Mr. Colum Walsh:

If 20,000 ha was allowed to be replanted under a 15-year scheme of forest premiums - ash cannot be replanted as it has been taken off the planting list - and if, for example, Sitka spruce was planted at €440 per ha, which is the annual premium paid per year at the lower scale, or native woodland was planted at the higher premium scale of €665 per ha per year, it would cost €13.3 million per year to repay a premium for each of those 20,000 ha.