Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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215. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of the 27,000 hectares of old woodland sites (details supplied) identified in 2001 that have been transitioned to native woodlands; the amount of hardwood Coillte has harvested since 2001, by firewood, sawn planks and saw logs; the value of each category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3731/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Coillte is a private limited company established under the Forestry Act 1988 and, as such, is operationally independent from my Department. I have, therefore, referred the matter to Coillte for direct follow-up with the Deputy.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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216. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason that the current forest policy review process, Project Woodland, has no provision to examine reforestation, the main forestry activity conducted by Coillte given that this is a continuation of a failed forestry policy that involves clear-felling and replanting of 90 to 95% sitka spruce impacting on approximately 50% of the total forest area; the reason that the review has no remit or focus on the remaining 0.2% of ancient woodland fragments (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3737/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Project Woodland is currently developing a shared national vision for the next forest strategy for Ireland.

Over the next three months, extensive public consultation will take place where the views of a wide range of stakeholders will be sought.

Any future Forest Strategy will examine the range of forest types found in Ireland and provide a number of strategic actions which will take account of the principles of sustainable forest management as defined by "Forest Europe", including the re-planting policy.

Forests managed for commercial timber and for biodiversity will be a key component of the next forest strategy. The felling and reforestation of trees is regulated by the Forestry Act 2014 and adherence to environmental standards is required.

Ireland's existing Forestry Programme has a suite of measures aimed at protecting and encouraging all sustainable harvesting activities which includes thinning, continuous cover forestry and clearfelling.

The next Forestry Programme, which is currently being prepared, will continue to provide funding to encourage increased take up of alternative harvesting systems, such as continuous cover forestry where appropriate. The species used to replant felled sites will depend on the objectives of the site and forest owner. Where commercial forestry is the objective a range of species can be planted, which includes Sitka spruce.

Although Sitka spruce is an important component of our forest estate, comprising over 51% of the area, there are a wide range of other species found. Broadleaved species account for over 28% of the national forest area. New forests planted in 2021 had over 40% of the area planted with broadleaves.

The important role of native woodlands is well recognised and my Department is acutely aware of their importance for national biodiversity. These forests provide an important store of forest genetic resources that need to be conserved and expanded.

My Department through the native woodland conservation scheme and the Forest Genetic Resources Reproductive Material Scheme facilitates the conservation of indigenous native forests.

The next Forestry Programme and Forest Strategy will continue to highlight the importance of conserving our native forests and the need to encourage a wider range of harvesting systems, including clearfelling, thinning and continuous cover forestry.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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217. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the University College of Dublin attitudes to forestry survey focused on counties Wicklow and Kerry conducted by a person (details supplied) will feed into Project Woodland and the current forestry review process; his views on a statement by the person encouraging the public to respond to the survey; the average value of one hectare of sitka spruce across all yield classes and for each yield class; if he will provide the most up-to-date cost benefit analysis for public spending on forestry; if this includes current forestry issues relating to water quality; and if damage to water by current forestry practices is being taken into account in cost benefit analysis for public funding. [3738/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of and appreciate the valuable research conducted by Dr Augustenburg in relation to forestry.

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.

Third level institutions, such as UCD, are of course important stakeholders in this process and I would particularly like to encourage them to participate in the different stages of engagement.

My Department has developed a Felling Decision Tool to provide owners with information on estimated timber revenues at different stages in the forest cycle. This tool may be used to assist in deciding when to clearfell, by providing financial information on the implication of felling earlier or later than when the financial returns are normally at their highest.

Using the Felling Decision Tool, it is possible to assess how clearfell revenue varies according to yield class. The assumptions made for each yield class scenario presented below remained constant across the range. It was assumed that each stand was thinned three times prior to clearfell, the stand was clearfelled when it reached a tree size of 0.7 cubic metres and the timber price used was based on a five year average (i.e. 2015-2019).

The Felling Decision Tool is freely available on the Department’s website for users to explore the impact of management and fell age on clearfell revenue for a range of species.

The most recent cost-benefit analysis is contained in the policy document ‘Forests, products and people, Irelands forest policy – a renewed vision (2014) and can be accessed at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/d3bc0-forests-products-and-people-irelands-forest-policy-a-renewed-vision/(also attached). Section 2.5.4 of the cost benefit analysis provides details regarding forestry and water quality.

It is expected that a Cost Benefit Analysis will be carried out for a range of measures in the context of the development of the next Forestry Programme.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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218. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason that no records exist or cannot be found by his Department in relation to public access to information under the provisions of the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007 to 2018 pertaining to stakeholder meetings involving his Department and the Forestry Appeals Committee including recorded meetings on 20 November 2019, 10 January 2020 and 6 October 2020 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3740/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am advised that my Department is not aware of any records of meetings referred to by the Deputy on the dates in question.

The Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) is operationally independent of my Department and, as such, is subject of AIE requests separate from my Department.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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219. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the average time taken for his Department to issue a statement of facts on an appeal of a forestry licence after a request for the same from the Forestry Appeals Committee between the three schemes, that is, felling, forest roads and afforestation and Coillte licences and private licences, respectively. [3741/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The functioning of the appeals system has greatly improved since the introduction of Forestry (Miscellaneous) Provisions Act in October 2020 and there are currently just 11 cases awaiting hearing. As regards the transmission of Statements of Facts, these are sent by my Department to the Forestry Appeals Committee within, on average, 30 days of request.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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220. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the processes or procedures followed by the Forest Service Inspectorate when carrying out a post licence monitoring inspection of the felling licence in respect of tree felling licences that have been subject to an appropriate assessment under Article 6(3) of the Habitats Directive; the criteria or details that are routinely assessed; and the number and proportion of licences that have been subject to an appropriate assessment that involve categories (details supplied). [3742/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department Inspectors carry out harvesting, post harvesting and reforestation inspections. With regard to harvesting and post harvesting inspections the focus is primarily on water quality related issues that may be caused by breaches of the licence resulting mainly by machine traffic when harvesting and extracting timber from the site.

To date most inspections carried out during harvesting have occurred following a report of an alleged pollution incident.

Reforestation inspections are focused on whether replanting had taken place after clearfell and in cases where the site was replanted whether the site was fully stocked with the tree species as specified in the licence.

There are procedures that Inspectors follow in carrying out these activities. Where there are breaches of licences, or alleged illegal fellings DAFM may issue replanting orders or instigate legal proceedings.

Harvesting and reforestation sites are currently being selected by the Department as part of a systematic inspection regime for 2022.

In relation to Coillte sites, harvesting site visits have already started in relation to this 2022 programme of inspections. In support of this work, Coillte now submit to the Department a weekly table of active harvesting sites from which the Department select a sample of forest areas to visit, either during or after harvesting has taken place. In relation to reforestation some 381 sites (private and Coillte) have been selected for inspection.

All sites are subject to appropriate assessment screening and most sites are screened in for appropriate assessment.Part of the Standard Operating Procedures ensures that the conditions attached to the Appropriate Assessment Determination are checked for compliance on the ground.