Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

----- it did not come from the same forest as the Kilkenny ash. There is always next year.

I welcome this legislation. I come from a part of the country where there is very little forestry. Cromwell once described the area of north County Clare from which I come as not having enough water to drown a man, enough earth to bury a man or enough wood to hang a man. We could do with more trees, therefore. Trees breath air and energy into our society. They are a natural beauty and a fundamental and wonderful part of nature.

The system of planting trees needs to be fundamentally reformed. If one wishes to build a house, thereby putting an object on the landscape, one applies for planning permission, posts a site notice and places an advertisement in the newspaper. A five-week period is provided so that people can make submissions on the application. The planner will analyse the submissions and both the applicant and the people who make submissions have the right to appeal a decision. Unfortunately, that process does not apply to people who wish to plant trees. Like houses, trees are objects that can be very destructive and dangerous if they are not planned properly. Houses that are properly built can be beautiful and provide homes for people. Forests that are planted properly are also beautiful and can provide great leisure opportunities and a valuable natural resource. However, forestry has to be done properly.

The Minister of State has a duty of care to ensure that proper procedures are put in place in respect of people who apply to plant trees. Unfortunately, the only obligation currently is to publish applications on a website. There is no obligation to post a site notice of the intention to plant the land or to put an advertisement in the paper. People who may find themselves living near a new plantation have no proper procedure through which to make objections. If a decision is made to permit a plantation, there is no avenue of appeal.

I have dealt with a number of constituents who found themselves in a situation whereby forestry projects proceed without any consideration for the impact on them, apart from a very basic level. Some inspector will attach special conditions but as a rule this does not happen. People can find that a forest effectively surrounds their houses beyond the statutory 50 m space in which trees cannot be planted. People who were previously living in open countryside have found themselves living in the middle of a forest. This is not good enough.

We are living in a period when transparency and accountability are demanded on a regular basis. Unfortunately, however, there is no such openness in regard to forestry plantation. When it comes to making representations as Members of the Oireachtas, depending on the officials with whom we engage, we get co-operation in some cases but no co-operation whatsoever in many others because, unlike officials in planning authorities, they have no legal obligation to engage with us.

We have a lot of work to do if we are to be fair to those who wish to plant their land, the environment, those of us who are tree huggers and love trees, and the people who find themselves living beside plantations. I am interested in hearing the Minister of State's thoughts on this issue. He will have ample opportunity on Committee and Report Stages to introduce amendments that reflect the concerns I have raised.