Results

Figure 6.4a: Total area for sustainable services.

Figure 6.4b: Individual forest areas for sustainable services.

Remarks

The total area excluded for sustainable services was 17.31 ha or 2.7% of the total forest area. Figure 6.4a shows that aquatic buffer zones accounted for 9.88 ha or 1.5% of the total forest area of the forest owners. This buffer zone is a 10 metre strip left unplanted alongside the stream and is the minimum width allowable in the Forest Service Forestry and Water Quality Guidelines (Anon (d), 2000). Depending on slope and soil type this buffer width can extend to 30 metres. Forest landscape buffers accounted for 6.93 ha or 1.1%. These landscape buffers are a 10 metre strip left unplanted along public roads as per national policy in the Forest Service Forestry and Landscape Guidelines (Anon (e), 2000). The average area left unplanted for sustainable services were 0.49 ha or 3% of the forest area. Currently in Ireland the minimum area to be left unplanted for biodiversity is 15%. There was no amenity planting sites from the forest owners surveyed and no archaeological sites.

The largest single area (figure 6.4b) for sustainable services was 3.1 ha which comprised both aquatic and forest landscape buffers.