Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

This Bill is important. It was nobody’s intention that the forestry licensing system would become blocked and unfit for purpose. However, that is the situation we have, and we will continue to have saplings rotting in nurseries and jobs in rural areas at risk unless we, as legislators, do something about it.

I am my party’s spokesperson on climate action and I want firstly to address the Bill from the perspective of our climate crisis. We do not have any time to waste. We have spent years and years talking about the dangerous levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and how climate change will affect everyone, but especially the world’s poorest. We need to pass this Bill to get forestry licensing working again because we need to convert a lot of land to forestry to help to meet our climate goals. We do not have time to wait another year, another six months or even another month. Our mild climate makes our country one of the best habitats for trees in the world. We have farmers ready to go and we have the forestry industry ready to go. We cannot, in good conscience, allow an administrative system to hold everything up.

I want to say something about the farming community because much of both my own party’s approach and the approach of the Government has been informed by the need to work with the farming community to make the significant changes we need for a sustainable future. It is significant that we have two Ministers in the Department who are both working farmers. They have both shown sensitivity to the challenges that farm families face. We all want a sustainable future for farming that protects and enhances our environment and provides a stable income for those who work the land. It is true we are going to have to change the way we do things in some ways over the next few decades but we can make the changes with a spirit of partnership, respect and flexibility. We simply cannot tackle the climate and biodiversity crises unless we work in partnership with farmers.

The Minister of State, Senator Hackett, has acknowledged some of the problems facing the forestry sector, and I know it is a sector she is serious about. I acknowledge the genuine effort made at consultation on this Bill and the changes the Minister of State has made as a result of this consultation. Most of us in this House share concerns about the over-reliance on a single species and I know the Minister of State wants to work in partnership with landowners and the forestry industry to find sustainable ways of changing how we plant that can benefit both farmers and biodiversity.

We want to have more forest cover in this country. We want forest cover that supports wildlife, gives a decent income for farmers and provides materials that can be used to make sure the carbon that is sequestered is locked in. We need more timber used in construction in particular. However, none of that can happen if we have a licensing system that is not fit for purpose. Even though our forest coverage is the highest it has been in centuries, at 770,000 ha, or 11% of our land area, it is still one of the lowest in the EU. Half of this is owned by Coillte, and I want to particularly acknowledge the work of Coillte Nature recently in some of its innovative work to increase biodiversity. Conifers represent over 60% of our forest cover and although I share very legitimate concerns about monoculture plantations, it is also important to acknowledge that coniferous species will continue to be important in construction and other areas. Yes, we need more continuous cover and less clear felling and we need more species diversity in our forests.

I know the Minister of State has ambitious plans in that regard but, again, none of these plans can be addressed unless we fix our forestry licensing and appeals processes. I know there is some frustration about the direction forestry has taken over recent decades. As urgent as the biodiversity and climate crises are, we still have to work with landowners to make the changes we all know we need. To advocate solely on the basis of castigating others wins us no friends. Anger alone cannot achieve the changes we need. It will take some time to steer this ship in the direction we want to go. Providing a working licensing system is a good first step.

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