Pippa Hackett (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy has asked about increase in the cost of living. The question I was provided with related to whether the costs of maintaining forests in the first four years have gone up. I understood the Deputy was referring to the general cost of participation in the forestry schemes. That is something which is under general review under Project Woodland. The reference to four years is presumably relating to the way my Department currently administers its establishment grant scheme. Under this, a proportion of the establishment grant is retained until year 4 of the establishment of the forest to ensure that it is developing as it should. This is done in the interests of protecting the landowner.

As the Deputy may be aware, Project Woodland was established in February 2021 to ensure that the current licensing backlog is addressed and that a new impetus is brought to woodland creation in Ireland. A national shared vision for the future of Ireland's trees and forests and a new forestry strategy are currently being developed. That will guide how we deal with the afforestation issue over the years and decades ahead. The new forest strategy will underpin a new forestry programme for the period 2023 to 2027.

An extensive public consultation process on the new strategy has commenced and stakeholders will have an opportunity to raise any issues they feel need to be addressed with my Department. Work on the next forestry programme will include a review of grant rates and my Department will examine current forestry operational costs during that process.

In the meantime, my Department is introducing an enhanced payment for applicants and forestry companies to acknowledge the additional cost of submitting the various environmental reports where required. This will be delivered through a higher payment at form 2 stage, which is the payment made when planting is complete. In addition, we will also examine a feasibility study into various grant payment approaches.

A licensing strategy for 2022 has just been published which has set ambitious targets this year of increasing licensing output by 30% and more than doubling the afforestation target by increasing it by 107%. This builds on the gains made in improved licensing last year which was 56% higher than the previous year.

It will be an important confidence booster for all with an interest in seeing more trees planted in Ireland and I firmly believe it must be matched by a renewed effort by all to promote the benefits of afforestation to farmers and landowners.

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