Forest Service, Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food

FORESTRY REVIEW

Forest Service, Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food

Submission from:

Professor William O’Brien,

Department of Archaeology,

UniversityCollegeCork.

Submitted: 31 March, 2010

The Department of Archaeology in University College Cork wish to make representations to this review of forestry policy in Ireland. Like all archaeologists in Ireland, we are concerned about the ongoing impact of uncontrolled forest development in heritage landscapes. Of particular concern are upland areas where archaeological evidence of past farming settlement and other human activities is often preserved to a very high quality. The survival of these relict landscapes owes much to their physical location, to environmental change, notably the growth of bog, and to the nature and intensity of subsequent land-use practices. Their survival cannot be taken for granted, and forestry has long posed a serious threat to this landscape heritage. This is all the more disturbing given that the State is the key driver of afforestation policy and practice in Ireland, while also having a duty of care to cultural heritage that is enshrined in national and EU legislation.

The next decade will certainly be a high-risk period for archaeological heritage in the Irish rural environment. In common with other parts of western Europe, Ireland is experiencing a long-term decline in the number of farmers and farm holdings. The gradual disappearance of smaller farms will have consequences for archaeological heritage in the rural environment. The decoupling of grants from production will lead to significant undergrazing and even abandonment of many farming areas. While scrub encroachment will have serious implications for archaeological visibility in upland areas, forestry continues to represent the main threat to the survival of archaeological remains in those areas.

There are significant problems in respect of controlled forestry development in areas of archaeological importance. For example, there is only one archaeologist employed by the Department of Agriculture to monitor forestry developments across all of Ireland. EU policy requires forestry programmes to undertake environmental impact assessment (EIA), however the IrishState has historically set the area threshold very high. The EU recently forced the State to prevent project splitting, where vast areas of upland were planted in adjoining blocks that were below EIA threshold size, so that for many years archaeological assessment was rarely carried out in Irish forestry plantation. The present situation is that areas up to 70 hectares may be forested without the need for an EIA. Finally, no archaeological assessment needs to be carried out unless there is a recorded monument in that plantation area. The problem here is that much of the archaeology of Irish uplands is not necessarily recorded in the State register of archaeological sites and monuments. This record was largely established by reference to archaeological sites and monuments depicted on historical Ordnance Survey mapping. The latter was minimal in the case of land over 200m OD, so it is not surprising that many upland field patterns and ancient settlement features are not recorded. The absence of a recorded monument means there is often no trigger to initiate an archaeological assessment of a proposed forest plantation.

The planting of forestry in upland areas must be accompanied by archaeological assessment on the ground and, if necessary, legal intervention. The State needs to be more proactive in considering the devastating impact that forestry can have on archaeological landscapes. The scale of forestry development that has been allowed to proceed for many decades in Ireland without any or limited archaeological assessment on the ground, is shocking. Future forestry policy should be based on the principle that all new and renewed plantations in upland areas require some form of archaeological assessment, and not just where there are known recorded monuments.

Forestry and upland archaeology: a way forward

The following recommendations are to minimize the impact of forestry on upland archaeology in Ireland:

1. In light of the threat posed by forestry in areas where archaeological survey has not been undertaken, there is an urgent need to carry out archaeological mapping programmes in many upland areas of Ireland. With reducing archaeological visibility due to a steady withdrawal of agricultural management in upland areas, it is urgent to update the Recordof Monuments and Places to establish base-line data for the protection and effective management of this heritage. Dedicated surveys could be carried out as part of the future development of the Archaeological Survey of Ireland, particularly if carried out in collaboration with local heritage groups and fieldworkers. The State needs to encourage local survey initiatives, such as those carried out in the Co. Kerry in the 1980s, which were funded by agencies like FÁS and the EU LEADER programme.

2. The discovery and recording of this upland archaeology must be followed by legal registration of significant locations, with consideration given to blanket rather than point protection.

3. The Department of Agriculture needs to employ additional archaeologists to effectively monitor forest development, and to allow for on-site inspections before, during and after plantation in archaeologically sensitive areas. The absence of archaeologists in the State forestry authority, and in relevant local bodies and commercial companies, is a further problem.

4. Effective management plans need to be drawn up on a local and regional basis to ensure the continued preservation of this archaeology in such area. This requires partnership talks between the forestry interests and local stakeholders such as landowners, community and heritage groups.

Finally, The Department needs to encourage a more positive attitude to archaeology and forestry, one that incentivises local interests to take ownership of these landscapes as a significant cultural resource. Across Europe upland landscapes are recognized as having a significant social value as recreational areas with high ecological and landscape merit. The Rural Ireland 2025: Foresight Perspectives report states that tourism has significant potential to become a vibrant sector of the rural economy. Ireland lags significantly behind many other European countries in the development of walking trails and heritage centres. The excellent Céide Fields centre, Co. Mayo provides a model that could be replicated in other parts of Ireland. The value of such centres cannot be underestimated in terms of creating profile for upland heritage. There is tremendous potential to develop walking trails in upland areas across Ireland. While there continues to be issues regarding access and insurance, such problems can be overcome with legislation, special grant schemes and goodwill from all sides.