Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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287. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will ensure that no second or further forestry replanting is approved to take place on peat soils, given that the resulting emissions of greenhouse gases from the disturbance to these organic soils continue to peak on successive rotations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9325/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I assure the Deputy that my Department recognises wetlands and peat soils as an important carbon pool in the Irish landscape. Reducing emissions by water table manipulation has the potential to significantly reduce GHG emissions from these soils and is a means to positively contribute to our climate change mitigation ambitions. This is an important part of Agriculture's overall contribution to emission reductions and is set out in the All of Government Climate Action Plan as highlighted in the targets set for the Agriculture, Forestry and Land-use sector.

With regard to forestry on Peatlands, approximately 50% of Coillte’s forests are on this soil type, which is a legacy from previous policies to plant on marginal lands for afforestation. Coillte have undertaken ecological surveys across its estate, in order to identify sites with significant potential for restoration to ecologically valuable wetland peatland habitat. During 2002 – 2015 Coillte completed three major peatland restoration projects under the EU LIFE Nature Programme, which targeted the restoration of more than 3,000ha of peatland habitats that had been identified as being of the highest ecological value and restoration potential. The area restored consists of 2,000ha of blanket bog and 1,300ha of raised bog habitat on the estate. During these projects the commercial forest plantation was removed, and the forest drains were blocked in order to rewet the peat.

A number of national research projects on carbon have included some of the Coillte peatland restoration sites in their work. Early results of this research indicate that peatlands restored after removal of forestry plantations may take several decades to stabilise and become carbon sinks. Indeed, some of these sites may be a significant source of carbon in the short term as peat is exposed during deforestation. This mirrors similar research carried out in other countries such as Canada. It appears that rewetting is a long-term undertaking. Coillte continues to monitor and maintain the restored peatland sites on its estate.

In addition, Coillte is a major beneficiary in a major new LIFE – IP project called the Wild Atlantic Nature, which will be led by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and was approved by the EU. The project was aimed at a range of measures to upscale the restoration of and conservation of blanket bog in the western and north-western counties. Within this project Coillte will restore a further 160ha of undesignated blanket bog and wet heath habitats in Counties Mayo and Galway.

Finally, the removal of plantation forests from peatland habitats in designated sites is considered as part of the licensing process where non replanting can take place where there are overriding environmental reasons. This process is regulated/licensed by my Department which in turn consults with NPWS regarding the licensing and management of peatlands within sites designated for nature conservation. Based on this consultation process, landowners can be directed not to replant the forest (conversion to open bog land), or to convert the plantation to native woodland, depending on site conditions.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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288. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will detail the concerns of the European Commission over failures in Ireland’s forestry SEA report of October 2022, if any; if he will outline his proposals to address these concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9326/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Forest Strategy Implementation Plan is subject to an ongoing Strategic Environmental Assessment/Appropriate Assessment (SEA/AA) process. As part of this process, the draft Plan containing the proposed Forestry Programme 2023-2027 was published on the 18th October 2022 for a six-week period of public consultation. Forestry stakeholders and the public were encouraged to take part in this significant consultation process and more than 150 submissions on the Plan were received. My Department is currently collating and integrating feedback from these submissions to help inform the final version.

Correspondence issued from the Commission to my Department in November 2022 which raised concerns with the SEA Report for the draft Forest Strategy Implementation Plan which was published in October 2022. These concerns related to environmental issues and a response has issued from my Department directly addressing these points.

As the Deputy is aware, the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 also requires state aid to implement and the SEA/AA process is a critical step in the process of securing State Aid approval from the European Commission. Department officials are currently engaging intensively with the European Commission with a view to securing full state aid approval as soon as possible.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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289. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the Forestry Service has not moved away from the inaccurate use of the sustained yield/clear fell and replant model whereby forested areas that are harvested are considered the same as standing forested areas if they are simply replanted, to an annual allowable cut proposed by the Forestry Policy Review Group in 2014 and included in a document (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9327/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department does not set a national allowable harvest and I am aware this was commented on in the report, Forest Products and People, a renewed visionpublished in 2014.

However, my Department does provide funding to COFORD to provide detailed production forecasts which outlines projected timber harvest volumes each year out to 2040.

This forecast is based on a number of assumptions and takes into account a wide range of factors, including long term sustainability of the harvest. It also assumes areas harvested are replanted and all felling licensed is in accordance with the provisions of the Forestry Act 2014.

My Department is well aware of the importance of sustained yield and that is why we continue to carry out detailed inventories of our National Forest Estate. This month my Department has published its fourth national forest inventory and it provides information on a wide variety of data related to forests, including gross increment.

The balance between gross increment and fellings is an important indicator as it describes the sustainability of wood production over time, the current availability of wood and the potential for the future.

Gross annual volume increment between 2017 and 2022 was 10 million cubic metres per year. The mean annual standing volume felled within this period was 4.1 million cubic metres per year. Less than half (41.3%) of the gross annual increment was felled between 2017 and 2022. This metric indicates that at a national level Ireland is not harvesting more than the increment of the forest.

The repeated NFI cycles have provided results on aspects such as forest area change, volume increment and latest felling volume estimates. This facilitates the assessment of changes in the state of Ireland’s forests over time. The total growing stock volume of Irish forests is estimated to be over 142 million m³, an increase of over 25.5 million m³ since 2017.

Details of Ireland's National Forest Inventory are available to download on my Department's website.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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290. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the 44,000 ha of poor quality sitka spruce planted on farms with no access roads or thinning identified in the Forestry Policy Review Group report in 2014; the health and status of all broadleaved and native woodland sites across the entire forest area public and private; if he will furnish this Deputy with a report/analysis; if he will also include underperforming conifer sitka and lodgepole pine plantations across the entire forest area public and private; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9328/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department has recently published results from the fourth National Forest Inventory which includes comprehensive information on the current extent, state and composition of the Ireland’s national forest estate. Information is included on all forest types, both public and private.

The NFI is the only systematic national assessment of forest damage in Irish forests. Information is collected on forest damage at the individual tree and plot level. Forest health and vitality is affected by both abiotic (e.g. wind) and biotic (e.g. deer) factors. The types of forest damage recorded are those which are most common or cause most damage to Ireland’s forests.

Overall, the forest estate appears healthy. While nearly two-thirds (63.2%) of stocked forest areas displayed signs of forest damage present, the severity of the damage was primarily low to moderate. Damage caused by animals, competing vegetation, exposure and nutrient deficiency were the most common damage.

Biotic damage was recorded on 260,738 ha or 36.2% of the forest area. Damage caused by animals (e.g. browsing by deer) was the most common type of biotic damage, followed by vegetation competition and harvesting operations. Ash dieback is now widespread and was noted to be present at 34,395 ha of forests visited.

Abiotic damage was recorded on 338,160 ha or 46.9% of the forest area. Damage caused by climatic factors (e.g. exposure) was the most common type of damage, followed by nutrient deficiency and anthropogenic factors.

My Department continues to monitor and assess the ongoing health and condition of our forests to ensure that the overall resilience and biodiversity of our forests is maintained. Further information on the National Forest Inventory may be obtained from the Department’s website.

Through the proposed new Forest Strategy and associated implementation plan my Department is committed to addressing access issues by providing financial support for the sustainable development of new forest roads to the national forest estate.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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291. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine where is the science behind the Forestry Service/Coillte decision to reduce harvest rotation length from the UK scientific sustained yield measure of 45-60 years used by the old public forest manager the Forestry Service for decades before Coillte called for it to be reduced down to 25-30 years, and the impact this is having on increased soil, water and biodiversity impacts as well as reduced carbon stocks from cutting younger trees which cannot store as much carbon as older trees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9329/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Up until the 1970s, the State policy in Ireland was largely to grow forests to rotation lengths of maximum mean annual increment. With increased demand for timber in the late 1970s, the Irish Forest Service, issued operational guidance to shorten the rotation lengths of some of the key forest commercial species to increase supply. For supply and market reasons, it has been customary in Ireland to adhere to rotations of maximum annual volume production, with rotation lengths shortened by between 20% and 30%. However, this should not be taken as a mandatory prescription for rotation lengths as other site factors are taken into account, including the land owners objectives. Deviating from rotation lengths can happen for a variety of reasons. These can include the felling of trees that have not grown successfully, or early felling of stands that are susceptible to blowing down. Considerations such as landscape, conservation and seed potential may also determine the length of rotation. Coillte is examining their estate and their strategic vision will see changes to how the estate is managed which will improve carbon stocks.

It is important to note that irrespective of the length of rotation all harvesting and felling is subject to the Forestry Act 2014. My Department can attach specific licensing conditions, in addition to good forest practice, to take into consideration a sites particular circumstances and limit any significant impacts on biodiversity and water quality. It is correct to say that growing trees for longer time periods can increase the carbon stock in forests. However a balance needs to struck between all the different functions a forest can provide such as timber, carbon and biodiversity.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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293. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what has developed of the Coillte investment of 15 million punts worth of public forests used as equity in IFORUT in 1994 since Coillte have left IFORUT; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9331/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Coillte is a private limited company established under the Forestry Act 1988 and is operationally independent from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I have referred the matter to Coillte for direct follow-up with the Deputy.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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294. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide this Deputy with a copy of the University College Dublin attitudes to forestry survey results focused on counties Wicklow and Kerry, conducted by a person (details supplied) in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9333/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The study was carried out by University College Dublin on attitudes to forestry and was part of a masters programme facilitated by Dr Cara Augustenburg. As my Department did not commission this study I suggest the Deputy contact Dr Cara Augustenburg directly to request a copy of the survey results.

I would also like to inform the Deputy that my Department has carried out extensive consultation as part of the development of the new Shared Vision and Forest Strategy which included carrying out a Public and Attitudes Survey to forestry in 2021. The full report of its findings is available to download from my Departments website along with a number of other relevant public consultation reports.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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295. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will verify a statement by a person (details supplied) related to the survey in 2020 that it was costing the Government approximately €17,000 per ha for an individual with yield class 22 to get €20,000 per ha at harvest time after 35 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9334/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides a range of grants and premiums and the rates paid depends on the species planted. In the previous Forestry Programme 2014 to 2022, a grant of €3,815 was paid to establish a commercial forest, consisting of Sitka spruce with broadleaves and additional space for nature.

A premium was paid for 15 years at rate of €510 per hectare. Based on these rates a total of €11,465 is payable on a hectare if the forest establishes successfully. Higher premiums and grants are paid for broadleaved forests.

The value of a forest is dependent on a wide range of factors and it is difficult to provide exact figures. However my Department has developed a Felling Decision Tool to provide owners with information on estimated timber revenues at different stages in the forest cycle.

Using the Felling Decision Tool, it is possible to assess how clearfell revenue varies according to yield class. It was assumed that each stand was thinned three times prior to clearfell, the stand was clearfelled when it reached a tree size of 0.7 cubic metres and the timber price used was based on a five year average (i.e. 2015-2019).

The Felling Decision Tool is freely available on the Department’s website for users to explore the impact of management and felling age on clearfell revenue for a range of species.

In the example above the grants and premiums paid on a hectare of spruce are significantly less than the revenue generated from harvesting.

However it should be noted that the figures in the table above are indicative and revenues could be significantly lower if markets are less favourable at the time of sale, or quality and access is poor.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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296. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason Coillte and the forestry industry cannot provide full life cycle carbon accounting for its operations that include the full fossil fuel usage of the clear fell/replant model with high disturbance, especially given that Ireland is harvesting more with shorter rotations; the true carbon/fossil fuel cost of harvesters and loaders and trucks ferrying timber across Ireland to mills, and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9335/23]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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297. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline how not having full life cycle carbon accounting affects the carbon measuring and accounting for the Climate Action Plan and EU LULUCF and UNFCC climate reporting REF (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9336/23]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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298. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline how the full life cycle carbon accounting anomaly has been factored into the new Irish forestry strategy/programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9337/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 296 to 298, inclusive, together.

Ireland is a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) under which the State is required to estimate and report its emissions and removals of greenhouse gas (GHG) from its sources or sinks on an annual basis.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) performs the role of inventory agency in Ireland and undertakes all aspects of inventory preparation and management as well as the reporting of Ireland’s annual National Inventory Report (NIR) submission in accordance with international requirements.

The NIR includes emissions and removals from Forestry and Harvested Wood Products which are detailed under the key emission category of Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry(LULUCF). LULUCF reporting in the NIR accounts for the six top-level categories (Forest Land, Cropland, Grassland, Wetland, Settlement, Other land). For Forest Land, the net CO2 emissions to, or removals from, the atmosphere are to be reported with respect to overall carbon gain or loss for up to five relevant carbon pools.

These pools are above-ground biomass, below-ground biomass, dead organic matter (litter and dead wood) and soils. The methodologies and emission factors used by Ireland to estimate GHG emissions are detailed in the EPA National Inventory Report.

As part of Ireland's NIR submission, the Energy source category covers all combustion sources of CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions and the fugitive emissions of these gases associated with the production, transport and distribution of fossil fuels. Under Road Transportationthe emissions reported are computed from the amounts of petrol, diesel, LPG and biofuels provided for road transport in the national energy balance. Thus fossil fuel usage in the forest industry is accounted for in this category.

In addition to complying with the UNFCCC reporting guidelines, the annual NIR is intended to inform Irish Government departments and institutions involved in the national system, as well as other relevant stakeholders in Ireland, of the level of emissions and the methodology on how Irish GHG inventories are prepared. The in-depth analysis of key categories and the up-to-date data on emissions trends in the NIR provides essential information for the development of emissions projections and the development/implementation of the Climate Action Plan and the new Irish Forest Strategy/Programme.

In terms of full life cycle carbon accounting, studies are available which assess the GHG dynamics in the forest cycle and point toward the emissions from timber transport, road building and other activities as being a minor fraction of the positive GHG contribution of tree growth for typical productive forests. For such an analysis, it’s important to note that each forest site is very different and GHG dynamics are dependent on a number of variables including soil type, tree species, climate and previous land use. Coillte have undertaken a study to analyse fossil emissions in the forest product value chain. It identified that fossil emissions in the value chain were estimated at 0.38 million tCO2e for 2019.

This includes forest operations (7% of emissions), transport of wood to mill (17%), emissions resulting from mill processing (25%) and transport of products to customers (51%). Each product produced from Coillte forests were examined and supply chain emissions determined from local data and international forestry supply chain emissions studies.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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299. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the 400 acres of public forestry lands sold to an organisation (details supplied) in 2016 for €230 million; if this public property was placed on the open market to obtain the best value for the public interest; if not, if it was sold in a private deal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9338/23]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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301. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Coillte lands at a location (details supplied) were originally in the Land Commission portfolio transferred to Coillte in 1989; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9340/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 299 and 301 together.

Coillte is a private limited company established under the Forestry Act 1988 and is operationally independent from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I have referred both matters to Coillte for direct follow-up with the Deputy.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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300. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the Land Commission was dissolved in 1989 with 2,500 ha of agricultural land, if he can ascertain the amount of that land that was gifted to Coillte/NPWS; if so, if he will provide a breakdown by estate, area, acreage, and so on; the amount of this land that is still in Coillte/NPWS control; the amount that has been sold off; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9339/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As this information is not readily available, a response will issue directly to the Deputy within 10 days.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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302. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if Coillte had provided him with its five-year business plan; if this plan included a deal between Coillte and an organisation (details supplied); if a letter of expectation sent instructing Coillte to proceed with its plan referred to the five-year business plan; if it included the aforementioned deal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9341/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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In order to deliver on its objectives to be both commercially successful and to provide a broader range of benefits around climate, biodiversity and recreation Coillte produced a Corporate Plan in 2019. The Plan set out its proposed business and financial models for the years 2020 to 2024.. The Plan did not include any reference to a deal between Coillte and the organisation named.

Over the last two years, Coillte has also developed a new draft Vision for its operations out to 2050. This vision clearly set out its goals on afforestation which would be a achieved through combination of means, including commercial partnerships.

The Shareholder Letter of Expectation which issued in June 2022 acknowledged the financial targets proposed in the Plan. I have published this letter on my Department's website www.gov.ie/forestry.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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303. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of members of the Coillte board of directors who have experience or knowledge of forestry management; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9342/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Coillte is a private limited company established under the Forestry Act 1988 and is operationally independent from the Minister and Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The Forestry Act 1988 sets out the governance of Coillte and provides that the number of Directors shall be not more than nine. Directors, with the exception of the one worker Director on the Board and the CEO where appointed, are selected through a competitive Public Appointments Service process for new Board members. Each Director is then appointed by the shareholding Ministers i.e. the Minister with responsibility for forestry and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

Details of the current Board of Directors, including their professional backgrounds, can be found on the Coillte website.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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304. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will now place in the public domain the New Era Coillte Review Report, in light of the outpouring of public outrage at a deal (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9343/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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NewEra publishes their Annual Financial Reviews on the NTMA website. The most recent report for 2021/22, which includes Coillte, is available here NewERA-Annual-Financial-Review-2021-22.pdf (ntma.ie)

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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305. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of businesses established by Coillte since 1989 which are no longer operational, for example, Coillte landscaping, Griffner/Coillte timber houses, Coillte Hardwoods, Coillte Christmas Trees; the accumulated debts associated with those failed enterprises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9344/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Coillte is a private limited company established under the Forestry Act 1988 and is operationally independent from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I have referred the matter to Coillte for direct follow-up with the Deputy.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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306. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the value of the public forest estate, broken down into tree species and age, with all of the other assets such as forestry machinery, tractors, trucks, chainsaws, tools, and so on when the Forest Service was wound down to make way for Coillte in 1988; if he will outline what became of all the old assets, for example, forestry machinery, tractors, trucks, cars, chainsaws, tools, and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9345/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Coillte is a private limited company established under the Forestry Act 1988 and is operationally independent from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I have referred the matter to Coillte for direct follow-up with the Deputy.