium Forest – MoU
2023 Licence Inspection Report findings
AIEs
Important dates 2024
Any other topic you wish to discuss
Agenda
Review new Felling Licence requirements;
CCF licence
Record of Cut and Fill ExcavaƟon
Harvest Plan
Visit 4 sites in the Slieve Blooms region to discuss Coillte’s ambition to redesign 30,000ha of peatland forests for Climate & Nature
Outstanding issues are as follows;
Setbacks from water bodies reducing the productive forest area
Depending on the number of water bodies within a project area, the amount of productive area
can be reduced significantly as a result of water setbacks. Setback distances currently being
included in licences can range from 10m to 25m on either side of the water body depending
on slope and soil type. These setbacks are based on the findings from the HydroFOR project
(2016). A review of setbacks for felling is currently underway and is due to conclude shortly.
Conditions linked to protecting the badger habitat
Where an active badger set is located within a project area, licences include the following
conditions;
- A 50m exclusion zone must be established around the sett where trees can only be
felled manually. - All works must be confined to daylight hours and no artificial lighting is to be used on
site.
Coillte maintain that felling trees manually is not a realistic option as chainsaw operators are
not readily available; the health and safety aspects of using chainsaws when harvesters are
available as a safer option is also raised. To leave the trees behind will only lead to windblow,
which will damage badger setts.
The second of these conditions in relation to restricting artificial light is also contested by
Coillte. Operators need to work at night, machines need to use orange lights and beacons for
health and safety purposes. DAFM are using the badger conditions used by the National Roads
Authority.
A DAFM ecologist is currently reviewing alternative options in relation to both these
conditions.
Hen Harrier
DAFM are currently implementing the hen harrier protocol set out in the ‘Hen Harrier Conservation and the Forestry Sector in Ireland’ document as agreed with the NPWS. This involves the use of ‘Red Areas’ to delineate ‘High Likelihood of Nesting Areas’. Project areas falling within these zones are subject to a timing restriction where harvesting operations cannot take place between the 1st March and the 15th August. DAFM do not support giving these data to forestry companies\forest owners as the data is highly sensitive and access needs to be restricted to protect the hen harrier. Coillte feel that the current DAFM approach is too broad and should be limited to actual areas where breeding pairs have been sighted. DAFM disagree. Coillte want to establish a ‘Forest Birds Working Group’ to develop improvements to the current procedures for hen harrier and merlin. DAFM support the establishment of a ‘Felling Technical Working Group’ which will have a wider remit but which can include these issues.
Setbacks when using pesticides
Felling licences currently include a condition whereby manual top up applications of pesticide for the control of weevil cannot be done within 50m of an aquatic zone. Coillte contend that this setback was more appropriate to cypermethrin, however cypermethrin is no longer being used in Ireland and has been replaced with acetamiprid. DAFM are currently reviewing these conditions.
Forests for Climate and Nature Forest Redesign
DAFM Meeting
10th May 2024
Property excision lists – Coillte Excision Policy
DAFM will conduct a sample review of property sales in Coillte NTMK in 2024.
The wording in relation to DAFM notification of land sales above €150,000 should be further clarified in the new SLOE. The current SLOE recommends this as good practice, however, Minister should not be seen approving individual sales as this is a Coillte operational matter. Further discussion is required within DAFM and also with NewEra.
Coillte approach to implementing Forest Management Plans
Coillte has got a portfolio of 644 farm partnerships (12,000ha). There are issues with approximately 12 partnerships of which approximately 6 have entered a formal arbitration process. Coillte is in direct contact with the remaining 6
Coillte Nature Projects and other Coillte projects update
Project Prime is priority for early 2024, NewEra are expected to finalise report very soon after which consent from Minister is required
People’s Millennium Forest – MoU
Mapping has been finalised and registered. Inhibition was made against each property. .
Monitoring Group should meet 2x pa.
DAFM legal advice awaited before MoU can be signed by MOS. All other signatories required to sign afterwards.
AIEs
- Coillte AIE unit did not meet with The Certification Auditor met with (redacted)
last year. - Coillte have won 1 appeal so far.
- Coillte are happy to share a copy of their AIE Regulation submission (which they engaged
Philip Lee Solicitors to assist in preparing) and have asked if we could do the same? - The most important issues raised in their submission are:
- How to deal with AI and automated requests
- Requests should come from a real person
- Manifestly unreasonable to be defined
- The conduct of an appellant as well as the pattern of requests should be considered
- Vexatious requests should be defined
- Charging and advance payments should be considered