Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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I welcome the Minister of State. He lives in the heart of Wicklow, the garden of Ireland and a great place for forestry. I am glad he is here to report on plans to increase newly planted forests by 8,000 ha per year under the targets contained in Climate Action Plan 2019. I want to focus in on this. It is an area for which the Minister of State is responsible. If these or any targets in the climate action plan are going to be reached, it is important that the relevant Ministers keep the focus and continue to report back to the Houses.I have no doubt the Minister of State will do that.

It is also important we incentivise climate action, with "incentivise" being the key word. We must incentivise and encourage people to buy into climate action. This scheme presents great opportunities for agriculture but particularly for forestry and peatlands, on which I will focus. We also need educational programmes, of which the Minister of State is conscious, and areas of communication with respect to forestry. I take this opportunity to thank Teagasc for its contribution. I have attended a number of its workshops. It runs Talking Timber programme events throughout the country, of which the Minister of State will be aware. They are well advertised in the IrishFarmers' Journal and the forestry sector. People are putting on their boots and going on these walks, which is important.

In terms of knowledge transfer, many young farmers wish to consider putting a few hectares into forestry. We need to consider that in the context of biodiversity and biomass. There is a range of services related to forestry that would indirectly benefit everyone. I mentioned energy and biomass. The Government has spent billions of euro on forestry since the 1980s. We must send out a strong message that we are interested in promoting sustainable forestry management, which is a major issue for many people. There is much dispute about that in parts of the country with respect to the mix of broadleaf planting and the amenity aspect. Coillte has bought into forestry providing added value in terms of an amenity. I am aware the Minister of State was involved in such a scheme in the Dublin Mountains.

In terms of achieving these targets, has the Minister of State considered using Bord na Móna's estate of approximately 80,000 ha for forestry? There are restoration issues related to remediation and rehabilitation works but that is an important aspect of realising those targets.

Has the Minister of State considered or will he reconsider the issue of work permits? We hear reports of the forestry sector wanting to bring workers into the country, which may require an increase in the number of work permits. We must deal with training, education, funding and grants. If we want to reach these targets, it is important we incentivise farmers to get into forestry.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for giving me this opportunity to address the House and discuss the role of forestry in combating climate change as set out in the Climate Action Plan 2019. There is a range of actions in the plan related to forestry. These include measures to support afforestation and sustainable forest management. They also include measures to raise awareness and manage risk to current carbon stocks and timber mobilisation. The role of forests in combating the effects of climate change is well known. Irish forests are excellent sources of carbon sequestration. It is for this reason the State has invested almost €3 billion since 1990, which has funded the planting of more than 300,000 ha of forestry.

I will focus, however, on the Senator's specific query about increasing afforestation rates from their current levels to an average of 8,000 ha per year. As outlined in the plan, we aim to achieve this through engaging with a range of landowners, from farmers to State bodies. Specific measures will include generous grants and premiums for landowners to plant new forestry, the promotion of farm forestry, a new promotion and communication campaign, continued dialogue with stakeholders and engagement with Coillte and other State bodies, including Bord na Móna, to agree a planting programme. We will also explore ways in which farm forestry can be better aligned and integrated with the next Common Agricultural Policy, CAP.

One of the actions in the plan is to implement the forestry programme 2014-2020 in line with the mid-term review recommendations and targets set. The implementation of the forestry programme, which offers a wide range of options and generous grants and annual premiums for landowners, continues to be a priority. As matters stand, the current programme is averaging afforestation rates of 5,500 ha per annum or 75% of its overall target. This will clearly need to be improved to meet the goals of the climate action plan. Enhancements were made to the forestry programme in early 2018 as part of the mid-term review, including improved rates for planting new forests, particularly for broadleaves.The promotion of afforestation will play an important role in our efforts to achieve our target. We are committed to disseminating to as wide an audience as possible the message that forestry is good for the economy, the environment and the individual. We recently granted support of €830,000 to 15 innovative promotion projects that will run over the next two years. Those efforts will be complemented by Teagasc's promotional activities and information days, as well as the Department's communication strategy.

My officials and I have ongoing engagement with stakeholders to ensure that the challenges are addressed as they arise and that we avail of opportunities to promote afforestation. I have established a forestry implementation group and a forestry promotion group in order that we can work with relevant stakeholders on implementation and on ways to promote afforestation, respectively. The Department also engages with Coillte to agree on a model whereby Coillte may contribute to afforestation rates to support the Government in its climate change mitigation effort. The Senator referred to the establishment of Coillte Nature, which will convert and add native forests and woodlands to the area that Coillte manages. It should be noted that the Department approves well in excess of 8,000 ha of land every year for afforestation but the conversion rate to planting stubbornly remains at approximately 60%. This means that the forestry sector has at its disposal between 12,000 ha and 15,000 ha in approved and shovel ready trees that could be planted today. The challenge is to ensure that all the effort that goes into securing and approving new sites results in those sites being planted, if the targets are to be met.

An average of 8,000 ha per annum of newly planted forests represents a significant challenge but it can be met. We have a comprehensive climate action plan and I look forward to working with all stakeholders to fulfil forestry's contribution to the plan.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. As I said, he might bear in mind that Bord na Móna owns 80,000 ha, although I accept that not all of this land is suitable for forestry. It is encouraging that between 12,000 ha and 15,000 ha has been approved and is shovel ready for planting. That gives us hope and opportunity, and I hope we can sustain the momentum. I reiterate that many people would like to get into the forestry business but need the necessary education and training.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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While the potential of the 80,000 ha needs to be explored, it will probably not convert to anything like that amount of forestry. Similarly, some of the land managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, which is publicly owned, may be suitable for the development of native woodlands and many other uses, such as increasing some of the land cover in forestry. This land could also be used to increase the proportion of broadleaf forestry, helping us to meet our target of having broadleaf trees account for 30% of the trees planted annually. Following the mid-term review, the proportion of broadleaf trees planted increased from 23% and the figure is expected to be approximately 28% for 2018. While it is possible it will rise to 30% this year, it is too early to know, although the figures are encouraging. Thankfully, the mid-term review has worked in that respect and other initiatives such as the woodland environment fund are helping. We expect some significant announcements about the fund in the near future.