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Regulation, Forest Health and Resources
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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It is important to be familiar with the various legal and regulatory obligations governing forestry, and you can see your full legal obligations on our website covering forestry and the law in Ireland.
Land Types for Afforestation
Land Types for Afforestation
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Forest Recreation in Ireland - A Guide for Forest Owners and Managers
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Forestry and Freshwater Pearl Mussel Requirements, (DAFM, 2008)
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DRAFT Plan for Forests & Freshwater Pearl Mussel in Ireland
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Wildfires can have catastrophic impacts on upland habitats and rural communities, putting homes, property and lives at risk and diverting emergency services from their main tasks.
Forest Fire Danger Notices are issued during the main wildfire risk season from March to September. These provide forest owners and managers with advance warning of high fire risk weather conditions and permit appropriate readiness measures to take ahead of fire outbreaks.
See more on current alerts and warning system our Fire Management page.
- learn more on how to keep your forest healthy on our website
- International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM 15) sets down standards for treatment and marking of Wood Packaging Material (WPM) which includes pallets, crates and dunnage used in the international trade of goods of all kinds
Learn more on ISPM 15.
- the COFORD Council advises the minister and the department on issues related to the development of the forestry sector in Ireland. Its membership is appointed by the minister and comprises stakeholders from across the forestry sector.
- Competitive Forestry Research for Development Programme
The LULUCF regulation implements the agreement between EU leaders in October 2014 that all sectors should contribute to the EU's 2030 emission reduction target, including the land use sector.
For more information on Forest Seed and Plant Marketing Regulations - Forest Reproductive Material(FRM) click here .
Forest Service - Forest Reproductive Material (FRM)
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Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Johnstown Castle Estate, Co. Wexford, Y35PN52
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In June 2023 the EU published Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 31 May 2023, on the making available on the European Union Single Market and the export from the Union of certain commodities and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation, now commonly known as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
The main aims of this regulation are threefold:
• To ensure that the listed products bought, used and consumed by Europeans do not contribute to deforestation and forest degradation within the EU and globally.
• To reduce carbon emissions caused by EU consumption and production of the relevant commodities covered by the regulation.
• To address the deforestation and forest degradation that is driven by the agricultural expansion, which produces the commodities covered by the scope of the regulations.
There are seven relevant commodities – cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy and wood and some of their derived products such as leather, chocolate, tyres and printed paper. A full list of the relevant EU customs codes and individual product descriptions can be found in the Annex to the Regulation. The regulation applies to relevant products that are produced domestically in Ireland as well as imports into and exports out of Ireland.
Under Article 14 (1) of the regulation, Member States must designate one or more competent authorities responsible for fulfilling the obligations of the EU Deforestation Regulation.
On 29th December 2023 the European Commission was informed that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will be the designated competent authority for the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation in Ireland.
The new regulation, which replaces the EU Timber Regulations (No. 995/2010) will enter into application on 30th December 2024 and will set mandatory obligations for operators and traders to ensure inter alia that:
1. relevant products are deforestation free (produced on land not subject to deforestation after 31st December 2020) and have not contributed to forest degradation,
2. have been produced in accordance with the relevant legislation of the country of production and,
3. are covered by a due diligence statement.
The implications of this timeline are that operators and traders now have a 12-month preparation period in which to ensure they can comply with the requirements of the regulation.
To help supply chain actors with this preparation, the European Commission has published a set of frequently asked questions, which can be accessed here .