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Native woodland clearance

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  • 29-11-2013 7:56pm
    #1
    Grognard
    Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭


    Can a person who owns land which has been overgrown with native woodland, (probably 75-125 years in this condition) just clear it all without any planning or are there regulations to protect it and the flora and fauna?


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    #2
    Oldtree
    Registered Users Posts: 8,104 ✭✭✭Oldtree


    You need a felling licence for the trees, but what a waste :(

    http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/forestservice/treefelling/

    Do you not value it for what it is?


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    #3
    Eoghan Barra
    Closed Accounts Posts: 286 ✭✭Eoghan Barra


    The OP isn't clear whether he/she wants to grub up 100-year old native woodland her/himself, or whether the motive for wanting to know is perhaps to help protect woodland where there is a risk of this happening (perhaps this can be clarified?).

    If it's the former, that is a real pity: Ireland once had what was probably one of the highest levels of woodland cover in Europe. (We lacked many of the megafauna that kept areas open on the continent.) Now our percentage of land area under native woodland is the lowest in Europe... with the sole exception of Iceland!

    Every pocket of native woodland in the country is ecologically valuable, often providing a refuge for a vast array of animals and plants that have difficulty surviving in the monocultural chemical deserts that constitute much of our countryside.

    As Oldtree says, these places should be valued for themselves: if the OP is lucky enough to be responsible for one of those few pockets, he or she should understand that there is a real responsibility there.


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    #4
    Grognard
    Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭Grognard


    Sorry wasn't clear in first post. It's a woodland around a lake near to me and I fear there is a new owner of the land and he brought his digger in today. It's a beautiful area but unfortunately not mine. I will hopefully find out more in the morning about what his plans are.

    Have just been reading the information on your link oldtree, thank you it's the exactly what I was looking for.


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    #5
    Oldtree
    Registered Users Posts: 8,104 ✭✭✭Oldtree


    Grognard wrote: »
    Sorry wasn't clear in first post. It's a woodland around a lake near to me and I fear there is a new owner of the land and he brought his digger in today. It's a beautiful area but unfortunately not mine. I will hopefully find out more in the morning about what his plans are.

    Have just been reading the information on your link oldtree, thank you it's the exactly what I was looking for.
    Great you had me very worried.
    Is there any limestone there, its protected under 1992 EU legislation as are many other types of habitats, which has finally been put into in Irish law? Bats cannot be disturbed. Talk to your local NPW ranger (wildlife) and forestry inspector (trees), they may be able to help, or the environment section of your council.

    This may help too:
    "Furthermore, a mandatory EIA is now required for any land reclamation exceeding 2 hectares."
    http://irishplanningnews.ie/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Land-Reclamation-and-Planning1.pdf

    a section 5 declaration request (does the works require planning permission or not) to the planning section of your council is a very powerful tool, Be very precise with the wording of this.

    A complaint to the planning enforcement section of your council may help too.

    You may also have to keep your eyes open for a waste permit application, usually has a notice onsite or you can phone the environment section of the council, allowing for the importation of soil and stuff to act as infill.


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    #6
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users Posts: 9,633 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    The OP should check if the area is designated under EU Directives eg. NHA,SAC etc.


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    #7
    Grognard
    Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭Grognard


    Thanks for the replies.

    Thankfully there is no new owner, the digger was in to clear just the old lane into it. He removed some black thorn and other scrub in the entrance and digger is leaving today.

    But for the future it is good to know all this.

    There most likely are bats and definitely owls and a lot of mature native trees; don't know about limestone but doubt it. Parts of it would definitely fall under those wetland reclamation rules and would require both felling application and NIS or EIS.


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    #8
    Boardnashea
    Registered Users Posts: 824 ✭✭✭Boardnashea


    That's good news Grognard. Maybe useful if the owner knew that you know (and visa versa) that the regulations are there.
    A lot of harm could be done if the digger revisited and started doing a bit of "tidying up" cause they weren't aware of the rules.


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    #9
    Oldtree
    Registered Users Posts: 8,104 ✭✭✭Oldtree


    Panic over then for now, don't forget your towel the next time :D
    283040.jpg


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