Harvesting

Road Construction

• Before thinning can take place, it is necessary to construct a harvesting road to extract the timber. A strong harvesting road will add value to your plantation and reduce maintenance costs in the long term. Veon works with and on behalf of the forest owner to obtain the road grant and to obtain the necessary planning permission for the forest road.
• The Forest Service provides grant aid up to 25 metres per ha at a rate of €40 per linear metre. This should cover up to 100% of construction costs depending on the underlying ground. Veon works with our clients to build high quality roads that last over 30 years with little maintenance required. Well designed and built harvesting roads add value to your plantation by increasing timber income and decreasing maintenance costs. Investors pay more for plantations with good harvesting roads, should you wish to sell your plantation in the future.
•  Key benefits of a well-designed harvesting road;
  
  • Increases the asset value of your plantation
  • Reduces maintenance costs over the rotation
  • Improves accessibility of the plantation and quality. No other company in Ireland can match our technical or operational expertise in harvesting Irish forests and Veon foresters are trained to PSCS (project supervisor construction stage) standards.

Thinning

• Why thin your plantation?
  
  • If your plantation is 15 years or older, the forest premium which you have been receiving will run out soon. So, how do you maintain your income when the premium is gone? Thinning your plantation will provide periodic income tax free. Not many forest owners realise that over the forests’ rotation, the income from thinning and harvesting will dwarf forestry premiums if the plantation is managed correctly.
  • Forestry thinning is the removal of low value stems. This allows better performing trees to increase in volume in a shorter period of time while also developing into more valuable timber. It is a vital part of plantation management and increases profitability in the long term. Thinning provides intermediate income at 3-5 year intervals.
• When should I thin my forest?
  
  • It is essential that thinning is carried out at the right time to maximise income and this can start as early as 15 years with certain species. Income from first thinning is low in value, however as the plantation matures, the income from subsequent thinnings substantially increases. The majority of income is secured at the end of rotation when the crop is clear-felled.
  • To see if your plantation is ready for thinning why not try our Forestry Thinning calculator? The thinning calculator will tell you if your plantation is ready for thinning and what to do next.
• Broadleaf Thinning (Woodland Improvement Scheme) WIS
  
  • Tending and thinning are essential operations to produce quality timber in broadleaf forests and also improve the future timber crop value.
  • Broadleaves are planted very close together to encourage upward growth and reduce branches. Once the canopy starts to close, the trees begin to shade each other. At this stage, the lower quality trees should be removed.
  • Tending/thinning is normally carried out when the average height reaches 8 metres. Final crop trees should be selected based on their quality and from then on thinning should be based around these trees.
  • Often the timber removed is not big enough to pay for itself which is why there are grants available from the Dept. of Agriculture to carry out these operations. The 1st thin grant is worth up to €750 per ha with the 2nd thin grant up to €500 per ha
• Veon Broadleaf Thinning Services
  
  • Apply for Grants to the Forest Service
  • Apply for your felling licence
  • Design and construct a forest road if required
  • Accurate timber measurement
  • Marking your timber
  • Tender to prospective timber buyers
  • Develop robust contract between both parties
  • Monitor harvesting and haulage operations
  • Install sophisticated security measurements
  • Post harvesting report.

For more information on thinning please see our Frequently Asked Question section CLICK HERE