Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I take it from what the Minister of State said that it is more desirable for the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to designate ancient woodlands as SACs and thus protect them that way. Surely a Forestry Bill should protect such forests, without having to go through the whole process of the SAC designation, everything that entails and the negative connotations in that regard among farmers and rural communities. This Forestry Bill could protect those forests which are of interest. Is it conceivable that somebody could apply for felling licence for an ancient established forest, proposing to replace it with a Sitka spruce or an evergreen forest, which would be acceptable under this legislation, if the forest had not been designated as an SAC? I do not think that is what any of us intend in this regard. It is important to protect forests also.