Forest Service Consultation Arrangements

The consultations arrangements described on this page take effect from 1 January 2003.

The Forest Service exists to maintain, protect and expand forests in a sustainable way so contributing to sustainable development in Northern Ireland. We seek to get the balance right between the economic, environmental and social aspects of our work. We aim for the highest standards of professionalism in our stewardship of the public estate and in meeting the needs of our customers. We strive to be good neighbours and part of the local communities in which we operate.

The Forest Service is committed to consulting with its stakeholders. This commitment is published in our Customer Charter in which we state that we will consult our customers regularly about our services, publish the findings and take these into account when planning future services. Stakeholder consultation is also a condition of certification under the UK Woodland Assurance Standard.

As a consequence of reviewing forest policy, there may be a need to further change our consultation procedures. However, in the interim the following arrangements apply.

Existing arrangements for consultation at a corporate level continue unchanged. However, the arrangements for consultation in each of our three districts have changed. Chiefly, this is to ensure we hear views about the management of forests early enough so that they can be reflected in the strategic plans for each district and individual forests. The new arrangements for local consultation are structured, so that we routinely consult on those operations most likely to have significant local impact.

The following arrangements operate from 1 January 2003.

District Consultative Committees meet at least once per year in each of the three districts. Although this forum concentrates on those forests which are subject to quinquennial review that year, it also considers topics which influence forest practice throughout the district. The meetings are scheduled to contribute in an effective way to the planning process. A timetable is given below at Annex A.

The role of the District Consultative Committees is:-

Topics that may be covered at District Consultative Committees meetings include:-

We asked individuals and organisations from the following sectors about the new arrangements,

Based on their responses, an initial list of invitees is shown at Annex B below. Districts will review this list at least once a year. Additions should be made on request from interested parties.

The meetings are chaired by the District Forest Officer who also provides the secretariat. The Head of Forest Practice attends the meetings and advice from other specialist branches is available as required.

Local forest consultation meetings are held on an ad hoc basis prior to forest operations likely to have significant impact in the locality. These generally focus on single issues, operations or sites.

The broad purpose of local consultation meetings is to:-

Based on the responses from the consultees we asked about the new arrangements, those listed at Annex C below should be invited to attend. In addition, depending on the agenda, community associations, neighbours, specialist interest groups and district council representatives should be invited.

The organisation of the meetings is a matter for each district and is dependent on the agenda. Advice from specialist branches is available.

It may be necessary to consult on particular issues outside this framework.

We expect to review the effectiveness of these arrangements within five years.