Buy Recently Felled Forestry Land

bradygaz

Quick question...

Family member looking at buying land ... between 1/2 acre & 3 acre... adjoining his house property which is in commercial forestry and recently clear felled .. land owner of forestry is open to selling the land and has said "would save us having to replant it"...

Query... is purchaser on the hook for mandatory replanting? If doesn't replant (as not what he wants the extra bit of space for) will he be on the hook for forestry grant pay back for this area to get it out of forestry designation?

fepper

The current landowner has to inform forest service if he wishes to sell all or part of forestry land if grant aided so I suppose the same obligations will go with the land if part of it is sold,I'm sure that obligation can be bought out at a cost from forest service if they agree,its up to them,the setback non planting requirement from buildings might help his case here

timfromtang

bradygaz wrote: »

Quick question...

Family member looking at buying land ... between 1/2 acre & 3 acre... adjoining his house property which is in commercial forestry and recently clear felled .. land owner of forestry is open to selling the land and has said "would save us having to replant it"...

Query... is purchaser on the hook for mandatory replanting? If doesn't replant (as not what he wants the extra bit of space for) will he be on the hook for forestry grant pay back for this area to get it out of forestry designation?

If indeed there is a mandatory replanting attached to the land, then perhaps have a look at agrofirestry, it does not need to be a solid monoculture plantation of trees to count as forest, you can plant trees and grow veg, or inded graze between at certain densities and satisfy both the requirement to have the land forested and your own needs concerning the use of the land for other productive uses. consider orchard trees, and fast producing firewood trees or indeed coppice.

just my 2 cents
tim

fepper

timfromtang wrote: »

If indeed there is a mandatory replanting attached to the land, then perhaps have a look at agrofirestry, it does not need to be a solid monoculture plantation of trees to count as forest, you can plant trees and grow veg, or inded graze between at certain densities and satisfy both the requirement to have the land forested and your own needs concerning the use of the land for other productive uses. consider orchard trees, and fast producing firewood trees or indeed coppice.

just my 2 cents
tim

Don't know if thats correct Tim,you'd be inheriting the terms and conditions of previous plantation if that obligation to replant was still there,if he was allowed to repay the forest service the grants already paid to it,then I'm sure he could plant anything there he wanted

timfromtang

fepper wrote: »

Don't know if thats correct Tim,you'd be inheriting the terms and conditions of previous plantation if that obligation to replant was still there,if he was allowed to repay the forest service the grants already paid to it,then I'm sure he could plant anything there he wanted

Indeed repaying the grant is an option, and land use could then be changed, but I may have not expressed myself clearly.........

I mean to say that, within the forest service definition of forest there are many different options,

It is possible to design a forest landscape that satisfies the forest service definition of forest, and also provides other beneficial land uses to the forest owner, for example, coppiced willow and hazel for rod production, combined with fruit trees, a selection of "standard" timber trees, clearings, vegetable beds in clearings, fruit bushes raspberry blackcurrant, gooseberry etc in the understorey where suitable, wildlife areas, paths and rides may be grazed to "maintain" them if properly fenced OR grazed by animals which do not damage trees (geese for instance),


(Indeed we have used managed tethering in our forest, the forest inspector made a ruckus when some fool reported livestock in our forest,,,, but forgiveness and tolerance followed as soon as it was understood that managed tethering was being used to manage the rides and the clear section under the ESB lines).

A section of fast growing poplar clones for firewood production would also be tolerated,,,, a great deal depends on the quality of the land,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


For me our own little forest garden (and 100 acres of mixed hardwood's with some larch and norway spruce) is a little piece of paradise.
Much of this comes from our own experience here in Tang, however for reference, I'd recommend these books
The Woodland Way by Ben Law,
Farm Woodland Management John Blyth, Julian Evans, William E.S. Mutch, Caroline Sidwell.
Management of Irregular Forests Association Futaie Irreguliere (a french book about continuous cover forestry management but the principles are important to the kind of land use i describe also)

tim
Vivat Fraxinus

accidental forester

You would want to get in touch with your Teagasc rep or forestry consultant for the details. My understanding is that you can buy your way out up through year ten of the original premium period but not after. We paid the grants and premiums back on a small portion of a parcel we bought a few years ago. The plantation had only been in for a year so it wasn't prohibitive.

I would tend to agree with Fepper in that you have to plant "like for like". Once again, a forestry professional will know the facts.