EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Chapter 7: Water Quality Forestry Measures to Protect Water Quality Forestry is the predominant pressure affecting high status water bodies, and further improvements in the sector are needed to reduce pressures on these nationally important water bodies. Forestry is the fourth most common pressure in at-risk water bodies, affecting 238 water bodies or 16 per cent of the 1460 water bodies at risk. Furthermore, forestry is the predominant pressure affecting at-risk high status objective water bodies, which are typically located in the upper areas of catchments where forestry activities take place. The Forest Service of the DAFM is responsible for consenting forestry activities in the state. The DAFM document Forests and Water: Achieving Objectives under Ireland’s River Basin Management Plan 2018-2021 outlines the principal forestry-related legislative, policy, regulatory and promotional elements now in place to address the challenges and opportunities for forestry set out in the RBMP. The aims of these measures are to safeguard water during all forestry operations, to restructure existing forests to protect water quality and to situate and design new forests, particularly native woodlands, in a way that contributes to achieving the environmental objectives set out in the plan. The environmental enhancement of forests to support Water Framework Directive objectives is being supported through a number of policies, requirements and procedures, including the Land Types for Afforestation procedure, Environmental Requirements for Afforestation procedure, Acid Sensitivity Protocol, Felling and Reforestation Policy and most recently, Interim Standards for Felling and Reforestation (October 2019). Support schemes of relevance to water include the Native Woodland Establishment and Conservation Schemes, the Continuous Cover Forestry Scheme and the Agro-Forestry Scheme. Initiatives such as the Woodland for Water model and the Woodland Environmental Fund are also highly relevant: the former provides a vision for using new native woodland to protect water, and the latter encourages major businesses and public bodies to become involved in encouraging private landowners to create new native woodland under the Native Woodland Establishment Scheme. Lough Ouler, Co, Wicklow In practical terms, measures include restructuring of conifer forests at the clearfell/reforestation stage to include larger water setbacks, the direct conversion of existing conifer stands into native woodland (where appropriate), the creation of new native woodlands and agro-forests on sites adjoining watercourses, and a stronger focus on unplanted setbacks alongside important watercourses. Through the Land Types for Afforestation procedure, afforestation has been redirected away from the more marginal upland water-sensitive sites that would have been planted in the past. Restrictions on operations such as on-site drainage and cultivation, herbicide and fertiliser application, temporary and permanent crossings, and the on-site location of potentially hazardous material have been clarified and strengthened, as have the use of other measures to reduce flow velocities and to aid the retention of silt and nutrients on site. In addition, the operation of the Forestry Appeals Committee, independently of the DAFM, enables referral bodies and third parties to appeal an approval before work commences, while the application of an internal procedure is helping to ensure a rapid and targeted Department response to any ongoing incident creating concerns for water quality. 183