Implementation and Management Approach

IFORIS Internet provides an on-line facility for Registered Foresters, on behalf of their clients; to create and submit forestry pre-approval applications online. The Registered Forester can view the Department’s spatial dataset and overlay the boundaries of their plantation using a range of tools for drawing and manipulating spatial line work. More importantly, the system provides on-line access to a range of environmental datasets and colour ortho-photography for the entire country.

This access provides a graphic representation of environmentally or silvicultural sensitive areas such as Special Areas of Conservation, Acid and Fisheries Sensitive zones as well as National Parks and Monuments.  This greatly aids the decision making process for potential applicants as approval for the planting of forests may be prohibited or more difficult to obtain in these areas. Using IFORIS Internet the Registered Forester can identify less contentious areas and move their proposed plantation boundaries accordingly prior to submitting their application.

The full pre-approval application is submitted on-line and is validated, eliminating the errors that were encountered with the paper based applications. The digitising of the proposed areas on the online application has reduced the requirement of the Department to provide the digitization service and has speeded up the processing of the applications.  This ensures a faster approval process for the applicant and an increased probability of approval.