Michael Comiskey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The purpose of the Forestry Bill 2013 is to reform and update the legislative framework relating to forestry. It will support the development of a modern forestry sector to operate in accordance with good forestry practice and with a view to protecting the environment. The forestry industry is of great importance as it affects so many different sectors of the economy. National forest cover stands at 11%, of which private-owned forests account for 46%. These are mainly owned by farmers and it is important they are becoming more involved in this industry.

Governments have made a significant investment in the development of forestry over the years to ensure a critical mass of timber to sustain the timber processing and products sector. Forestry provides significant benefits including rural employment, valuable exports, climate change remediation, social and recreational benefits, as well as environmental value. Forestry also makes a considerable contribution to the economy. The direct output from the sector, excluding the processing sector, was €378 million. For every €1 million of expenditure in the sector, a further €780 million in expenditure is generated in the rest of the economy.

Hence, the overall value of the forest sector to the Irish economy was €673 million. Direct output in the processing sector, including mills, sawmills and other wood processors, was €1.3 billion. The total value of the forest industry to the economy of the processing sector, direct and indirect, was €2.2 billion. On forest recreation, there are more than 20 million visits annually to Irish forests, with 200,000 people using forest trails for exercise. Trekking through forests is an important part of walking tourism, which attracts 500,000 visitors who spend €138 million annually.

Forestry also has an important role to play in climate change. Forests contribute to reducing Ireland's carbon emissions through the replacement of wood fuels and products with imported fossil fuels and energy intensive products such as steel, plastic and aluminium. The use of wood to produce heat and electricity in Ireland resulted in an estimated 560,000 tonne reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2012. This Bill recognises the important contribution which forests do and can make in mitigating the adverse affects of climate change.

The Forestry Act 1946 is the primary legislation underpinning the current forestry regulatory framework. Aspects of the 1946 legislation relate to land acquisition, research and development. flora and fauna, vermin control and a felling licence system which provides for limited and general tree felling. The Forestry Act 1946 is replaced by this Bill. Much has changed in the Irish forestry sector since the enactment of the 1946 Act. Forestry has transformed into a different industry, thus there is a need for the Bill update the legislative governing forestry.

The objective of the Bill is to promote and facilitate the growth and sustainability of our forestry sector while at the same time having regard to the protection of the environment and maintenance of the social benefits of other public goods provided by forestry. The Bill is about forestry and good forest practice. It is necessary to streamline and simplify the various processes. It will benefit not only the forest sector but the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine which is responsible for the administration and regulation of forestry. The Bill provides for a comprehensive statutory framework for the regulation of forestry-related activities into the future. It provides among other things for the streamlining of the felling licence process, greater flexibility within the licensing system and the placing on a statutory basis of the various forest guidelines, including those relating to plant health, and forest management plans. It also expands the power of the Minister and appointed authorised officers in relation to the control and prosecution of illegal or dangerous acts that threaten the forest estate. It provides for significant and dissuasive penalties for those prosecuted of such offences.

It is not envisaged that this legislation will result in any significant additional cost to the Exchequer or business. It will have positive affects on the environment by providing a greater emphasis on the compliance with sustainable forest management, SFM, and the environmental guidelines published by the Forest Service. This will help to conserve biological diversity within forests and ensure that we continue to gain from the other ecosystems and services that forests provide. The Bill will also have a solid impact on rural communities by way of its encouragement of employment in these areas.

I commend the Bill to the House.