The Forest Service Biodiversity Plan

Abstract

Chief Forestry Inspector, Forest Service, Leeson Lane, Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland. As Ireland's forest authority, the Forest Service has a clear strategy for conserving and enhancing biodiversity in forests. The role of the Forest Service is to ensure that forestry practice in Ireland conforms to the principles of sustainable forest management (SFM), whereby forestry develops in a way that maximises its contribution to national economic and social well-being on a sustainable basis and is compatible with the protection of the environment. The implementation of SFM in Ireland is set out in Growingfor thefuture: a strategic planfor the development of theforestry sector in Ireland (Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry 1996) and is guided by various instruments, including the Irish national forest standard (Forest Service 2000a), the Code of best forest practice-Ireland (Forest Service 2000b), a suite of five environmental guidelines (Forest Service 2000c), forest legislation and the work of the Forestry Inspectorate. The conservation and enhancement of biodiversity represents a core component of SFM, as reflected in its inclusion as one of the six pan-European criteria for SFM arising from the Ministerial Conferences on the Protection of Forests in Europe and adopted by Ireland in 1998. As such, biodiversity permeates every aspect of the Forest Service's implementation of SFM in Ireland. In addition, the Forest Service biodiversity strategy is included in the National Biodiversity Plan, prepared by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands as part of Ireland's commitment under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Biodiversity forms a core consideration in any decision by the Forest Service to grant-aid forest development. Areas protected or listed for protection under EU Council Directives 79/409/EEC (Birds Directive: Council of the European Communities 1979) and 92/43/EEC (Habitats Directive: Council of the European Communities 1992) (i.e. special protection areas and special areas of conservation) are not considered for afforestation grants. Natural heritage areas (NHAs) may also be excluded if the proposed development is incompatible with their protection (Forest Service 2000d). The Forest Service consults with a wide range of authorities regarding the merits or otherwise of particular developments, and their views are taken into full consideration when deciding on grant approval. These authorities include Duchas The Heritage Service and regipnal fisheries boards, all of which are directly concerned with protecting and enhancing habitats arid natural ecosystems. All grant-aided forest development in Ireland must also conform to the Forest Service Forest biodiversity guidelines (see Forest Service 2000c), which set out measures to protect existing habitats and wildlife and to maximise the biodiversity value of forests. These measures include the protection of small-scale habitats, the encouragement of a more varied age class and canopy structure, the careful timing of operations to minimise wildlife disturbance and the retention of ancient trees and deadwood. In line with measures to increase species diversity in Irish forests set out in Growing for the future and to increase broadleaves to 30% of the national forest estate, all new planting must contain a minimum of 10% broadleaves, site permitting (Forest Service 2000e). Similarly, if they constitute all or part of a plantation, conifers must contain a minimum of 20% diverse conifers (i.e. species other than Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine). The Forestry Inspectorate is responsible for ensuring that all conditions relating to biodiversity are complied with in grant-aided forests, and it plays a pivotal role in the policing, monitoring and promotion of these important requirements. This work has been facilitated by the recent initiation by the Inspectorate of an environment audit strategy. The Forest Service is also concerned with Ireland's forest genetic biodiversity, and it implements relevant EU Council Directives on forest reproductive material (Forest Service 2000b). A clear example of this work is the removal of young plantations of inappropriately planted Fraxinus oxyphylla to prevent possible hybridisation with native F. excelsior. The protection of the forest estate against the introduction of dangerous forest pests and diseases is also the responsibility of the Forest Service and is implemented and enforced by the Forestry Inspectorate under the provisions of EU Council Directive 2000/29/EC (Plant Health Directive) (Forest Service 2000b).