New Forest Strategy for Northern Ireland

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Agriculture Minister, Jeff Rooker has announced his vision for the future of forestry in Northern Ireland. The Minister published the new strategy entitled 'Northern Ireland Forestry - A Strategy for Sustainability and Growth' this morning.

In a written statement Jeff Rooker said, “In the long term, the amount of forest should be doubled so that people in NI will have access to the same level of forestry benefits as are available in the rest of the UK."

“The development of forests and woods are important to the people of Northern Ireland. The Strategy will create a vision for forest expansion and sustainable forest management that will ensure we can hand on a lasting legacy to future generations.”

Commenting on changes in agriculture, notably reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, the Minister said, “The introduction of the Single farm Payment will provide additional confidence that forestry is a credible option for land use. Subject to government’s overall spending priorities the Department will support the strategy by optimising funding available under the NI Rural Development Regulation Plan.”

The Minister also expects the Strategy to secure a balance of public benefits through a programme of sustainable management of existing woods and forests.

He said, “Sustainable management means meeting our current needs for wood production and economic activity, public access and environmental protection while at the same time safeguarding the resource for future generations”.

The Minister also expressed thanks to the many stakeholders who have provided input into the public consultation phases of the review of forestry policy. All responses made to the public consultation paper ‘Options for Forestry’ are published alongside the forestry strategy on the Forest Service website www.forestserviceni.gov.uk.

1. Forest cover in Northern Ireland is 6% (80,000 hectares) of land area. This compares to 10% in ROI, 12% in GB and 33% in Europe.

2. The Forest Service supports private afforestation projects through grants schemes. Details of these can be found on the FS website at www.forestserviceni.gov.uk.

3. The role of the Forest Service was considered within the Review of Public Administration, which concluded that the Service should remain as an Agency of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, subject to the outcome of a Review of Environmental Governance in Northern Ireland.

4. All media enquiries to DARD Press Office, Tel: 028 9052 4619.