Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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220. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to the announcement in February 2017 of an initiative (details supplied) to purchase forestry, if the land in question was already privately owned; if public land was made available or if it will be made available for a company to buy under this deal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30451/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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My Department is not involved in the initiative referenced by the Deputy.  Therefore, I am not in a position to comment on their current or future intentions. I can say however, that Coillte has not and do not have any current plans to sell land to the company concerned.

This initiative provides an option for forest owners who do not want to wait until the end of a full rotation to realise the economic value of their forest. The opportunity presented by this fund may allow forest owners to invest this revenue in other parts of their farm or to invest in other non-farm activities.

Another option for forest owners is to hold onto their woodland and manage it themselves. This option is also being promoted by my Department where €250,000 has been allocated in 2017 to a pilot project to test the feasibility of Knowledge Transfer Groups(KTG) for forestry. The aim of this initiative, which is already underway, is to empower forest owners with the knowledge to become forest managers. Furthermore, in November 2016 my Department signed a contract to develop a forest management template to help forest owners achieve certification for their forests. For many forest owners, the KTG and certification projects will help make the option of retaining ownership and managing their own forests an attractive option to consider.