Written answers

Thursday, 4 May 2017

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Forestry Sector

Photo of Richard Boyd BarrettRichard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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14. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider introducing more agroforestry options to encourage farmers to take up forestry and increase tree cover as part of the effort to tackle climate change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21111/17]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Funding of almost €1 million has been allocated to agro-forestry under the six year Forestry Programme 2014 – 2020. So far approval has issued for some 26 hectares and 0.6 hectares has been planted.

The scheme itself promotes mainly silvopastoral agro-forestry. Acceptable broadleaf species include oak, sycamore and cherry. Other species, including conifers, are considered on a site-by-site basis. Fruit and nut producing trees can comprise up to 15% of the total trees planted on a site to site basis. The cumulative agro-forestry target for 2015, 2016 and 2017 is 55 hectares.  

The reason behind the very modest planting figures achieved to date is that there is no tradition or culture of agro-forestry across Ireland amongst the farming community. Nevertheless my Department considers agro-forestry to have significant potential and is a very important part of the planting mix within the afforestation scheme. Agro-forestry can lessen the impacts of climate change and erosion; this is achieved by slowing down surface run-off and increasing the rate of soakage into the soil. This also has the additional benefit of allowing waterlogged land to drain more quickly. Trees planted close to sensitive waterways can help filter surface run-off and reduce the amount of sediment that enters these streams and rivers, protecting vulnerable aquatic species. There are also bio-diversity benefits through the creation of new habitats and also in animal welfare where the trees provide shelter.   

Furthermore, by allowing agriculture and forestry to take place on the same land at the same time farmers can become more familiar with forestry as a land use. This may lead these farmers to consider taking the next step of deciding to plant trees as part of a more conventional forest type. 

In terms of the afforestation scheme as it is currently written, agro-forestry systems other than silvopastoral may be considered if the development complies with the definition of forest cover. In an effort to develop this further the midterm review of the Forestry Programme has called for submissions to consider which alternative agro-forestry systems can be included in an updated afforestation scheme. Support for the establishment of demonstration plots for research purposes may also be considered under the afforestation scheme in the context of my Department’s research programme. The challenge for Ireland is to find other agro-forestry systems that are suited to our climatic, environmental, forestry and agricultural requirements.

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