Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development

Draft Forestry Bill

Farm Woodlands

SUBMISSION TO THE AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE ON THE NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY FORESTRY BILL

FARM WOODLANDS LTD
59 Main Street,
Augher,
Co. Tyrone.
BT77 0BG.
Tel/Fax: (028) 85549920
www.farmwoodlands.co.uk

Mr P Carlisle
Committee Clerk
Agriculture & Rural Development
Northern Ireland Assembly
Parliament Buildings
Belfast .
5th November 2009

RE: Consultation on Forestry Bill

Dear Mr Carlisle

We welcome this opportunity to comment on the Forestry Bill as introduced.

Part 1. General duty of the Department.

We agree that the Department has the general duty of promoting forestry, but this should also include the interests of Private Forestry in Northern Ireland.

Part 1.Compulsory acquisition of land.

We do not agree that the Department should have the powers to acquire compulsorily, any land that it requires. The Forestry industry of the future should not be paying for the poor management decisions of the past that allowed the establishment of woodland on small, uneconomical or land locked sites.

If compulsory purchase of land by the Department is established, then the converse must also be established. Thus adjacent landowners must also have the right to compulsory land acquisition from the Department estates.

Part 3. Requirement of licence for felling.

We do not agree with the concept that private individuals / landowners have to apply for a felling licence, whilst the Department is exempt. In the interests of fairness, the same rules must be applied to all parties in the felling of trees, irrespective of whether the land is in private or state ownership.

Part 3. Fees in connection with felling licences.

We disagree with the introduction of fees for felling licence application, issuing or continuation of same. There must be no extra administrative or financial burden on landowners in the felling of trees.

Yours Faithfully

Willie McKenna.