Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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241. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is considering redrafting of the current reconstitution scheme to deal with ash dieback in order to include all trees planted under his Department’s forestation schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28755/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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In June 2020, the Department launched the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS) (Ash dieback). The objectives of the scheme are to encourage the active management of ash plantations, to promote the vigorous growth of ash through thinning and, where appropriate in young plantations and in cases of high disease infection, to support the removal of the affected ash crop and replacement with alternative species. The Scheme also aims to build resilience and diversity into plantations and possibly identify tolerant or resistant individuals.

The support scheme for Ash Dieback has been reviewed to ensure the continued relevance of the Departments response and to ensure that the forest owner is provided with a broader range of silvicultural and management options, to deal with the disease in ash trees. As other tree species are not affected by the disease, it is not necessary to include other species in the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS) (Ash dieback). Applicants are free to replant with other tree species, within the Scheme criteria.

To date, the Department has received 304 applications for RUS for 1,252ha, of which 61 have been approved for 214ha. The remainder are at various stages of processing. I have no plans to redraft the scheme at this stage.