Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on maintaining State owned forests (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5594/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Coillte Teoranta was established as a private commercial company under the Forestry Act 1988, in accordance with which the bulk of the State’s forestry estate was vested in the company upon its establishment in 1989. Day-to-day operational matters, such as the maintenance of the forest estate including its internal forest road network, are the responsibility of the company. It should be noted that Coillte has a significant annual capital investment programme each year. The Coillte Annual Report for 2011, for example, states that, in 2011, the company invested €34.5 million in planting 5,641 hectares, renewing and reforesting existing estate and building and upgrading 375 km of forest roads.