Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will address Senator Paul Daly's question first. When an application comes in for a tree-felling licence part and parcel of that licence is a replanting obligation, so in the vast majority of cases a plantation is replanted after it is clear-felled.

Some questions were raised about monoculture in County Leitrim and other areas. Those plantations are coming to a mature stage at this point and are in that rotation between 35 and 40 years on average. When they are replanted, while they will be part of the same planting area, only 70% of the area will be covered with conifers, for example, some 15% will be biodiverse and a further 15% will contain diverse species such as broadleaves. The plantations will also be subject to certain rules on setbacks from roads, houses, rivers and streams that were not part of the planting rules that pertained when they were planted all those years ago. The area of cover will be considered the same in the accounting, even though the footprint will be smaller. However, those rules are in place for good reasons. There is no net loss, so any planting is generally counted as afforestation, which is a net increase in the overall area covered.

Deputy Martin Kenny knows that, arising from the claims and concerns expressed about County Leitrim, the Department commissioned a socio-economic study from Dr. Áine Ní Dhubháin of UCD, which is ongoing. She has been given broad scope to take in all consultation and meet all stakeholders in Leitrim and we await her report which will likely be ready by the end of the summer.

Approximately 570 people are employed in the forestry sector in County Leitrim. Masonite is a big employer and many others are employed in transport and sawmills. Not all of those people live in Leitrim but forestry accounts for a larger percentage of the workforce in County Leitrim than in any other county and makes a significant economic contribution. According to my statistics, between €2.7 million and €3 million is paid in premiums to farmers and non-farmers from both inside and outside the county every year. Non-farmers might include family members, retired farmers or people who inherited land. The average plantation is 6 ha, so the issue of corporate investment has more to do with when plantations come out of premium. One concern we have always had is that while farmers might appreciate and have a very good understanding of the value of their livestock or crops, forest owners or farmers who planted years ago were not as tuned in to the value of their plantations. We have many initiatives, including knowledge transfer groups, the COFORD Wood Mobilisation Group and Talking Timber, which aim to make people aware of their plantation's potential and encourage them to hang on to it rather than sell it. Many of the sales that have been referenced are post-premium plantations, which are more than 20 years old in most cases.

Our carbon credits are part of a national inventory. In the UK model, people are allowed to trade their credits, but they do not have generous premium rates, whereas we have a tax-free premium for income forgone. The difference between farmers and non-farmers in that context is that a farmer who submits an area aid application is entitled to include that land as part of the application for the purpose of eligibility.

Deputy Penrose asked about the Common Agricultural Policy. If we are to achieve our farmer participation targets, I see a need for future harmonisation and acknowledgement of the role of forestry in CAP. Pillar 2 of CAP, for instance, should include acknowledgement of the good forestry is doing in carbon storage, carbon sequestration and biodiversity.

Trees will account for 70% of the area of a core plantation, while a further 15% will be an area of biodiversity. There is nothing to stop a value added payment for whatever measure someone decides to incorporate. I envisage a role for a scheme similar to the forestry environment protection scheme which was in place some years ago. That would need to be harmonised with the Common Agricultural Policy on which negotiation is ongoing.

On peat soil, after five to ten years there will be a net sink of carbon. As the forest grows, the carbon stock will be higher than if it remained in peat soils. It has been proposed to rewet some soils, which is a different matter. In general, however, plantations on these soils can be net sequesters and the timber harvested over a number of rotations locks in carbon for up to 80 years. Until the timber in this building is used for firewood, it will continue to lock in the carbon that has been stored in it while the tree grew. The trees that replaced that timber continues to store carbon. We must consider the many benefits of forestry.

As I stated, I appreciate the necessity to change behaviour and attitudes to forestry. It is accepted that not all practices encouraged a favourable relationship with forestry. I come from County Wicklow which, until last year, had long had the highest percentage of land cover in forestry and it is now only marginally behind County Leitrim in that regard. Forestry cover in County Wicklow stands at almost 18%. We have had a culture and tradition of forestry and it has not been an issue in the same way as it has been in other places, although I accept that the landscape in Wicklow is different. We have a rolling landscape with forestry on high hills, which means people may not find it as intrusive as they do elsewhere. There is work to do in this regard.

Last week, when I visited the Teagasc facility at Moorepark I put it to senior Teagasc staff that they should consider planting broadleaf forest, especially along the River Liffey, to demonstrate what can be done on fertile landscape in that part of the world. This is a demonstration farm for dairy farmers and they should be shown how to do this too. There is a role for everyone. There are land use regulations and environmental concerns which some might say are excessively restrictive or can slow down the application process. We receive that complaint regularly. Ironically, I have received emails from County Leitrim objecting to Coilte clear-felling a spruce plantation because it is a nesting ground for the sparrowhawk, red squirrel and badger. At other times, I am told that spruce plantations are blanket forestry which do not allow for any habitats or wildlife. We need to get some balance into this discussion but I accept it must come from both sides.