Tipperary forest owners angry with minister over ash dieback disease

The Limerick and Tipperary Woodland Owners are calling on Minister Andrew Doyle to have meaningful consultation with the ash forest owners directly affected by ash dieback.

Members claim that to date the minister and his officials in the forest service have not held any consultation on the matter with those directly affected or taken on board consultation documents sent to the forest service since May 2018 even after repeated requests to officials.

The LTWO say this current crisis in forestry has been in train for the last seven years and as another year slips by forest owners who planted ash in good faith have been left side-lined by the minister and the forest service who will not reach their 8000Ha target in the coming years if this issue amongst others isn’t addressed in the immediate future. 

Tipperary woman Mary McCormack, a member of LTWO, featured on last week’s Ear to the Ground on RTE1. 

Mary, like many others, was encouraged by the state to plant ash with the benefit of a 20 year premium and a productive crop of ash timber for sale once the premiums end to the local markets. 

Mary was doing her bit for the local economy, environment and our national sport and national heritage, hurling. 

Ash forest owners say they will be lucky to see 1% of their plantation survive and that works out at 35 trees/hectare surviving out of an initial planting stocking rate of 3500 plants/hectare.  

At clear fell, somewhere around 40-45 years, the forest owner should be clearfelling 350 trees/hectare. 

 Owners say this is an overall reduction by 99% of the estimated income of €40,000 per hectare at clearfell stage. 

 Ash makes excellent hurleys, furniture, veneers and at the lower end great firewood.

Owner say the forest service are currently putting in place a scheme of thinning and under planting  which does not compensate the owner for the loss of income, loss of time and loss of value to their plantations. 

LTWO would ask all ash owners to text their details to LTWO at 0876561864 to keep ash forest owners informed of the situation as it progresses.