Tree planting contracts to be confirmed by Forest Service next week

This is up to six weeks later than was the case last year and a full three months after the start of the 2023/2024 tree planting season.

Premier Woodlands’ managing director, John Hetherington, commented: “This is a highly unsatisfactory situation.

“In previous years, Forest Service would have issued letters of grant offer to landowner from the beginning of December.

“And, to be honest, even this schedule was far from perfect as it severely limited the time during which actual tree planting can take place.

“But now we are looking at a scenario unfolding, which could see commencement of actual tree planting delayed until late February or early March.

“This is assuming that Forest Service continues from this point with its normal administrative procedures and timescales.”

He continued: “If further delays are incurred, we could be looking a scenario within which no significant woodland or forestry creationtakes place during the 2023/2024 tree planting year at all.”

FES applicants usually have 14 days to accept the conditional offer made to them, after which final woodland creation contracts are drawn up by Forest Service.

“But this process can take weeks,” John Hetherington confirmed.

“Normally, planting work, of any type,cannot commence until the final approved contract has been received by the land owner.”

However, given the circumstances now prevailing, the Premier Woodlands’ representative is calling on Forest Service to allow ground preparation work to get under way as soon as FES and SWGS applicants have returned their letters of offer.

He further explained: “Such an approach would speed up the entire process and allow the time that remains during the 2023/2024 tree planting season to be best utilised.

“The reality is that initial FES and SWGS applications were submitted last August.

“This means that the landowners involved have already waited almost six months simply to get to this stage in the process.

“All the delays incurred have been created by Forest Service.

“It is grossly unfair that farmers and other landowners committed to forest and woodland creation should be further hindered on the back of hold-ups, which they had not been responsible for in the first place.”

John Hetherington views 2024 as a watershed year for forest and woodland creation in Northern Ireland.

He commented: “The role of forestry and woodland creation as a land management tool in the context of climate change mitigation has been widely recognised and agreed by all relevant stakeholder organisationsin Northern Ireland.

“However, we need to see definitive, future policy options put forward by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, where tree planting is concerned, as a matter of priority.

“The current FES and SWGS have now run their course.

“It is imperative that information regarding the support measures, which will replace them, is put into the public domain without delay.”

Premier Woodlands was established in1992 and is one of the UK and Ireland’s leading professionals in sourcing, creation, maintenance and management of woodland and forestry investments. With offices in Northern Ireland and Scotland, their clients range from small farm woodland owners through to large traditional estates, owning from as little as half a hectare up to 2,000 hectares of commercial and amenity woodland.

For further information, contact Premier Woodlands Ltd- 02879634236