Pippa Hackett (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It is good to be here. I thank the Seanad for the invitation to update Members on the latest developments on forestry policy and licensing. I have come here directly from COP26, having returned last night. Clearly, as we all know, the discussions there on climate change and the need to move to carbon neutrality are thought-provoking and resonate very strongly with me and, I am sure, with everyone here too.

Climate change is the challenge of our era and the one that future generations will judge us on. In that context, forestry has very much to offer. If we harvest our wood resource and unlock our potential for tree planting, we will have renewable resources and a consistent rate of carbon capture and storage to help us on the pathway towards significantly reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. This Government is committed to the future of forestry in Ireland, as we recognise its importance to society, the natural environment and the fight against climate change. It is our goal to deliver on our ambitions for forestry in the future. While there are many elements to meeting this goal, I am more than aware that, right now, the continued need to issue licences is still an immediate concern. The backlog is, I know, a source of deep frustration for those within the sector and resolving it is something I have made a priority. We are moving in the right direction in dealing with this difficult issue and I will provide Members with some updates today.

It is important that these discussions are based on facts. It is untrue to say that very few licences are issuing. In past two months, we issued more than 1,000 new licences. This rate of licensing means that licences are issuing at double the rate of applications received and every week means a net reduction in the number of licences on hand. By October this year, we had issued licences for the whole of last year and we remain confident that we will issue more than 4,000 licences this year, which will be 50% higher than last year.

The volume of timber licensed this year is on track to be the highest ever licensed in a single year. By the end of this week, we expect to have passed the 7 million cu. m mark. The volume of forest roads licensed this year will also be the highest ever. The target for annual forest roads in the climate action plan is 125 km. We have already licensed over 200 km and will come very close to doubling that target for the year. Notable too is the number of private felling licences approved, which is something forest owners and those in the sawmilling sector have been calling for. To date, we have issued more than 1,000 private felling licences to farmers at a volume of 2.13 million cu. m. Coillte, which supplies 75% of timber, is fully licensed for 2021 and we expect its 2022 programme will be fully complete by the end of the year.

As Senators will recall, I introduced emergency legislation this time last year to make the forestry appeals committee, FAC, more efficient in how it conducts its hearings. This has been remarkably successful and the committee now has 30 appeals to hear, down from almost 1,000 at the peak. I acknowledge the FAC for its work on this.

I am not claiming that everything is resolved; far from it. I am well aware that the output of afforestation licences has not kept pace with felling licensing. Getting afforestation licensing back on track remains our main outstanding priority. We are addressing this and now have ten ecologists dedicated to afforestation. By their nature, afforestation licences are more difficult to process as they represent a change of land-use activity and there are strict assessment requirements. As things stand, 5,700 ha of approved land are available for afforestation and I encourage every landowner with an afforestation licence to make use of it. Indeed, the reasons behind the differences between the land area licensed and the area planted is something we need to examine in further detail.

There has been some commentary on how long it takes to issue a licence and I fully understand this. It is, unfortunately, the case that when one has a backlog, timelines are impacted. Right now, the average time for a decision on a forestry licence is approximately 11 months. This figure is reducing and we are working hard to reduce it further.Overall, our improved output reflects our investment in resources within the Department, with 27 ecologists now working exclusively on forestry files. We have also increased the number of inspectors and administrative staff dealing with forestry. This, of course, was needed, given the complexity of the licensing environment and increased need for public participation. We are keeping resource requirements under continuous review. However, I firmly believe that issues in forestry now will only be resolved through a collaborative approach involving stakeholders, communities and NGOs. We must take a longer term view and put in place a strategy which aims for consensus and for a national vision for forestry. This is why I established Project Woodland.

A phrase I heard during my visit to COP26 was this: “If you want to go somewhere fast go alone, but if you want to go the distance, then bring the team.” I would like to acknowledge the members of my forestry policy group and Project Woodland, who have committed their time, effort and knowledge for a year now to this cause. Project Woodland was set up earlier this year to deal with both current and longer term issues in forestry. As I said, it involves all stakeholders working together and is addressing many areas, including that of timelines for issuing licences. In regard to timelines, the reality is that before we can agree on specific key performance indicators, certain aspects of Project Woodland must first be completed. We have started a full review of the forest regulations legislation and environmental requirements which will be led by external consultants. We expect that to report back to us next February. This will review the existing statutory framework for the licensing of forestry activities in relation to environmental and public participation obligations.

We have also had an independent systems analyst looking at our processes. She has submitted an interim report to the project board of Project Woodland on this end-to-end process review. This will hopefully yield some process improvement gains in due course. Complementary to this are two proposals to help improve the quality of applications received as this is an important aspect of service delivery. These two proposals for the payment of an environmental planning grant and for a pilot project for pre-application discussions are well advanced.

The Mackinnon report, which underpins Project Woodland, was wide-ranging in the scope of its recommendations to improve the licensing approval process. I can appreciate that there are some who are of the view that Project Woodland is not delivering as quickly as it should. However, this is not easy work. There are diverse views in Ireland right now on the current and future forestry policy. However, I am determined to build a vision and strategy that provides a place for new woodland creation, while highlighting the multi-functional benefits they can bring. A new Irish forest strategy, which will chart the way forward for forestry for the rest of this century, is under development. This renewed vision foresees the right tree, in the right place, for the right reasons, including the right management.

As a nation, we must think about what we want from our trees. Everyone will get a chance to have their say as part of an extensive consultation to create a shared national vision of what our forests will look like in the future. Public consultation will include a public attitude survey, a deliberative dialogue, and engagement with young people. This will inform the design of the next forestry programme, which will commence in 2023.

We also need to look at smaller-scale tree planting. I would like to see every farmer in this country, where possible, planting trees. To encourage that and to tackle climate change we are drafting legislation which will allow for small-scale planting of native trees. I intend that between this, other measures that will be incorporated into our agri-environmental schemes, and a fit-for-purpose new national forestry programme, we will see many more trees covering our land over the next few years. I am concerned that the public narrative on forestry right now is both too narrow and too negative. Farmers are disengaging for sure. The licensing delays have played their part in that. The bottom line is that for too long we have tended to see native tree planting and forestry as somewhat separate. I intend to bring them together. We will be doing that under the climate action plan and Project Woodland.

I want to talk briefly about where we should plant our trees. Yes, there are land areas that should never have been planted. We are actively working to address this through Coilte, which has already identified some of its estates for rewetting and restoration projects. I hope that the land use review would help us in identifying lands which are suitable and those which are not, such as deep-peat sites and sites of conservation interest for habitats and birds. I also want to see wood embedded in our housing plans. Using timber for construction displaces high-carbon steel and concrete. On the importation of wood, we have always done this and will continue to do it. Yes, the price of wood is currently inflated but this is a global issue. I dispute accusations that this is solely due to our licensing issues.

Finally, I wish to assure Senators of my commitment to continue with the progress made in dealing with the licensing backlog, to continue the work of Project Woodland, and to deliver a fit-for-purpose forest strategy for our country.