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One of the key areas identified in Donegal County Development Board strategy for social, cultural and economic development “An Straitéis 2002-2012” is the need to learn from other areas, to examine existing models of best practice and to use this knowledge to promote opportunities in Donegal.
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Two important issues identified by the forestry sector in the context of the strategy, which have strong economic, environmental, cultural and social impacts on rural communities throughout the county, are: |
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- Establishment and Management of Community Woodlands
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Communities with access to nearby woodland, enjoy this privilege very much. These easily accessible recreational forests are regrettably few and far between. Many communities -both urban and rural- try to either establish a new community forest or to make an existing woodland accessible for recreational purposes. Schemes such as the NeighbourWood Scheme provide much needed funding although many bottlenecks remain such as: ownership, future management, insurance, etc.
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- Developing the woodfuel supply chain in Donegal and encouraging woodland owner participation in the woodfuel sector.
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Growing timber is a new business for many farmers. It has been estimated that the volume of private timber (mainly in the form of thinnings) coming onto the market will increase 14 times over the next 12 years in county Donegal. This trend will continue over the coming decades. A successful and thriving private timber industry in the North West is dependent on attractive timber prices. It is important that structures are now developed and put in place to successfully market private thinnings that are gradually coming on stream. This will ensure that farm forestry will be a viable, attractive rural enterprise opportunity for landowners in the future. |