Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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607. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 647 of 14 September 2022, in stating that there is no licence requirement if a landowner wishes to remove some of this material from a site; if this is an unlicensed activity and that harvesting lop and top or brash from forestry harvesting sites is outside the scope of the felling licence system and requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47290/22]

Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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608. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 647 of 14 September 2022, if the Department standard or guideline or guidance document that forest-owners should review when harvesting lop and top or brash from harvesting sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47291/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 607 and 608 together.

The Department's 'Standards for Felling and Reforestation' specifies the use of brash in creating and maintaining dense mats of brash and branch wood on all machine routes, to avoid soil damage, erosion and sedimentation.

Brash mats are typically concentrated on primary routes and in the junction of extraction paths and landing sites.

Removing lop on top or brash from site is not described in the Standards for felling and reforestation. Like any non licensed activities it is important that it is done in such a way that it does not interfere with the licence conditions being met. I understand lop and top or brash is sometimes removed from sites and used as a biomass for wood fuel. This should only be done on certain sites where the operation will not have any adverse effects on water quality.

Such operations are not usually set out in the conditions of a felling licence. However, it remains the duty of the person carrying out the activity to ensure that no conditions attached to the felling licence are breached during the course of the operations.