Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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671. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he will produce projections on the number of licences by category (details supplied); if it is accepted these are voluntary applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2891/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department issued 4,050 forestry licences this year, which is an increase of 56% on the number issued in 2021, and met our revised target of 4,000 licences. It is our intention to build on this momentum in 2022 and we will shortly publish projections for the year in a new licencing plan.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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672. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his officials have concluded discussions and arrived at a successful outcome with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage regarding the issue of the requirement for planning permission on dead, dying and rotting ash crops as committed to by the Secretary General of his Department at a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2892/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department's Forestry related Circular 5 of 2021 outlines the advice my Department received from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government in relation to the “replacement of Broadleaf High Forest with conifer species”.

The Circular outlined the situations where planning permission from the Local Authority is required when replacing Broadleaf High Forest with Conifer species and when planning permission is not required.

My Department's officials are continuing to engage with their counterparts in Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on this issue as outlined at the meeting with the Oireachtas Committee. This engagement is around exploring my Departments proposal to become the sole consent authority for these activities. This will take some time as it will require agreement in principle and legislative changes.

Meanwhile the Department is continuing to process applications under the Department's Reconstitution and Underplanting (Ash Dieback) Scheme, where it can.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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673. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 59 of 9 December 2021, if the payment process for the payment of ecological reports has been fully agreed with the relevant working group in Project Woodland; if the working group is fully supportive of these plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2893/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has recognised the increased cost of compliance for applicants through the introduction of a higher grant payable at the Form 2 stage in the process i.e. after the site is planted.

For a variety of reasons the new grant is not what was postponed by the working group but is designed to make a contribution to those costs as quickly and efficiently as possible.

In addition, my Department is continuing in parallel to explore the feasibility of developing another system for such payments more closely aligned to that proposed by working group 4.

This will need to examine the resource and system implications of such a system which could be large in the context of other priorities this year for my Department. It is our intention to present our preliminary findings to an upcoming meeting of the Project Woodland Project Board most likely in March.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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674. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the projected number of ecologists required to deliver an 8,000-hectare afforestation based on output of licences per ecologist in 2021 when considering the existing conversion rates from approval to planting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2900/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department issued 4,050 new licences in 2021. By way of comparison this is 56% higher than the 2020 figure. 2021 marks a turning point for forest roads and private felling as the number of forest roads licensed is the highest on record and the number of private felling licences is the second highest over the last five years. In relation to afforestation 476 applications were received and 502 licences were issued for 4,246 hectares in 2021. The Department is committed to a significant increase in afforestation licences in 2022.

The issuing of licences, depending on the complexity, requires input from a range of Department staff including Forestry Inspectors, Ecologists, Archaeologists and Administrative staff. Some licences will require more attention from one of these groups than others depending on the complexity of the licence. The ecological input required will depend on the individual circumstances in each licence application

My Department keeps all forestry staffing under continuous review. Recently the Department issued a Request for Tender for Ecological services. This will give the Department more flexibility in hiring additional ecologists, where needed, during 2022.

There are of course other factors which can influence licensing output and an external regulatory review is currently underway under Project Woodland with the report due next month. This review will determine whether there are better ways of processing licence applications while also having regard for existing legal frameworks, judical precedents and relevant Commission guidelines.

I would also add the importance of good quality applications from foresters in this regard. As always my Department remains available to provide the necessary training and guidance if needed to help improve the quality of applications.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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675. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has ensured the full integration and compatibility of afforestation and the afforestation scheme into the next Common Agriculture Policy which is a programme for Government commitment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2901/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As set out in the Programme for Government, this Government is committed to a new national Forestry Programme for the period 2023-2027 which will be the main implementation vehicle of the new Forest Strategy.

A new Forest Strategy is currently being developed as part of the work done in Project Woodland, including an extensive public engagement strategy which has already commenced.

This new Forestry Programme will focus on the importance of climate smart forestry and new afforestation will be encouraged in pursuit of commercial, climate, water, and biodiversity objectives. The new Forestry Programme will again be funded nationally and will be subject to State Aid approval by the European Commission.

Trees sequester carbon and have significance importance in the fight against climate change. In accordance with the target’s set out in the Climate Action Plan, the Government will continue to promote afforestation to increase planting to a rate consistent with realising our 2030 climate ambition and to contribute to achieving carbon neutrality no later than 2050.

To achieve this, my Department fully recognises the need for afforestation to be complimentary to CAP.

As outlined in the CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) tree planting actions have been included in both Pillar 1 and Pillar 2. The new Eco-Scheme (Pillar 1) includes a tree planting option as part of the menu of options that farmers can choose from. The Pillar II Agri-Environment Climate Measure (AECM) includes significant tree planting actions for specific objectives, such as riparian buffers for water quality, in belts for ammonia capture near the farmyard or in rows, groups or as parkland. In addition, the AECM actions also include a farm sustainability review in which farmers can discuss a plan for their whole farm, including the identification of areas suitable for tree planting. In cases where farmers show an interest in planting trees on an area exceeding 0.1ha, the individual farmer will be encouraged to consider entering the afforestation scheme under the National Forestry Programme.

I would also like to point out that it is my objective to increase and encourage interest in small scale planting by removing the licensing requirement for areas not greater than one hectare, which may prove to be a barrier to such planting and be considered onerous and complex. Such an exemption would be available as part of a scheme which my Department intends to design and implement once the required legislative change is in place; the required amendment to the Forestry Act 2014, is currently moving through the Houses of the Oireachtas through the vehicle of the Animal Health and Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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676. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the real inflation adjusted increase or decrease in the afforestation grant for all global product classification categories for each year from 2000 to date in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2902/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The current national Forestry Programme 2014-2020 (extended to end 2022) provides significant supports for afforestation and includes 12 different Grant and Premium Categories (GPC) to promote a good species mix and covers 100% of the cost of establishing a forest.

Grant payments are made on a flat rate per hectare basis. The scheme also pays an annual premium to the landowner of up to €680 per hectare payable each year for 15 years.

The Forestry Programme periods follow the relevant CAP programming periods and support forestry as a viable land use option which can complement existing farming enterprises and contribute to the diversification of farming income.

The current Programme was subject to a midterm review in 2018 which assessed the rates of grants and premiums for all forestry schemes. Current costs of forestry operations are considered by my Department when setting and updating the grant rates for the Afforestation Scheme. The following table shows the relevant afforestation grant rates offered by my Department in the various Forestry Programmes that were in place from 1998 to 2022:

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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677. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether there is an immediate need to increase the afforestation grant in line with the recent increase in the TAMS grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2903/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, Project Woodland was established in February 2021 to ensure that the current licensing backlog is addressed and that a new impetus is brought to woodland creation in Ireland.

A national shared vision for the future of Ireland's trees and forests and a new Forestry Strategy are currently being developed by Working Group 2 of Project Woodland. This new Forest Strategy will underpin a new Forestry Programme for the period 2023 - 2027.

An extensive public consultation process on the new strategy has commenced and stakeholders will have an opportunity to raise any issues that they feel need to be addressed with my Department.

Work on the next Forestry Programme will include a review of grant rates and my Department will examine current forestry operational costs during that process.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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678. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the relevant stakeholders will be consulted on the forestry report being compiled by a person (details supplied) in order to ensure that the report is as comprehensive as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2907/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Following a procurement process involving a Request for Tenders (RFT) Philip Lee has been hired by the Department to provide planning, environmental and legal expertise to review the regulatory framework for licensing of forestry activities within which DAFM operates and advise the Board of Project Woodland on potential new efficiencies arising within the regulatory and statutory framework for the forestry industry.

As the successful tenderer, Philip Lee is required to

a) review and critically analyse the existing statutory framework for the licensing of forestry activities

b) recommend practical and implementable options for streamlining processes and procedures

c) consider arrangements (legal, procedural and operational) in a selected agreed sample of EU Member States with comparable clear felling and afforestation deliverables and include within the options at (b) recommendations from the lessons learned from those other jurisdictions and what practices and procedures can be implemented by DAFM,

d) include provision for: i. differentiating projects based on scale, location, type, ownership type, etc and

ii. single consent/permit/licence or authorisation to cover all activities required to be licensed and

e) evaluate and provide recommendations in relation to current standard 15km radius for AA and, if necessary, recommend other practical approaches to screening based on EU law requirements.

As part of this process Philip Lee is consulting widely. This includes regular updates to the Project Woodland Project Board, all Working Groups associated with Project Woodland and bilateral meetings, on request, with key stakeholders. A number of these meetings have taken place to date and will continue throughout the process.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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679. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consult with farming organisations that are currently undertaking a survey on forestry management in other European countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2908/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, a national shared vision for the future of Ireland's trees and forests and a new Forestry Strategy are currently being developed as part of the work carried out in Project Woodland.

This new Forest Strategy will underpin a new Forestry Programme for the period 2023 - 2027. An extensive public consultation process on the new strategy has commenced and I would encourage anyone interested in forestry to participate in this process.

Direct bilateral meetings between my Department and key stakeholders have commenced as part of this engagement exercise, and invites continue to issue to stakeholders on an ongoing basis. Farmers, as the main private landowners, are, of course, key in this process and farming organisations have therefore been identified as key stakeholders for direct engagement and dialogue.

My Department looks forward to meeting with farming representatives to listen to their views on the proposed draft Vision; learning what their vision for trees and forests is and understanding how their organisation can help to deliver the Vision and Strategy.

The new national Forestry Programme for the period 2023-2027 will be the main implementation vehicle of the new Forest Strategy and these bilateral meetings will therefore also be an opportunity for participants to inform my Department what their priorities are for the next Forestry Programme. Bilateral meetings are expected to be completed by May 2022.

In the coming months, my Department is planning to also make available an online public consultation facility where stakeholders can provide more detailed written submissions regarding the new Vision and Forest Strategy. I encourage all farming organisations to engage with this process so that the new Vision for forests is one that is representative of the whole of Irish society.