Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1929. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the dates officials of his Department contacted the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage or met with officials of the Department in connection with removing the requirement for planning permission when converting dead, dying and rotting ash plantations to conifer species; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21044/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Since the first finding of ash dieback disease in Ireland, my Department has provided support totalling over €7 million to owners of ash plantations impacted by ash dieback disease through the ash dieback reconstitution scheme (introduced in 2013) and more recently the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS – Ash dieback) introduced in July 2020.

Applications for that RUS are received regularly, and decisions are issued as the assessment of the applications are complete

The Forestry Licensing Plan 2022 was published earlier this year and deals with projected licensing output and approvals for support schemes and may be found here gov.ie - Forestry Licensing Plan 2022 (www.gov.ie).  A key target of the plan is to refocus on the delivery on approvals from the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS) (Ash Dieback). 

Many RUS applications are screened in for Appropriate Assessment and are referred to ecology.  Of these, any that propose replacing the ash crop with conifer species currently require planning permission. 

My Department is continuing to engage with the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), with the objective of removing the planning permission requirement for these cases.

Contact was initiated with DHLGH by my officials on 14 September 2021.  Most recently a positive meeting was held with officials from both Departments on 4^thApril 2022 and there has been follow up contact between officials since around draft legislation on the matter.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1930. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the projected output of forestry licences for 2022 matches the recommendations by working group one of project woodland which were issued to the project board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21045/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The clearing of the backlog of licences is a priority for myself and Minister of State Pippa Hackett, who has overall responsibility for the sector.  Increased resources have been invested in dealing with files on hand and, under Project Woodland, a dedicated group, Working Group 1, is tasked with looking at the backlog.

Working Group 1 has, based on the Climate Action Plan & the timber harvest forecasts from the Coford Roundwood Production Forecast 2016-2035 recommended that some 2,681 new licences for afforestation and forest roads should issue in 2022.  In relation to felling 4,329 licences were recommended.

During 2021, the Department issued 4,050 forestry licences, which is an increase of 56% on the number issued in 2020, and met our revised target of 4,000 licences. It is our intention to build on this momentum in 2022.

The Forestry Licensing Plan was published in January 2022 and it sets out a range of forestry priorities for 2022.

The main priorities are:

- A target of 5,250 new licences to issue, which is a year-on-year increase of 30%.

- A higher priority will be given to afforestation licences for 2022 with a 107% 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 approvals from several schemes including Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS) (Ash Dieback), the Reconstitution of Woodland Scheme (Frost) and  the Native Woodland Scheme.

- As can be seen in the table below, as of 1st April 2022 the projected target of year to date licences to be issued was 1,313 and the output of licences was 1,310.

As can be seen in the table below, as of 15th April 2022 the projected target of year to date licences to be issued was 1,515 and the output of licences was 1,480.

I remain fully committed to delivering a licensing system which will meets the needs of the sector and of society and recent licensing trends demonstrate that we are making progress towards achieving this. My Department will continue to issue progress updates weekly through our forestry dashboard available here gov.ie - Forest Statistics and Mapping (www.gov.ie).

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1931. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the projections in the COFORD roundwood forecast 2021 – 2040 for private sector availability and Coillte availability in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024; if he will specify the percentage of private sector availability of the total availability in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21046/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

COFORD, an advisory body to my Department, provide a series of round wood production forecasts which are updated approximately every five years.

The forecast is available on the COFORD website www.coford.ie and provides a range of information on the potential of the national forest estate to produce timber for the time series 2021 to 2040.

I have included below an extract of the relevant figures for Ireland for the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 along with the percentage share of the private forecast versus the total forecast.