Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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396. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the grounds on which the forestry service can refuse a felling licence to a private forestry owner; if the age of the forestry is grounds for refusing a felling license; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38338/16]

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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397. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a private forestry owner that wishes to clear fell mature forest can be refused a felling licence on the grounds of the age of the forestry despite raising concerns regarding wind blow and stipulating that they would immediately replant the area in question; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38339/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 396 and 397 together.

A Felling Licence granted by the Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine provides authority under the Forestry Act 1946 to fell or otherwise remove a tree or trees. This Act prescribes the functions of the Minister and details the requirements, rights and obligations in relation to Felling Licences.

The Department promotes Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) as a central principle of Irish forest policy, whereby forests are managed to provide economic, social and environmental benefits on a sustainable basis for both current and future generations. All proposed forestry operations that are licensed must be carried out to ensure the implementation of SFM in Ireland. There are many factors taken into consideration in the process to determine whether or not a licence will be granted, including compliance with environmental legislation and good forest practice.

Until recently the majority of clear felling and replanting has been concentrated in the public estate. A significant portion of the private forest estate, particularly conifers, that were afforested in the 1980s and the early 1990s are now approaching a stage where forest owners are considering the best time to fell. In some cases forests will be thinned and other case clearfelled depending on a variety of different reasons such as site and market conditions.

The age at which it is best to harvest a forest depends on many things, including volume production, the risk of windblow, sawmill requirements regarding log sizes and current market prices. Forest owners may wish to fell early, delay felling or in some cases not fell at all for their own reasons. In some cases the landowner may apply for a licence to fell early if it is felt that the stand of trees is susceptible to windblow. Felling licences would normally be granted in such cases. What is of utmost importance for the Department is to ensure through the felling licence system that the felling and replanting is carried out in a manner that accords with sustainable forest management principles. A licence application that does not accord with sustainable forest management principles may be refused or have conditions added to the licence to ensure that it would accord with sustainable forest management principles.