Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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147. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce appropriate measures to ensure there is a proper spread of forestry throughout the country in view of the recently announced national forestry programme; if his attention has been drawn to concerns in some communities of excessive tree planting in some areas causing difficulties for communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61183/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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At the outset, it is important to note that we are facing into a bright and exciting future for forestry in the country.

We have delivered an impressive and ambitious new €1.3bn National Forestry Programme that will revolutionise the way we all as farmers, landowners and society interacts with forestry.

It will be a key income driver for our farm families and it will help drive a healthy and balanced economy.

What we have now is a new vision for forestry. 

We want the right trees in the right places for the right reasons for the right management, supporting a sustainable and thriving economy and a healthy environment.

Our national afforestation target of 8,000 hectares per year is for the whole and there are no county or regional targets. 

This is to allow equal opportunity to all landowners who wish to contribute to the national effort towards increasing our afforestation from the current relatively low level of 11.6%.

This increased planting will aim to support economic growth in rural areas whilst ensuring that the environment is protected and will seek to address the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change. In addition, help will be given to local communities to develop forest recreational spaces for the enjoyment of all. 

Forestry is highly regulated and my Department takes account of a number of factors including environmental guidelines and site conditions prior to approving afforestation applications.

Proposals to plant trees are subject to rigorous checks and undergo careful planning by professional foresters which must comply with the Department's requirements as set out in the Forestry Standards Manual, Scheme Documents, Code of Best Practice – Ireland and a suite of environmental guidelines including the Environmental Requirements for Afforestation and the Land Types for Afforestation. There are also a number of statutory consultees who are consulted on individual applications where relevant and these include the Environmental Protection Agency, NPWS and Inland Fisheries Ireland amongst others.

It is worth noting the considerable work that has been undertaken this year in developing a vision for a new future for forestry in Ireland. 

I am referring to the recently published Shared National Vision for Trees, Woods and Forests in Ireland until 2050 which was informed by a series of extensive engagements and consultation. The outcome of the public consultation and engagement process produced wide ranging and well represented views. 

These views were gathered via a public attitudes survey, a study on attitudes of communities and interested parties (including Irish Rural Link), a youth forum with Foróige, an online public consultation survey, a deliberative dialogue, and bilateral engagements with key stakeholders. Each strand of the public consultation and engagement process provided feedback on the existing types of trees and forests and what mix people would like to see in new forests in Ireland.

Creating new forests to address biodiversity loss and climate change were priorities for the public in this process. There was a common view across the consultation strands that more mixed and diverse forests that can provide multiple benefits could have positive impacts on communities and local landscapes.

The new Forestry Programme for 2023-2027 is grounded in the Shared National Vision, which envisages the right trees in the right place for the right reasons with the right management. The Programme, and the Forestry Strategy, which is the framework within which it operates, has recently closed to a separate public consultation from which we are currently collating and reviewing the feedback received, and this in turn will inform the final version.