Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 9 July 2019

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Ash Dieback: Discussion

Mr. Colum Walsh:

Deputy Pringle asked if it feasible for forest owners to retain their forests? A committee was established following our annual general meeting during which 45 minutes to an hour was spent dealing with the ash dieback issue and 12 volunteers from the floor discussed it. Many of those people gave much of their time to attend meetings and some of them were willing to hang on to their ash plantations, remove the infected trees and to try to identify the genetic resistant strain they could possibly have. Some people wanted to do that because they were committed to forestry and the ash tree species. As to whether it is feasible for them to retain their forests, the forestry service has started to move towards the idea that the slash and burn protocol was not working because potential resistant ash trees were being removed. On the question of the feasibility of retention, yes, it is possible.

Moving on to Deputy Penrose’s questions, there was no compensation paid to forest owners through the reconstitution scheme. It covered the removal and replanting of the trees but it did not cover the compensation for loss of earnings due to growth and sale of product for potential hurley butts or for firewood. Some people with plantations that may have been 20 years old took up the reconstitution scheme but they did not receive anything other than having their trees removed and they found themselves back at day zero instead of being at year 20.

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