Written answers

Thursday, 20 May 2021

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Forestry Sector

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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356. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 1255 of 31 March 2021, when the required frost recon scheme will be announced to support owners of woodlands affected by detrimental frost damage in May 2019 and 2020 and again in early May 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27168/21]

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department is aware of a request from the forestry sector for a reconstitution scheme in response to frost damage on young plantations. We are continuing to analyse the business case for such a scheme.

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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358. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if it is planned to exclude professional registered foresters from the scheme to plant trees along rivers and watercourses to act as carbon sinks and interceptors of nutrients currently being prepared by the Minister of State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27188/21]

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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359. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if it is planned to get external expertise and registered foresters to assist his staff in developing the scheme to plant trees along rivers and watercourses to act as carbon sinks and interceptors of nutrients currently being prepared by the Minister of State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27189/21]

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 358 and 359 together.

The planting of trees along riparian margins has the potential to play a significant part in our environmental priorities especially water quality, biodiversity and climate. My colleague Minister Pippa Hackett has announced her intention to explore how such planting could be promoted at scale. This would combine the best of our agri-environment measures, where over 1.5 million trees were planted under GLAS, for example, and better integration with our afforestation goals such as the Native Woodland establishment scheme.

Any proposed planting of trees that is 0.1 ha or over in area is currently considered afforestation and must have an afforestation licence which must be applied for by a registered forester. This has meant that individual tree planting measures in GLAS and REAP, for example, must be below the 0.1 ha threshold which includes tree planting around field boundaries, including riparian field margins.

We have also included tree planting measures under the REAP scheme as complementary actions. Amongst other things, this will help us meet our intention to include significant tree-planting measures under our future agri-environment schemes in the next round of CAP.

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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360. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to circular 5 of 2021, clarification regarding ash dieback scheme and planning permission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27190/21]

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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361. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department was not aware of the issues in relation to planning permission when developing and ultimately issuing the RUS scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27191/21]

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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362. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there are possible mechanisms in the Forestry Act 2014 that take account of the fact that the ash crops are either dying or dead and as such are not subject to the rules as laid out in circular 5/2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27192/21]

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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363. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to develop a process with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage that takes account of the fact that ash trees are either dead or dying and rotting and that the process and procedure as laid out in circular 5 of 2021 does not take account of this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27193/21]

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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364. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the fact that ash plantations subject to ash dieback, which are either dead or dying and rotting are now a very serious health and safety trap for owners, contractors and the public and the contents of circular 5 of 2021 in view of the performance of his Department in issuing approvals in the RUS scheme to date does nothing other than add to the health and safety issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27194/21]

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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365. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to revisit the existing academically excellent but operationally nonsensical and impractical RUS scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27195/21]

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 360 to 365, inclusive, together.

There are requirements in the Planning and Development Acts to obtain grant of planning or written exemption from such a grant from the relevant local authority, when replacing certain broadleaf high forests with conifers. This is not a new requirement and Circular 05/2021, was issued to serve as clarification. The Planning and Development Acts are outside of the remit of the Department and the requirement for a grant of planning or a written exemption is irrespective of the health of the trees concerned. Furthermore, an applicant wishing to avoid these requirements can choose to replace an existing broadleaf species, in this case Ash, with another broadleaf species.

The Forestry Act, 2014 provides for an exemption from obtaining a tree felling licence in situations where the tree felling is carried out to control or to prevent the spread of disease. Applicants are not required to obtain a tree felling licence as part of the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS). However, this is separate to the requirement to obtain grant of planning or an exemption from such a grant, which falls under the remit of the Planning and Development Acts, where certain broadleaf high forests are to be replaced by conifers.

Where there are concerns for health and safety and a fear that delays in obtaining planning permission may exacerbate the situation, it is open to applicants to replant Ash with another broadleaf species.

Finally, the current Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme meets the purpose of the requirements to continue to deal with the disease. The focus of the Scheme moving away from ash dieback eradication and bringing ash plantation management to the fore. The Scheme ensures that the forest owner is provided with a broader range of silvicultural and management options.

My Department has received 301 applications for RUS for 1,237ha, of which 60 have been approved for 212ha. The remainder are at various stages of processing.

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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366. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department is on target to date to achieve the stated licensing output target of 4,500 licences; if not, he size of the delay in relation in achieving the target; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27196/21]

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department is fully committed to the target of issuing 4,500 forestry licences this year.

To date, 1,135 forestry licences have issued, which is 25% of the target. Along with Minister of State Hackett, I expect the issuing of forestry licences to increase this month compared to the previous month and increase as the year progresses.

We will continue to provide full updates in our weekly forestry dashboard.

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