Celebrating 40 years in business, Green Belt Ltd is synonymous with providing professional forestry expertise across Ireland. The Virginia, Co. Cavan-based company establishes native woodlands and commercial forestry to its clients’ requests and actively employs a full suite of environmental guidelines in its management of these assets, sustainably.
Ireland is an extremely attractive country for establishing and maturing forestry. With strong growth rates, a supportive grant and premium structure as well as favourable tax treatment, the temperate climate enhances growth.
Green Belt operates a four-year management contract specially designed for farmers and landowners who wish to plant a new forest. This contract relieves the owner of all the risks in establishing the plantation. The forest is established by Green Belt’s professional foresters under the grant scheme administered by the Forest Service.
Your forestry and natural environment manager, Green Belt provides full management services to land owners, investors and companies looking to become involved with forestry or to expand their forestry portfolio. The company will source lands, purchase forestry and complete all the relevant aspects of the application process, including environmental guidelines and conditions, to Forest Service standards. Green Belt is also PEFC certified which offers even more comfort to forest owners in the sustainable growth, management and delivery of their forest and timber.
Green Belt has a network of 16 foresters nationwide who look after its clients’ planting and harvesting needs. This is backed up by a professional, efficient and helpful team of administrators at its head office. Native woodland planting accounts for 40% of all planting carried out by Green Belt, with commercial-style planting making up the remaining 60%.
The company prides itself on its work ethic and integrity. While it has faced many challenges over the years, it has always relied on the overall quality of the people who make Green Belt vibrant and the leading private forestry company in Ireland. Without those in head office and around the country working hard and honestly, Green Belt would not have achieved the growth and success it has over the past 40 years.
Green Belt appointed Imelda Connolly as its new CEO in September 2020. Imelda has helped the company to become more efficient, more focused on delivering a high-quality service and improving the performance for all stakeholders. Other key personnel include Director of Operations Hugo McCormick. Mossie Ryan set up the business along with the late Tim O’Brien in 1982. Green Belt also employs a full-time ecologist in Emily Fair, who delivers ecological reports for clients to ensure that every aspect of the environmental considerations in the application process are adhered to.
“We have 24 full-time staff who work together to make Green Belt a well-oiled machine. It’s a real team effort which wouldn’t function without the presence of our foresters throughout the country,” Director of Business Development Maurice Ryan says.
“It’s fair to say that the company has become a more focused and together unit since the change in our leadership team. People trust us to deliver what they’re looking to achieve. Our experience and expertise help them to achieve their targets.”
He continues: “The last two years have been very interesting. We have seen a growth in community greenbelt planting. Businesses are looking at planting and reforestation options. We manage that aspect of their sustainability program. We provide the full service of land acquisition, planting, management reports to blue-chip companies down to smaller ones. Everyone gets the same great service, regardless of their size.”
A range of grants and premium schemes for planting are available to landowners. Forestry Establishment is covered by a full, exchequer-backed grant. This is to encourage further planting nationally to increase the national cover from below 11% to 18%. Green Belt’s foresters will assess your land and make the most suitable application to match your lands and your experience, while assisting you through the entire process. Premiums are paid at varying rates based on species and area planted.
The other current forestry grant schemes are the Woodland Improvement Scheme, Road Grants, Native Woodland Scheme, Reconstitution Scheme for Ash Dieback and Carbon Positive Forestry Replanting. Full details of the annual premium on all of these schemes can be viewed on the grants section of www.greenbelt.ie
Green Belt’s focus is on managing the plantation to fulfil its potential – for some it’s financial, for others it’s an amenity. Regardless, each forest is important and adds so much to the local community and the private estate in Ireland.
While other sectors have had to contend with COVID-19 and Brexit, the biggest threat to the forestry industry right now is the logjam that has been created by that State’s licensing system. All forestry activity requires permits from the Department of Agriculture. In 2017, the Oireachtas passed a new Forestry Act allowing open appeals to the granting of all such licences.
As a result, anyone in the State can appeal any licence, which leaves private commercial forest owners waiting to fell trees in many cases. A recent report issued by the Social, Economic, Environmental Forestry Association made for grim reading for small forest owners awaiting licences.
“The biggest challenge facing the industry is being caused by the Forest Service’s inability to issue licences in a timely manner. It’s a massive issue which doesn’t seem to be getting any better,” Maurice explains.
“There is very little confidence in Minister Charlie McConalogue, Minister Pippa Hackett and civil servants to make private forestry successful and viable. The long lags and gaps in licencing is damaging in the short term and even more critical for the longer term. It’s having a knock-on effect on the construction sector which has seen a sharp rise in timber prices due to the lack of availability.
“Over 9,000 licences for the private sector have been held up by the Forest Service. We have licences in the system for the past three years, which isn’t acceptable. It’s so important that this industry is supported and given the recognition it deserves.
“People need to understand the value and importance timber delivers to all communities, and the time it takes to deliver a sustainable source of material. The licencing crisis and the management of the Forest Service is leading to an increasing lack of confidence among private forest owners,” adds Maurice, who is also calling for a review of grant schemes in light of rising costs.
Recently, Green Belt was excited to partner with the Peter McVerry Trust – through its FACT2 (Forestry Acquisition Consolidation & Timber) initiative – to close the circle from forestry through to social housing construction at New South Street in Dublin. The company was also delighted to create a native Irish birch micro forest in the breakout zone for doctors and nurses at St James’ Hospital in Dublin.
Green Belt would like to take this opportunity to thank its customers, suppliers, staff and foresters for their continued support.
Here’s to the next 40 years!
Green Belt Ltd
Virginia,
Co. Cavan.
Telephone: 049 854 8000
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.greenbelt.ie
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 10 No 2, March/April 2022
