Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

470. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address the issue of further afforestation in areas with poorly buffered soils under new afforestation management and environmental procedures that are applicable for a number of years; the number of applications for planting refused in each of the years 2008 to 2017, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39500/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Department's afforestation scheme includes a number of measures that ensure that afforestation is carried out on appropriate sites while taking into account any environmental considerations that might exist.

All new forests must be established in compliance with national and EU legislation and the Department’s requirements as set out in the Forestry Standards Manual, Scheme Documents, Code of Best Practice – Ireland and the suite of environmental guidelines including the Environmental Requirements introduced in December 2016, to ensure that the establishment of new forests is carried out in a way that is compatible with the protection and enhancement of our environment, particularly in relation to water, biodiversity, archaeology, soil type and the landscape. This is a basic requirement under environmental legislation and State aid rules underpinning the 2014-2020 Forestry Programme.

The number of applications for planting refused in each of the years 2008 to 2017 are shown in the table.

Afforestation refusals 2008-2017

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

471. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the species of tree used for reafforestation after clear-fell in each of the years 2007 to 2017 in terms of hectares planted; the way in which the higher stocking rate for broadleaf trees compared to conifers compensates for the failure to achieve the broadleaf tree targets.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39501/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Currently there are no targets in place for a broadleaf tree planting at the reforestation stage of the forest cycle which takes place following clearfell. In the Forestry Programme 2014 – 2020 a target was set to plant 30% of the area of new forests created annually with broadleaf tree species. The higher stocking rate associated with planting broadleaf trees does not compensate for lower levels of broadleaf tree planting as comparisons are made on an area basis and not on the number of trees planted. In practical terms, a hectare of land planted with 2,500 conifer trees carries the same weight as a hectare of land planted with 3,300 broadleaf trees.

Detailed annual information is not available the years 2007 to 2017. However the third National Forest Inventory completed in 2017 provides the following information on species composition in reforestation sites that are 10 years old and younger. The re-stocking species and figures are contained in the table.

Reforestation re-stocking species