Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) is a sustainable forest management approach that allows for timber production while maintaining a forest cover at all times. It promotes biodiversity, soil protection, and ecosystem services, making it an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional clear-fell methods.

Green Belt has extensive knowledge and experience of implementing CCF in appropriate stands. It is important to address this management practice early into the lifecycle. Too late and it might impact its stability. 

The DAFM provides financial support for the conversion and/ or management of a stand under CCF. This is available under the Woodland Improvement Scheme  - your local forester will assist you with all aspects of this application, and carry out the harvesting.

• DAFM CCF: The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) supports CCF through various schemes, including the Woodland Improvement Scheme, which provides financial assistance for forest owners to implement CCF practices.
• Benefits: CCF enhances landscape improvement, biodiversity, and provides long-term environmental stability.

• Implementation: It aligns with EU and Irish policy frameworks for sustainable forest management, promoting low-impact interventions and diverse forest management.

  For more detailed information, you can refer to the official DAFM website or related forestry resources.

PES premiums aim to promote the longer-term sustainable management of forests, in particular encouraging forest owners of productive forests to manage their forests with a view to maximising various ecosystem services in the areas of carbon sequestration, fuelwood, the protection of water and soil, forest genetic resource, pest and disease resilience, climate change regulation, the 
control of floodwaters, pollination, recreation, tourism, education and cultural heritage. In addition, existing forests transforming to Continuous Cover Forestry require continued management to be able to provide the maximum range of ecosystem services.

Neighbourwood Scheme offers grant support for those seeking to create a public amenity.

Supports assist in the creation of paths, inserting of benches and fitness machines as well as educational signage.

The paths must be open to the public and access to be free of charge.

Green Belts team has worked on numerous such projects to a very high degree of success. Here are the details of the scheme  - get in touch with us to develop you lasting legacy in your community.

Woodland Improvement Scheme

Having established your woodland and watched it grow, it is crucial that it is managed and tended to give it the best opportunity to produce high quality stems. Green Belt works with you to ensure the thinning and tending of broadleaves is carried out to a high standard.

This includes the management and maintenance of - 

a. Thinning and tending broadleaves

b. Coppicing

c. Seed stand management

d. Ecosystem services

e. Agroforestry management

Here are the details of the scheme

Ash replanting support from DAFM

Reconstitution Ash Dieback Scheme 2023-2027 and Climate Action Performance Payment Scheme has been introduced by Government to support landowners affected by the Ash Dieback disease. This scheme provides financial support for the clearing of the affected Ash, replanting of an alternative species and makes provision for payments directly to landowners who have had their species replaced.

Payments are outlined below: Green Belt will complete all the administration across the application process and oversee the full works, including replanting and ongoing maintenance. This is a fixed scheme paid at a rate of €5,000 per hectare paid on the basis of the area determined at first grant on the relevant Ash Dieback Reconstitution Scheme.
The payment will be in 3 instalments as follows:

1st instalment of CAPP - €2,500  An application for the 1st instalment of the CAPP payment may be made after an applicant receives payment of an Ash Dieback Reconstitution scheme replanting 1st instalment grant.

2nd instalment of CAPP - €1,250 An application for the 2nd instalment of the CAPP payment may be made the year after receipt of the first CAPP payment once an applicant has received payment of an Ash Dieback Reconstitution scheme 2nd instalment grant and have received all premium payments on the related Afforestation contract. (The 2nd instalment grant on an Ash Dieback reconstitution scheme can be applied for 4 years after the 1st instalment Ash Dieback Reconstitution scheme grant has been paid.)

3rd instalment of CAPP - €1,250 An application for the 3rd instalment of the CAPP can be made the year after the second instalment of CAPP has been paid. Ash forest owners become entitled to apply for the CAPP payment once the first grant has been paid on their reconstitution scheme application. There is an online facility to apply for the CAPP payment. Online applications can only be made directly by the forest owner who is associated with the relevant reconstitution scheme.

CAPP FAQ

Green Belt employs the highest quality technology to create lidar surveys of your forest and woodland. The data gathered and collected will be processed by our in house experts and presented in a readable and usable format.

Outputs are essential and informative for 

• Wind and solar companies surveying lands
• Farmers seeking data on crop yields and land performance
• Forestry growth rates and areas for attention
• Species identification and invasive species detection
• Mapping and planning activities in forests and open areas
• site management for risk profile, topographical surveys, water flow, habitat and other biodiversity measures.

We are extremely proud of our advance with our GIS experts and team. We produce detailed maps for all forestry applications appropriate to forest service guidelines.

If part of your land could not be planted due to the presence of an ESB power line. (applicable on 10kV and 38kV lines) The ESB Board will compensate you for your inability to plant these lands and this financial compensation will include a payment for;

• Loss of crop (Encasement cost)
• Loss of premium
• And reasonable costs (Solicitor fees of up €850)

 The compensation element depends on the area involved and the land valuation. (75% of the pro rata purchase price)

Plus Forest Premium Loss, this depends on the area excluded and the FT Type premium payments. (Coniferous/Broadleaf/Mixed forests).  

Green Belt is in a position to assist you in claiming this compensatory payment. 

This service involves;

• Processing a suitable map for the ESB claim.
• Processing your valuation claim.
• Calculating your claim amount.
• Collecting relevant information from the Forest Service.
• Communicating with your nominated solicitor.

 The compensation is paid to you directly as a lump sum on new or existing power lines.

If you wish to avail of this service, please contact Green Belt on Freefone 1800 200 233 or info@greenbelt.ie who will arrange for the processing of your claim.

Forest & Wild Fires

Forest fires can have a devastating effect on your prized asset. Insuring your forest is a very important aspect of your forestry management practice. Green Belt offer an opportunity to insure under their Master Policy, as provided by Dolmen insurance.

This insurance policy offers those under cover provision for Fire brigade call out, loss of earnings, replanting costs and public liability insurance. As part of your insurance cover, Green Belt's professional foresters deliver a detailed management plan of your forest. This includes a plan for harvesting and maximising the return from your forest. We also offer solutions to protect and enhance your forest and woodlands, such as fire breaks and so on.

Get in touch with our team today for your quote - please include details of your forest, ideally with a map.

Download Documents: 

Wildfires Europe

Insurance Fact Sheets

Nature Based Solutions

The future of our planet’s biodiversity and human well-being hinges on the effective and equitable management of nature and human-nature relationships. Green Belt are pioneering biodiversity focussed, Nature Based Solutions across the country. This entails 

• Gathering biodiversity baseline data,
• externally verifying the outputs and
• measuring the uplift over time. 
  
  The value of this is in the societal and environmental gain. Additionally in, from a compliance reporting metric and the intrinsic value on EU Taxonomy.

Nature Based solutions deliver robust, measured and verified biodiversity uplifts - meaning measurable gains in habitat, water quality, insect and bird life across a defined area.

Green Belt is pioneering the roll out of Biodiversity Baselining with our teams of ecologists and marine biologists. Green Belt has a number of 'live' projects in operation across the country. Excitingly we will be in a position to display these projects and related uplifts on a bespoke and unique platform.

The comprehensive output from this valuable and specific data will enable us to develop a cohesive action plan to maximise nature gains across the network of sites.

Here is a short video of the area

Included in the works are ephemeral waterways, ponds and attenuation points. These are randomly but strategically located to attract new life on site. Already, we have seen a dramatic improvement in entomological proliferation over the waterways. 

This will directly improve the water flows across the lands, mitigate and remove any leaching of nutrient off the site, using biochar and improve adjacent water courses overall quality. The introduction of ponds will also attract more insects, and subsequently birds to the site. We have already evidenced Pine Martens returning and the impact of Jays and Red Squirrels on the site through the natural regeneration of Oak trees.

However, something that will bring real joy and pleasure to the local community is the proposed public walkway. This free to use, open to the public walkway will introduce up to 4km of nature trails across the site. It will bring walkers on a journey across the varied landscape and the values and beauty of each location. It will be interactive with the ability to add details on insects and birds spotted as you walk.

Those wishing to get involved with a similar project are invited to get in touch with us and ideally come to Edgeworthstown to visit and experience the site.

Download Documents: 

Your Day in Nature

Forestry inventory gives you detailed information on the quality, volume, production and capacity of your forest and woodland. As methodologies and technology improve, the impact of the ground sourced data is exponentially upgraded.

Green Belt is active nationwide working with forest owners to evaluate their asset.

Much of this work is centered around timber production, identifying the most efficient route to market and maximising returns for forest owners.

More recently, our inventory services have assisted companies as they seek to calculate the CO2 sequestered in their forestry and woodlands. Many use this data, represented in easy to digest formats, to indicate the efforts they are taking to mitigate their scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and value/ supply chain impact. This is often referred to as double materiality.

Our team of professional foresters, highly qualified ecologists and additional scientists, utilise ground data, supported by lidar surveys, satellite imagery and international data sets to accurately Measure, Report and Verify (MRV) the findings. This is particularly useful for companies with CSRD compliance targets and other sustainability reporting framework structures.

Contact Green Belt to learn how to actively make your difference.

Forestry locations are often very suitable for hosting wind farms - individual turbines or a collection.

Green Belt has extensive experience nationally in consulting on the forestry aspects relating to wind farm development. Included in this is the assessment of the area of forestry that will be impacted by the development. For turbines to be erected a suitable and appropriate roadway needs to be constructed. Then a platform to host the turbine.

Our long term relationship with landowners and forest owners allows Green Belt opportunity to liaise and coordinate agreements on behalf of both the neighbours and the wind co's. 

Once a location has been identified, Green Belt will

• Accurately identify the effected area
• Carry out lidar surveys to assess the timber volume and topographical impact
• Sourcing replacement lands and appropriate replanting approvals.
• Planting and replanting service with maintenance contracts
• Detailed analysis of standing timber and potential and real value
• Expert management of timber harvesting and subsequent sale of timber
• Ecological surveying and reporting on sites
• High quality measurement, reporting and verification of important data