Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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59. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his projections for the number of tree felling licences, afforestation licences, forest road licences, ash dieback RUS applications, woodland improvement applications, native woodland conservation applications, aerial fertilisation licences and continuous cover forestry approvals for the private forest sector in 2022. [60840/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Tackling the backlog in forestry licenses remains a key priority for my Department, significant progress has been made in the past year, particularly on felling and road licences.

The investment in resources and continual improvement has had a positive impact, with an increase in licence output in recent months and with 3,718 licences issued to date this year. I am confident that we will meet our target of 4,000 licences by year end. For the last 14 weeks, we have issued an average of 115 licences each week and I expect this progress to continue. The volume of timber licensed this year will be the highest ever on record for a single year.

I am also fully committed to delivering on the forestry support schemes, which promote sustainable forest management and support forest owners whose plantations have been affected by Ash Dieback

It is difficult to predict the number of applications we will receive in terms of licences for felling, afforestation, roads and aerial fertilisation in 2022 or in terms of applications for support schemes as these are all voluntary schemes. It is the case that we have a backlog of licences to work through and we are dealing with this through the Project Woodland initiative.

We are making progress under Project Woodland with the second interim report published at the end of October. In terms of licensing, an important initiative is the in-depth review of the forestry licensing system being carried out by a consultant with legal and environmental expertise. It will review the existing statutory framework for the licensing of forestry activities in relation to environmental and public participation obligations in order that practical advice can be provided to the Department on how to work more efficiently within the existing legal framework. That report is expected at end February next. In addition, a business systems analysis currently being undertaken by an independent systems analyst will interact with and run parallel to the regulatory review, so that best possible system improvements are delivered. Furthermore, I am glad to say that the roll-out of a pilot pre-application discussions facility, as well as a payment process for ecology reports submitted with afforestation applications, are under development.

It is our intention to improve on the 2021 target next year and my Department will be producing an updated projection for the issuing of licences in 2022 by year end. Furthermore, it is our intention to deal with support scheme applications in a timely manner in 2022.

I am fully committed to delivering a licensing and forestry support system which meets the expectations of those in the forestry sector and of society as a whole.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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60. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated number of hectares of new afforestation in 2021; and his targets for licences for afforestation and felling in 2022. [60427/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The current level of afforestation is a matter of concern to me.

It appears at this stage that the number of hectares of new afforestation, which we calculate as forestry in respect of which a first grant and premium has been paid, will be somewhere in the region of 2,000 hectares. I fully appreciate that this is a very disappointing outturn, especially given that our national target is 8,000 hectares.

However, there are 5,000 hectares of approved forestry licences issued and ready for use. I would encourage anyone with a valid afforestation licence to plant their land, thereby accessing generous annual premiums and 100% establishment grants.

I am aware that significant increases in afforestation will be required over the next decade. I know that delays in issuing licences may be a contributory factor in terms of interest in planting. We are addressing the backlog through the Project Woodland initiative and through investment in resources and improvements to our process.

This has had a positive impact on licence output in recent months, and we are on track to meet our target of 4,000 licences by year end. Having said that, in terms of afforestation, outputs are not where I’d like them to be but there are signs of improvement.

The Department are prioritising the assessment of afforestation licences on hand, using the same system as was applied to felling licences to free up ecology time. Ten ecologists are now dedicated to afforestation.

Our delivery in terms of felling licences has improved significantly this year with 2,635 licences at a volume of 7.9 million cubic metres issued to date. This is the highest volume of timber ever to be licensed in a single year.

It is my intention that we will build on recent momentum in licence delivery in 2022 and we will implement any and all practical process improvements which result from the review and analysis in train under Project Woodland. We are currently drawing up projections for licence output for 2022 which will be published by the end of the year.