Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department does not have responsibility for the removal or reconstitution of Ash trees for private homeowners with ash trees in their gardens or individual holdings. My Department supported the Tree Council of Ireland in publishing guidelines for managing roadside trees. The document is available on the Tree Council of Ireland’s website, www.treecouncil.ie, and on The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine website www.gov.ie/en/publication/642e6-forestry/gov.ie - A Guide for Landowners to Managing Roadside Trees (www.gov.ie)

Last year, Minister of State Hackett introduced a Reconstitution Scheme for Ash Dieback to restore forests planted under the afforestation scheme which had suffered from, or which were associated with, plants affected by the disease.

This contained a doubling of site clearance rates, increased grant rates and an improved premium regime. The recently launched Reconstitution Scheme for Ash Dieback, under the new 2023-2027 National Forestry Programme, supports owners of ash plantations to clear their sites, replant the forest with trees in line with the new Forestry Programme, and receive increased yearly premiums (for those sites where premiums are still outstanding). The new Reconstitution Scheme contains the following features:

- 100% increase in the site clearance grant rate compared to the previous reconstitution scheme, from €1,000 to €2,000.

- Enhanced replanting grant rates, in accordance with the chosen forest type in the new Programme.

- Therefore, for clearing a site and replanting under the new Programme, the range of payments available runs from €5,858 up to €10,555/ha.

- Those applicants whose sites are still in premium will continue to receive the premium due for the remaining years.

- They will also receive a once-off top-up payment equivalent to the difference between the existing premium and the associated new Forest Type (FT).

In addition to this enhanced scheme, Minister Hackett recently announced the Ash Dieback Action Plan which is in response to an independent review on supports for ash dieback. This allows for an additional €5,000 per ha to be paid under the Climate Action Performance Payment where sites have been cleared and replanted under a Department Reconstitution Scheme.