The Role of Forest Co-operatives

Transcription

1 Workshop on Wood Mobilisation The Role of Forest Co-operatives Wednesday 6th May 2015 Waterford Institute of Technology Cork Rd., Waterford, Ireland

2 Limerick and Tipperary Woodland Owners Ltd Michael Ryan

3 Background Nationally

4 Change in forest cover (Dept of Ag)

5 Forest area change since the foundation of the State, (Dept Ag)

6 Forest ownership in Ireland (NFI, 2012) Ownership Area (ha) % Public 395, Private (grant aided) 246, Private (Other) 89, Total 731,

7 Forest age-class distribution by ownership (NFI, 2012).

8 Conifer - broadleaf afforestation

9 Size class distribution of private grant-aided afforestation

10 Age profile of forest owners in receipt of annual afforestation premium in 2014.

11 rvicegeneralinformation/foreststatisticsandmapping /forestmapviewer/geoportal/

12 Issues in Private Sector Wood Mobilisation Fragmented forests & part time forest owners New agri-enterprise Lack of farmer owner awareness and interest Age profile of owners Premium driven Limited availability of harvesting machinery Poorly developed, non-transparent market structure Typical monopsony situation Many tied to Forestry Companies Belated and weak attempts to organise producers

13 Limerick and Tipperary Woodland Owners Group The Limerick and Tipperary Woodland Owners Group was formed in October Over 110 members in total plus perhaps 100 more attendees Now a company limited by guarantee Steering committee meet once monthly with lots of contact. Board of directors less frequently Website:

14 Limerick and Tipperary

15 Mission Statement It is our mission to provide timely and useful information to our members and to enhance the productivity, quality and profitability of their woodlands in an environmentally sustainable manner and with due regard for employees, contractors, the local community and all involved in the wood supply chain.

16 Cumulative number of private owners and area in Limerick & Tipperary County No. owners Area ha Avg. Size (ha) Limerick , Tipperary 1,370 17, Total 2,337 30, Potential Volume production (Both Counties) 2.1 million M3 (overbark)

17 Our Role To help reduce costs Bulk purchase of services Joint operations Encouraging the land owner to adopt a hands-on approach To reduce dependence on middlemen Access grant aid To increase revenue Joint marketing and selling Choosing a time to thin and to harvest Selecting purchasers on price and non price criteria Selling methods

18 Our Role continued To improve productivity Training courses Timing of various steps Inspection paths thinning, pruning Inventory and timber measurement, safety chainsaw and vehicle use and maintenance harvesting and forwarding felling licences We use our own Forester (Con Little) and Teagasc Foresters

19 Role of Producer Groups Discussion Meetings of group and subgroups on a regular basis to share information experiences expertise to collect information and inform policy Data needs to be put together on the local forest resource This data and producer issues can be fed up the line in order to inform policy at higher levels

20 Changing Emphasis Soft services up to now (discussion group) Training Creating awareness Application forms Advice Facilitating meetings Increasing need for hard services Marketing of timber Perhaps purchase and sale of timber Harvesting services Planting and maintenance service but we don t wish to become just another forest company

21 Issues Opportunities to add value Increased forest owner management Adopt small-scale harvesting systems suited to Farm Forestry Increase forest owner cooperation Identify new local markets i.e. Wood Energy Forest tourism and recreation Barriers 2300 growers ; 110 members. Why? Chicken and egg situation? Voluntary group limited finance Forestry is side/insignificant enterprise for some owners Characteristics of owners age, attitude Group can t afford own machines. Private sector wary of small scale equipment

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23 Stroke Harvester

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25 Some Issues bigger than the Group perhaps? Obtaining felling licences can be slow & cumbersome Restrictions on felling in certain areas at certain times (SPAs for instance) Inadequate road infrastructure Shortage of suitable harvesting equipment Lack of market transparency Motivation for owners to become more proactive Should be done at 10 year Management Plan stage

26 In Summary What exactly is our role? Forestry is a relatively minor enterprise in our area Attracting and retaining members Committed leadership Volunteer organisers Financial support

27 Bottom up or top down? Needs Leaders at discussion stage Needs members to articulate needs at later stages Will need a manager at commercial stage Farmers need to be supported to develop biomass supply chains Introduction of an integrated Biomass Mobilisation Programme to create confidence in the supply chain Biomass Drying and Storage Scheme Biomass Mechanisation Scheme Bioenergy business & technical training programme Supported on-farm bioenergy business mentoring programme