Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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269. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will engage with Kildare County Council in identifying publicly owned land banks to commence an ambitious planting initiative in County Kildare. [29062/20]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government has set a new ambition with regard to increased use of state lands for the creation of woodlands. My Department has responded with a specific scheme called the ‘Creation of Woodlands on Public Lands’ scheme which we launched in August. As part of this scheme, Government mandated public bodies to review suitable land available for planting. The aim of this exercise is to kick- start an ambitious programme of afforestation on state-owned lands.

This innovative scheme encapsulates the multifunctional benefits that forestry can deliver for the environment, society and the economy. By encouraging the planting of native species on suitable land, public bodies will be establishing habitats rich in biodiversity while recreating a landscape that existed in Ireland thousands of years ago. These forests will exist in perpetuity and are non-commercial insofar as they exist for the benefit of the public in general.

My Department is currently working with the Climate Action Regional Offices (CARO) to assist all Local Authorities in identifying suitable sites for planting and to access the necessary funding under the scheme. The first step is for Kildare County Council to complete a landbank analysis of suitable land for planting. The CARO together with my Department will be directly in touch with them to assist on this.