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Supports for owners of ash forests impacted by ash dieback

If your forest has been impacted by Ash Dieback, support is available. Here our forestry advisory team provide information on the current supports from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for forest owners affected by Ash Dieback.

Reconstitution Ash Dieback Scheme (RADS) 2023-2027

If you own an ash forest, which was planted with a grant from the Department and have not yet joined a reconstitution scheme, you can still apply for the ‘Reconstitution for Ash Dieback Scheme 2023-2027’. This scheme provides support for forest owners impacted by the disease and covers both site clearance and replanting operations.

  • Site clearance involves the clearance of affected ash trees and associated operations in order to prepare and present the site for replanting.
  • Reconstitution involves the replacement of the ash trees with alternative species following The following Forest Type (FT) options are available for replanting:
    • FT1 Native forests
    • FT6 Broadleaf, mainly oak and beech
    • FT7 Diverse Broadleaf
    • FT8 Agroforestry
    • FT10 Continuous Cover Forestry
    • FT11 Mixed high forests: Diverse Conifer
    • FT12 Mixed high forests with Sitka Spruce and minimum 20% broadleaves

Under the scheme, grant support will be paid to eligible applicants in three instalments:

  1. Application for the Site Clearance Grant.
  2. Application for the first Instalment Grant and top up premium payment (where such top ups are applicable) may be made following the reconstitution of the treated area (75% of reconstitution grant).
  3. Application for the second Instalment Grant may be made four years after the site is successfully reconstituted (25% of reconstitution grant).

Current support for site clearance is €2,000/hectare cleared. Support for site reconstitution varies according to the Forest Type(s) selected – between €3,858/ha for Forest Type 12 – Mixed high forests with mainly spruce, with minimum 20% broadleaves and €8,555/ha Forest Type 8 – Agroforestry.

Ash trees with ash dieback

Climate Action Performance Payment (CAPP)

If you have already participated in the Reconstitution Ash Dieback Scheme 2023-2027, or if you replanted your ash forest under one of the previous Department reconstitution schemes due to the impacts of Ash Dieback i.e.:

  • Reconstitution Scheme Ash Dieback – introduced in 2013
  • Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (Ash Dieback) – introduced in 2020
  • Interim Reconstitution Scheme for Ash Dieback – introduced in early 2023

then you can be eligible for additional support (€5,000 per hectare) – under the Climate Action Performance Payment Scheme.

Those landowners who have already cleared their Ash Dieback-affected forest and received a payment for replanting their ash under a Department reconstitution scheme for Ash Dieback may apply for the first instalment of CAPP additional payment through www.agfood.ie. The CAPP is paid in three instalments, totalling €5,000 per hectare. The first instalment of €2,500 may be made through this online portal.

CAPP Support rates

The overall CAPP support rate is €5,000 per hectare, with one instalment of €2,500 and two payments of €1,250. The payments will be made as follows:

  • An application for the first instalment of CAPP of, €2,500 per hectare, can be made after an applicant receives payment of an Ash Dieback reconstitution scheme replanting 1st instalment grant.
  • An application for the second instalment of CAPP, of €1,250 per hectare, can be made the year after receipt of the first CAPP payment. An applicant must have received payment of an Ash Dieback reconstitution scheme 2nd instalment grant and received all relevant 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.
  • An application for the third instalment of CAPP of €1,250 per hectare, can be applied for the year after the second instalment of CAPP has been paid.

If you have not applied under any reconstitution scheme for ash dieback yet, then you should contact a Registered Forester – List of Registered Foresters, PDF – and ask them to make an application on your behalf under the Reconstitution Ash Dieback Scheme 2023–2027.

Ash dieback videos

Teagasc Forestry has produced a useful Managing Ash Dieback- series of short videos, which include the following topics:

  • Life cycle and symptoms
  • Forest roads
  • Timber harvesting
  • Replacement species selection, planting and protection
  • Remedial silvicultural research
  • Researching tolerant genotypes

Further information on Ash Dieback and all aspects for forestry is available from your local Teagasc Forestry advisory staff and/or by logging onto the forestry section of the Teagasc website