signing off Forest plantation, Does this look like its Up to standard?

F.D

We have a trees planted and supposedly maintained by collite, they got paid for the planting in yr 1 and now are looking for it to be signed off after the 4/5 years that has passed to say that it OK for them to collect the rest,
we have rarely seen anyone down to maintain them, every summer they have been completly over grown with nettles grass etc, i think one year they walked the dirt down around them but it has never been sprayed,
These are pictures that were taken back in march after the frost had done a job on the dirt, it is now completely over grown again with dirt as high if not higher that the trees in places
We got a letter from the dept show a pic of a man standing beside the 4 yr old trees which shows them to be as tall as him which none of ours are, they are mostly between knee and waist high
We have inherited this plantation and no one has ever come out to meet us from coillte to explain things, we have always had to make contact with them,
Should we sign off?
Do these look like they are up to standard?

blue5000

If they are norway spruce they will be smaller than sitka. I don't know exactly how many trees you are supposed to have per ha, this is what the 5yr grant will depend on. There is a formula for working it out too, think it is a 10 M radius circle should have 50 live trees in it. If somebody knows what is I'm open to correction.

uscias

those trees look fine to me. there is alot of grass and knettles there but that's no problem as the trees look fairly well established so they'll continue to grow fine. if they're well enough spaced out... which it seems they are then they wont be competing again one another.

but you said that's an old picture??? put up a recent one and i can better advise you. the trees should be above everything else and clear from briars or whatever else. in the pic u put up there that seems to be the case.

now i'm not such an expert on what size they should be but if yer lookin to know if they'll grow and make a healthy plantation then it looks that way alright. walk around and make sure they're all green. if they're green then they're healthy enough and should continue that way. one or two might be brown and mangled from disease but in general, like yer man said, it's a certain amount of healthy trees per plot.

i cant advise you to sign off on anything cos i'm no expert and i'm surprised coillte aren't more helpful. i thought they were supposed to maintain a plantation right up till they're harvested? ie. after 20 years???

but it seems like you have the power in that you haven't handed over any money. if it were me, i wouldn't hand over any money until they answer all yer questions and i'd ask for them to send someone down that you can talk to. but i'd do my homework first... was there a contract involved? give it another read over.

the pic they sent you out... did they say it was from your plantation? if yes then thats a bit dodgy. in general... if someone lies once then they'll lie twice so... just hang onto your money till your certain. haven't you any forrester friends that can advise ye? come down and take a look?

anyway... your origional question... are they up to standard? from that pic you put up then they seem to be yes!