Forest Genetic Resources (FGR) are the basis on which the health of future forests are dependent. It is genetic diversity that enables trees to adapt to conditions and optimise their performance to succeed. A lack of diversity increases the vulnerability of a population or species to changing conditions and pathogens, while a greater diversity is a potential buffer against biotic and abiotic change. This paper undertook a review of international practice in FGR conservation and proposes a strategy to implement in an Irish context. Dynamic in situ conservation has been adopted as the best practice for the conservation of FGR in most cases. The dynamic approach is often referred to as a “near-nature” approach and the focus is to maintain adaptive potential in natural or semi-natural populations. A network or group of sites is also considered best practice in FGR conservation. This has been implemented in the EUFORGEN pan-Europeanconservation network. Selection of the individual populations or sites to include in the network is dependent on the availability of data. The selection criteria are addressed in the strategy proposed. In order to conserve genetic variation, it is important to be able to assess the actual or potential level of this variation. Where data is lacking, proxies such as climatic conditions can be used. A table of actions for the implementation for the strategy is presented.
Forests are associated with the production of tangible market goods, most notably timber. However, trees and forests are also valued as providers of recreation and for the conservation and enhancement of biodiversity, among other environmental goods and services. Such benefits are undoubtedly important to the welfare of individuals but, as public goods, they are not traded and, as a result, not assigned a monetary price with which their value might be identified. Within the context of sustainable forest management, which calls for the balancing of forest outputs, the absence of a metric with which to compare benefits increases the uncertainty and complexity of forest management and decision making. A range of valuation techniques has been developed in recent decades, which offer the possibility of identifying the value of nonmarket forest benefits in monetary terms. This review describes the principle techniques and gives an overview of their use in an Irish context.
A taper equation and a diameter at breast height (DBH) to total height model were developed for Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) trees of first thinning stage in Ireland. The use of the models may be of benefit to forest practitioners who require information on the volumes of specific assortments prior to harvest, particularly where the practitioners wish to define the dimensions of these assortments themselves, such as in the wood energy sector. The models could be implemented into a tool for practitioners, once further field trials are undertaken to estimate the degree to which errors are propagated. To develop the models, data were collected from 433 trees on five private forest sites in Ireland. The Kozak (2004) variable exponent taper equation was parameterised using the data. This taper equation utilises total height as an input, and therefore an estimate of total height per tree was required. A Chapman Richards equation was parameterised to predict total height from DBH. Using the equations together, the volumes of 90 sample trees were predicted, and then compared to actual measurements. The equations predicted the full stem length volume with a standard error estimate of 0.0098 m3 per tree, and a bias of 0.00003 m3 per tree.
It has been generally accepted that Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) became extinct in Ireland c. AD 400. The species was reintroduced in the mid-17th century and has been widely planted. It has been included in the Native Woodland Scheme, which provides grants to establish or restore native woodlands. However, its native status in Ireland has been disputed and the vegetation ecology and conservation value of Irish pinewoods have been poorly understood. These knowledge gaps have been addressed using an approach combining vegetation ecology and palaeoecology. Vegetation surveys were conducted at eighteen pinewoods in Ireland and six in Scotland. Cluster analysis was used to evaluate the floristic similarity between plots and classify them into groups. One of the Irish pinewoods was of unknown origin (Rockforest, Co. Clare). To reconstruct its vegetation history, a sediment core was extracted from Rockforest Lough. Pollen, macrofossil and dating analyses were conducted. Cluster analysis identified four groups, representing distinct pinewood vegetation types. The vegetation of certain Irish groups and sites exhibited similarities with that of extant native pinewoods elsewhere in oceanic north-west Europe or fossil assemblages from ancient Irish pinewoods. While the vegetation of Irish pinewoods did not correspond to that of typical Scottish Caledonian forests, Coronation Plantation and the bog pinewoods at Clonfinane and All Saints Bog exhibited strong similarities with other native Scottish pinewoods of high conservation value. Natural regeneration of P. sylvestris was poor overall. The pollen diagram from Rockforest Lough showed a continuously high Pinus pollen frequency (38-51% of total terrestrial pollen) from c. AD 350 to the present. Macrofossil evidence demonstrated local presence of P. sylvestris around Rockforest Lough c. AD 840. The available historical sources indicated a long history of woodland cover at Rockforest. A separate analysis of a peat core from nearby Aughrim Swamp also showed a continuous Pinus signal from c. AD 350 to the present. The findings of the vegetation analysis suggest that P. sylvestris woodlands are an important resource for Irish biodiversity, particularly given the country’s low native woodland cover. The palaeoecological data indicate that native P. sylvestris persisted at Rockforest from c. AD 350 to the present. The hypothesis that P. sylvestris became extinct in Ireland is rejected. These findings should inform evidence-based forest management and policy. They support the inclusion of P. sylvestris in the Native Woodland Scheme. In general, reintroduced P. sylvestris should be managed as a native species in Irish woodlands. The data presented should inform site and species selection. The P. sylvestris population at Rockforest is of high conservation value but its rarity increases its extinction risk. It should be carefully managed and monitored and seed-sourcing must be compatible with the long-term viability of the population. Cooperation between forestry and nature conservation agencies is needed to ensure its continued survival and to develop opportunities for the restoration of native pinewoods in Ireland.
Interest is growing in Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) as a management approach among private forest owners in Ireland. Developments in forest policy are directed at promoting CCF as a means of enhancing forest resilience, sustaining forest production and delivering diverse ecosystem services. In 2019 the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) introduced a new pilot funding measure to support the adoption of CCF management in suitable private forests. Currently the area of forest under CCF management is relatively small (estimated at around 1% of the total forest area) and several barriers to wider adoption have been identified. These include the lack of a simple template for the transformation of planted forests to CCF and a monitoring protocol with known inventory costs and outputs. In this study three inventory protocols were compared in terms of their ease of use, the types of data outputs and cost effectiveness in a forest stand at an early stage of transformation to CCF. These protocols were compared to a complete enumeration approach. The inventory protocols being tested were developed by the UK Forestry Commission (FCIN45), a group of French and Belgian researchers (VISUAL) and the Irregular Silviculture Network (ISN). Results indicate that by using modern technology and careful design, a cost-effective inventory protocol can be implemented to collect information of sufficient accuracy to inform management decisions. Advantages and limitations of each protocol are discussed. The ultimate outcome would be the development and adoption of a common inventory and monitoring approach to enable private owners to critically compare stand management and performance. This is essential to support and guide forest managers and forest owners during the transformation process.
