Written answers
Tuesday, 21 July 2020
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Forestry Sector
Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
522. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of licences for felling, afforestation and forest roads issued by month between 1 January 2015 and 1 June 2020, inclusive in tabular form. [17098/20]
Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
My Department provides extensive statistical data on its website. It must be noted that prior to the commencement of the Forestry Act, 2014 on 24thMay, 2017, consent for afforestation and forest road works was by way of approvalrather than by licence. The following tables provide the number of approvals/licences issued for the years 2015 to 30thJune, 2020.
I am acutely aware that delays in issuing licences has led to difficulties for some in the sector. My Department is intensively engaging with all relevant stakeholders on these issues. The current licensing difficulties are as a result of the changes made to internal Appropriate Assessment Procedures (AAP). These were introduced in response to important Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) decisions and their subsequent interpretation by the Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) and others. These findings meant that in order to grant licences which fully meet environmental requirements, fundamental changes to the licensing system were unavoidable. All licence applications are subject to a statutory public notification system.
I accept the current changes to procedures are very significant and they have been challenging to implement such is the scope and breadth of them, which has unfortunately meant that there have been delays in issuing licences. It has taken substantial resources and effort to introduce a robust and workable system, which meets the legislative requirements, and I believe we now have that in place. My Department's licensing decisions are being confirmed at the Forestry Appeals Committee, which gives confidence in these revised procedures.
My Department has a detailed project plan in place for dealing with the current backlog and new applications, which includes significant investment in extra resources required to deliver the plan. These resources are a combination of additional ecologists, forestry inspectors and administrative staff where required.
The project plan is a targeted, process-driven approach which prioritise files in a manner which will result in an increased number of licences being issued in the short-term and will deliver a return to expected timelines in the longer term. Applicants who have or are prepared to submit a Natura Impact Statement, where appropriate, will be prioritised.
A Project Management Board, with a dedicated Project Manager, will oversee and monitor delivery. There will be a continuous review of the process, in order to effect efficiencies. A communication plan to keep stakeholders fully and regularly informed of progress, with a dedicated central resource to deal with queries, is a key element of the project. While much of the success of the project plan lies with my Department, stakeholders also need to engage with it. This will require a commitment from forestry companies to submit only applications which have a realistic chance of being planted, to ensure all applications are of the required standard and quality, and to submit NISs in accordance with the guidance provided.
I am more than aware that the current situation is challenging, but it is a temporary disruption which, when resolved, will make for a better, more sustainable and fit-for-purpose forestry licensing system for many years to come.
Afforestation | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January | 151 | 122 | 160 | 84 | 63 | 41 |
February | 151 | 124 | 99 | 104 | 78 | 58 |
March | 183 | 158 | 154 | 109 | 69 | 56 |
April | 169 | 182 | 170 | 120 | 87 | 69 |
May | 152 | 135 | 140 | 67 | 57 | 33 |
June | 126 | 86 | 106 | 47 | 32 | 22 |
July | 92 | 68 | 51 | 31 | 30 | |
August | 104 | 85 | 54 | 35 | 60 | |
September | 114 | 107 | 55 | 71 | 22 | |
October | 152 | 113 | 64 | 78 | 42 | |
November | 223 | 176 | 101 | 55 | 26 | |
December | 134 | 110 | 89 | 54 | 22 | |
Total | 1,751 | 1,466 | 1,243 | 855 | 588 | 279 |
Forest Roads | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
January | 54 | 47 | 48 | 35 | 101 | 19 |
February | 22 | 27 | 37 | 31 | 59 | 32 |
March | 29 | 36 | 29 | 28 | 39 | 40 |
April | 26 | 24 | 37 | 21 | 51 | 38 |
May | 31 | 39 | 31 | 36 | 48 | 37 |
June | 22 | 41 | 44 | 37 | 47 | 24 |
July | 43 | 50 | 38 | 26 | 48 | |
August | 53 | 80 | 43 | 60 | 46 | |
September | 49 | 62 | 35 | 38 | 25 | |
October | 37 | 48 | 41 | 62 | 24 | |
November | 50 | 43 | 64 | 53 | 22 | |
December | 59 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 32 | |
Total | 475 | 529 | 480 | 461 | 542 | 190 |
Tree Felling | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
January | 302 | 235 | 245 | 232 | 513 | 81 |
February | 242 | 274 | 167 | 106 | 1,079 | 177 |
March | 126 | 185 | 181 | 203 | 664 | 180 |
April | 109 | 114 | 132 | 130 | 568 | 127 |
May | 145 | 234 | 190 | 212 | 124 | 149 |
June | 98 | 177 | 59 | 149 | 272 | 85 |
July | 124 | 206 | 444 | 83 | 356 | |
August | 85 | 275 | 408 | 704 | 124 | |
September | 249 | 497 | 540 | 738 | 156 | |
October | 805 | 324 | 165 | 579 | 73 | |
November | 258 | 2,927 | 358 | 386 | 134 | |
December | 199 | 1,283 | 217 | 81 | 117 | |
Total | 2,742 | 6,731 | 3,106 | 3,603 | 4,180 | 799 |
Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
523. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the significant backlog of forest licensing approvals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17099/20]
Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
524. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the average age of a felling licence for the calendar years 2015 to 2019, inclusive (details supplied); and the number of applications, in absolute and relative terms, that are decided in periods of time greater than four months. [17100/20]
Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
I propose to take Questions Nos. 523 and 524 together.
The commencement of the Forestry Act, 2014 in May, 2017 brought about significant changes in the consent process for forestry operations. Felling licences are now valid for up to 10 years and may cover several felling events, such as thinning then clear felling on the same plot. Landowners considering future operations, have the opportunity of applying for a tree felling licence well in advance of any operations taking place.
I am acutely aware that delays in issuing licences has led to difficulties for some in the sector, although of course not all licence are used immediately. My Department is intensively engaging with all relevant stakeholders on these issues. The current licensing difficulties are as a result of the changes made to internal Appropriate Assessment Procedures (AAP). These were introduced in response to important Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) decisions and their subsequent interpretation by the Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) and others. These findings meant that in order to grant licences which fully meet environmental requirements, fundamental changes to the licensing system were unavoidable. All licence applications are subject to a statutory public notification system.
I accept the current changes to procedures are very significant and they have been challenging to implement such is the scope and breadth of them, which has unfortunately meant that there have been delays in issuing licences. It has taken substantial resources and effort to introduce a robust and workable system, which meets the legislative requirements, and I believe we now have that in place. My Department's licensing decisions are being confirmed at the Forestry Appeals Committee, which gives confidence in these revised procedures.
My Department has a detailed project plan in place for dealing with the current backlog and new applications, which includes significant investment in extra resources required to deliver the plan. These resources are a combination of additional ecologists, forestry inspectors and administrative staff where required.
The project plan is a targeted, process-driven approach which prioritise files in a manner which will result in an increased number of licences being issued in the short-term and will deliver a return to expected timelines in the longer term. Applicants who have or are prepared to submit a Natura Impact Statement, where appropriate, will be prioritised.
A Project Management Board, with a dedicated Project Manager, will oversee and monitor delivery. There will be a continuous review of the process, in order to effect efficiencies. A communication plan to keep stakeholders fully and regularly informed of progress, with a dedicated central resource to deal with queries, is a key element of the project. While much of the success of the project plan lies with my Department, stakeholders also need to engage with it. This will require a commitment from forestry companies to submit applications that are of the required standard and quality, and to submit NISs in accordance with the guidance provided.
I am more than aware that the current situation is challenging, but it is a temporary disruption which, when resolved, will make for a better, more sustainable and fit-for-purpose forestry licensing system for many years to come.
The table below shows data for applications for tree felling licences. It should be noted that prior to the commencement of the Forestry Act, 2014 on 24thMay, 2017, all tree felling licences were dealt with manually and age-related data are not available for all the years requested. The data below are for 2018 to 2020.
- | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
---|---|---|---|
Applications received | 6,600 | 3,175 | 758 |
Licences issued | 3,603 | 4,098 | 823 |
% issued within four months | 77% | 71% | 60% |
% issued over four months | 23% | 29% | 40% |
Average days to decision* | 109 | 185 | 215 |
* For decisions made in the year indicated.
Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
525. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide details of tree planting rates and numbers conducted through afforestation by license under section 22 of the Forestry Act 2014 in tabular form. [17101/20]
Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
My Department provides annual planting and other statistics on its website. My Department does not keep data on the number of trees planted at sites, rather the hectares planted. The table below shows the hectares planted per county in the last three full years.
- | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|
Carlow | 62.37 | 25.57 | 21.75 |
Cavan | 316.67 | 320.63 | 167.45 |
Clare | 518.38 | 261.71 | 352.43 |
Cork | 419.69 | 297.03 | 423.40 |
Donegal | 54.13 | 63.86 | 44.52 |
Dublin | 10.80 | 4.21 | 35.10 |
Galway | 400.32 | 286.60 | 278.78 |
Kerry | 377.66 | 332.44 | 301.47 |
Kildare | 33.02 | 79.28 | 24.88 |
Kilkenny | 89.55 | 136.13 | 89.06 |
Laois | 98.57 | 71.21 | 49.09 |
Leitrim | 536.22 | 298.66 | 289.18 |
Limerick | 99.48 | 81.01 | 156.49 |
Longford | 200.70 | 171.44 | 62.02 |
Louth | 21.85 | 10.31 | 1.27 |
Mayo | 531.78 | 255.97 | 239.07 |
Meath | 122.04 | 105.87 | 51.33 |
Monaghan | 61.38 | 86.74 | 59.28 |
Offaly | 165.63 | 72.05 | 76.24 |
Roscommon | 431.11 | 399.28 | 315.09 |
Sligo | 189.96 | 139.34 | 119.35 |
Tipperary | 161.65 | 127.67 | 157.84 |
Waterford | 163.40 | 42.60 | 49.45 |
Westmeath | 206.88 | 174.65 | 77.03 |
Wexford | 114.36 | 60.45 | 58.86 |
Wicklow | 148.15 | 120.77 | 49.46 |
Total | 5,535.75 | 4,025.48 | 3,549.89 |
This represents tree planting on private lands, which is funded under the Department's Forestry Programme 2014-2020. The rate of afforestation has been in decline in recent years, due to a number of factors including competition for land amongst land owners regarding the value and management of their forests, negative public perception of forestry and difficulties and delays in issuing licences. The Programme for Government contains commitments to support the forestry sector and woodland creation and to tackle these issues.
No comments