Written answers

Tuesday, 9 June 2020

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Forestry Sector

Photo of Holly CairnsHolly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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479. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Growing for the Future document is still the strategic plan for the development of the forestry sector here. [10151/20]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Growing for the Future- A Strategic Plan for the Development of the Forestry Sector in Ireland’was published in 1996. It was replaced in 2014 by ‘Forests, products and people: Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’. The strategic goal for the forestry sector in Ireland as described in “Forest products and people" isas follows;

“To develop an internationally competitive and sustainable forest sector that provides a full range of economic, environmental and social benefits to society and which accords with the Forest Europe definition of sustainable forest management”

This policy document was a key driver in the development of the measures contained in the Forestry Programme 2014 -2020. Since the commencement of the Programme to end 2019, a total of 26,000 hectares of new forests have been funded. In addition, some 383,000m of forest road have been supported and constructed.

In order to further respond to the policy direction in “Forest products and people", a Mid-Term Review of the Forestry Programme was completed in 2018. The Department introduced innovations, including increased rates, to address reduced planting levels and to introduce greater diversity in terms of the species being planted. These have had a positive effect with, for example, broadleaf planting rising from 21% of all trees planted in 2017 to 36% to date this year.

Other new measures in terms of sustainable forest management and to support the delivery of public goods such as biodiversity were also introduced by the Department in 2019, on foot of the Mid-Term Review. These were:

- The introduction of tree guards and deer fencing grants as part of a new “Forest Fencing and Tree Shelter Scheme” to reduce the risk of deer damage for existing broadleaf forests;

- Inclusion of a new Continuous Cover Forestry measure as part of the Woodland Improvement Scheme which will generate more diverse habitats for wildlife by creating forests with a more varied age structure. The objectives of the measures are inter aliato enhance environmental benefits of existing coniferous forests by opening up the canopy and creating new habitats for wildlife, to create an uneven canopy structure with the aim of producing high quality, high value logs and to promote a more suitable management option in sensitive sites; and

- A Woodland Improvement Scheme which supports thinning interventions for broadleaf forests and is designed to stimulate investment in the improvement, protection and development of young broadleaf forests. This activity fulfils a range of functions, including the improvement in the quality of hardwoods being produced thereby increasing the value of the broadleaf forest for the owner. Thinning also delivers ecosystem services such as increased biodiversity and climate adaption as a result of healthier trees which will have greater resilience to pest and disease outbreaks.

The MacKinnon review of my Department's procedures for licencing of forestry has recommended the development of a new national Forest Strategy as part of the preparation of a new National Forestry Programme. This will be a matter for consideration by the next Government.

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