Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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813. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if frost only affects forest crops less than four years old; if frost can cause serious damage to crops greater than four years old; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5869/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Young forest crops at establishment phase are generally the most vulnerable to significant frost damage.

My Department has recently launched a Reconstitution of Woodland scheme to address frost damage in recently planted forest crops and is currently receiving applications. We will continue to engage with stakeholders on its operation.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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814. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of participants in the Results Based Agri Environment Pilot that have applied for approval for afforestation under the afforestation grant and premium scheme in December 2021 and to date in January 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5870/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Results Based Environment Agri Pilot Programme (REAP) is designed to trial the results-based approach on a national basis and to test the upscaling potential of the model for inclusion in the next national agri-environment scheme to follow GLAS. REAP incentivises farmers to maintain and improve the environmental condition of their land.

At applications stage, farmers could bring in between 2ha and 10ha of land with partnerships permitted to bring in up to 30ha. Almost 32,000ha of land has been assessment and scored under the 2021 REAP programme to establish its environmental condition. Farmers will work with their advisers to undertake environmental improvement works on the land that can increase the environmental score in year two. REAP will focus on improving existing farm features rather than the creation of new features and habitats. Farms with higher environmental scores will receive larger payments.

While parcels brought into REAP may not be converted to forestry during the term of the REAP contract, afforestation is fully compatible with REAP. REAP participants are subject to a maximum land area of 10ha for individual farmers and 30ha for partnerships of three farm holdings. The average REAP area under management per participant is 8.4ha. It is important to note that REAP is not a whole-of-farm project and that afforestation opportunities continue to exist for REAP participants on parcels that have not been selected for the project.

The programme will run to the end of 2022 and there are currently 3,740 participants in REAP, none of whom applied to afforest their land in December 2021 nor January 2022.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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815. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason that his Department was unable to issue the minimum 20 afforestation licences each week or since dashboards began; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5900/22]

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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816. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way that ecological input is being managed by his Department in view of the number of ecology staff increasing to 27 in 2021 while during the same period his Department only achieved 55% of its target for private licences with ecological input; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5901/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 815 and 816 together.

While overall forestry licensing improved significantly last year, afforestation has not improved as we would like with just over 4,200ha approved last year. Improving afforestation licensing is a key priority for 2022. A detailed licensing plan for 2022 was published last week which has as its main target the issuing of 5,250 licences this year, which is a year-on-year increase of 30%. The main targets are:

- A higher priority will be given to afforestation licences for 2022 with a planned107% increase in output up to 1,040.

- There will be a year-on-year increase of 48% of private felling, roads and afforestation files. Coillte felling licences will maintain the levels they achieved in 2021.

- The Department will also refocus on the delivery of most approvals from several schemes including Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS) (Ash Dieback), the Reconstitution of Woodland Scheme (Frost), the Native Woodland Scheme and a proposed small-scale planting scheme for up to one hectare of native species.

Afforestation is a permanent land use change and therefore my Department is required by law to consider potential impacts on the surrounding areas and countryside.

These include issues related to habitat change, and other ecological impacts which must be considered in the process. In addition, afforestation files are often accompanied by numerous submissions from third parties.

My Department has, through Project Woodland, commissioned an independent regulatory review to consider whether its processes can be improved while continuing to fully meet the environmental requirements and has deployed additional resources to accelerate the licensing process.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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817. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of felling licences issued to Coillte and the number of licences issued to private farm owners by county in each of the years 2019 to 2021 and in January 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5902/22]

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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818. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of afforestation licences issued to Coillte and the number of licences issued to private farm owners by county in each of the years 2019 to 2021 and in January 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5903/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 817 and 818 together.

To the end of last year, 3,601 tree felling licence applications were received, split between 2,299 Coillte and 1,309 private applications (64%/36% respectively).

The greater number of applications received are from Coillte, which is responsible for much of the mature national forest estate and supplies 75% of logs to sawmills.

The tree felling licences issued to Coillte and private landowners are indicated in the table below.

The afforestation licences issued to Coillte and private landowners are indicated in the table below.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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819. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether there is a real and urgent need to increase the afforestation grants and second instalment grants on existing forests to counter real and dramatic increases in costs similar to that which occurred in the TAMS situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5925/22]

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.

Through the Project Woodland process, my Department is proceeding to pay for an ecology report submitted with an afforestation application, when paying for the establishment of the plantation on a pilot basis. This is to support the applicant in the preparation of habitat maps or similar documents when an application is submitted on their behalf, whilst exploring the feasibility of more permanent options.

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.