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

812. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a fence will be erected at a location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14781/20]

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Coillte is operationally independent of my Department and matters such as the day-to-day management of their forest estate, are the responsibility of the company.

I have therefore passed the question raised to Coillte for response and direct reply to the Deputy.

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

813. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the person or body that decided ring barking is a good forestry practice (details supplied); the planned number of acres of forest for ring barking in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14785/20]

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Ring-barking has been applied on a trial basis in selected conifer stands as part of the EU co-funded KerryLIFE Project, a demonstration project to restore the endangered freshwater pearl mussel (FPM) within two catchments in Co. Kerry.

Under this project, ring-barking is applied to young conifer stems to create open space around existing birch trees, thereby enabling the natural regeneration of the birch. The application is repeated over a number of years until eventually the ‘halos’ of emerging birch merge, thereby resulting in the ecologically-sensitive transformation of the conifer stand into native woodland. Ring-barking is also described in the draft Plan for Forests and Freshwater Pearl Mussel (FPM) in Ireland, released by the Department in mid-2018, as a prescription for the gradual elimination of individual and small groups of trees, in areas where their sudden removal by felling would be harmful to FPM.

Ring-barking would not be considered as normal forest practice and would only be acceptable in very limited circumstances, such as those described above.

A tree felling licence is required where a tree is to be felled or caused to fall (regardless of the methods used) and must be granted before any management operation takes place.