Anne Ferris (Wicklow, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I represent the county with the highest percentage forestry cover in Ireland. Just over 18% of the land area of County Wicklow is planted in trees, which is twice the national average. The Bill therefore will have a significantly higher effect in County Wicklow than in most other parts of the country.

Wicklow's trees support hundreds of jobs in the forestry industry. The people who manage Wicklow's trees contribute an estimated €100 million annually towards a €2.2 billion national forestry sector. The value of forestry to our economy can only increase further. Timber is a global commodity that is much in demand and Europe is a net exporter of wood. However, the economic value of forestry must be balanced against its tourism and eco value. The tourists who walk in the forests of County Wicklow spend about €5 million in our local economy every year. The other tourists, the ones attracted to our county because of the beautiful green and afforested environment but do not actually walk in them, spend a further €5 million in hotels and shops and restaurants. Forestry associated tourism nationally is worth about €270 million to Ireland's economy.

It does not stop there. Our forests in Wicklow are the forests that keep on giving. Situated on the doorstep of Dublin, Wicklow's forests have significant national amenity value and contribute greatly to biodiversity. They also act as an important carbon sink for emissions from Ireland's capital city. Approximately 70% of Wicklow's forests are owned by the people and are in the care of the State forestry agency, Coillte. In this context it was a significant relief to me and thousands of my constituents when it was announced earlier in the year that the proposal to sell off Coillte's harvesting rights was no longer on the Minister's table. There was a real fear about the economic impact that could result to the forestry sector and the local tourism sector in Wicklow should control of the phasing of timber felling and replanting be handed over to a third party. This is especially the case since it would have resulted in more frequent felling with the associated visual and tourism impacts or in the movement of timber processing overseas, which would have affected forestry jobs in Ireland. I lobbied quietly but consistently against that proposal and I am pleased for the people of Wicklow that it has not come to pass. I am also pleased that there is now a renewed focus on legislating for the management of the highly valuable asset that is our forestry sector.

The work of forestry maintenance, felling and replanting are at the core of this important industry. To protect tourism we must ensure that the environmental impacts of these activities are tightly regulated. At the same time, to encourage investment in the sector we also need to ensure that compliance with regulations does not become too costly and off-putting for the small forestry developers who manage almost half of the country's forests. Many of the evergreen forests planted between 25 and 30 years ago by private individuals are coming to maturity now and I understand that in the coming years there will be a long queue of applicants for the tree-felling licences provided in this legislation. It is important that this process is managed cleanly and efficiently and that it is not seen as prohibitive or onerous. It is important that the forestry regulation brought in now is seen as part of a wider ambition to promote replanting and growth. Jobs in our tourism and forestry sectors depend on the continued renewal of our forests and the Forestry Bill 2013 must play a part in ensuring that objective.

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