Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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748. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Forestry Service can refuse a non-grant aid application for an afforestation licence on the basis of the productivity of the site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48027/22]

Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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749. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Forestry Service can refuse a non-grant aid application for an afforestation licence based on species selection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48028/22]

Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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750. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a reaction and nitrogen survey is a requirement for non-grant aid application for an afforestation licence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48029/22]

Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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751. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the basis on which the Forestry Service can decide that land is unplantable on a non-grant aid application for an afforestation licence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48030/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 748 to 751, inclusive, together.

Under Section 32 of the Forestry Act 2014 and Regulation 20 of the Forestry Regulations 2017 I am empowered and in some cases I am statutorily obliged to refuse an application for an Afforestation Licence, whether or not the applicant has also applied for financial assistance under the Afforestation Grant and Premium Scheme, on a number of grounds.

- These grounds relate to the protection of the environment generally, ensuring of good forestry practice, the preservation of amenities, public health or safety, protection from flooding, and preservation of water quality; and specifically to the prevention of adverse impacts or significant effects on human health, animal or plant health, water quality, archaeological site or features, areas of special amenity, European sites, or nature conservation. The term “good forestry practice” is also defined in that section of the Act as including forestry practice that respects the principle that the diverse activities constituting forestry (including afforestation) must be planned and implemented in a manner that prevents, limits, abates or reduces significant adverse impacts or risks thereof on the character of the landscape.

The use of ground vegetation to assess the suitability of land is a long-established method of assessing the suitability of sites for afforestation and as an aid to tree species selection. The evaluation of site productivity, by using a method that includes giving existing vegetation on site combined Reaction plus Nitrogen (R+N) values is part of the assessment my Department undertakes on applications. This assessment also gives an indication whether fertiliser may be required for successful tree establishment, with higher R+N scores less likely to require fertiliser. Depending on the site a more detailed assessment may be required.

In the absence of details for any particular application it is not possible to elaborate further.

All licence decisions may be appealed to the Forestry Appeals Committee.