Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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324. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding the management of forestry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43175/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In a long-term activity such as forestry, which can create substantial and lasting change, good planning is essential to ensure that forest operations are undertaken with minimum impact on both the environment and the social and economic fabric of the areas in which they occur. The purpose of Forest Management Plans is to provide guidance to farmers, some of whom have little forestry experience, on the long term management of their forests. While the importance of achieving an economic return from forestry is a key objective of everyone involved in the forestry sector, it is equally important to ensure that forestry operations do not have a negative impact on other citizens or on the environment. The conditions attached to a Forest Management Plan will be aimed at ensuring that forestry operations comply with the principles of sustainable forest practice and can include conditions to ensure that forestry operations such as forest harvesting and fertilisation do not negatively impact on, for example, public water supplies, protected wildlife species or archaeological sites.