The strong chromatic index of a graph $G$, denoted $\chi'_s(G)$, is the least number of colors needed to edge-color $G$ so that edges at distance at most two receive distinct colors. The strong list chromatic index, denoted $\chi'_{s,\ell}(G)$, is the least integer $k$ such that if arbitrary lists of size $k$ are assigned to each edge then $G$ can be edge-colored from those lists where edges at distance at most two receive distinct colors.We use the discharging method, the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz, and computation to show that if $G$ is a subcubic planar graph with ${\rm girth}(G) \geq 41$ then $\chi'_{s,\ell}(G) \leq 5$, answering a question of Borodin and Ivanova [Precise upper bound for the strong edge chromatic number of sparse planar graphs, Discuss. Math. Graph Theory, 33(4), (2014) 759--770]. We further show that if $G$ is a subcubic planar graph and ${\rm girth}(G) \geq 30$, then $\chi_s'(G) \leq 5$, improving a bound from the same paper.Finally, if $G$ is a planar graph with maximum degree at most four and ${\rm girth}(G) \geq 28$, then $\chi'_s(G)N \leq 7$, improving a more general bound of Wang and Zhao from [Odd graphs and its applications to the strong edge coloring, Applied Mathematics and Computation, 325 (2018), 246-251] in this case.
The strong chromatic index of sparse graphs