Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 200: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the forestry section of his Department is satisfied with the management of private forestry whose planting has been grant aided by the State with regard to proper management of forestry thinnings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21093/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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My Department actively encourages forest owners to thin their crops, where silviculturally appropriate. Not all forests are suitable for thinning. If a forest is exposed to high winds or located on unstable soils, the risk of thinning may outweigh the advantages. Thinning can not only improve the quality of the final crop trees, it can also provide a source of intermediate income for forest owners.

In recent years my Department, in conjunction with COFORD, has funded a number of projects aimed at encouraging the development of wood energy supply chains. These projects have a two-fold purpose, firstly to provide a market for the increasing level of thinnings from grant-aided plantations and secondly to develop the supply of wood biomass to the renewable energy market. The increasing demand for energy wood is providing a vital market for small diameter logs from thinning operations and this demand has stimulated increased management and timber output from private forests.

My Department has also provided start-up funding to a number of forest-owner producer groups to encourage private forest owners to work collectively in the management of their forests and marketing of forest products, with a particular emphasis on thinning operations.

In addition the forest road scheme operated by my Department provides grant aid for the construction of forest roads which will facilitate the extraction of timber from thinnings in private forests in a cost-effective manner. This scheme is open and applications are currently being processed.