Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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46. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his targets for issuing afforestation licences in 2023. [11936/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department published the Forestry Licensing Plan 2022 in February last year. The plan informed stakeholders of our targets for the delivery of afforestation, felling and forest road licences, and of our commitment to reducing the backlog.

By the end of 2022, we issued 4,713 licences which was 90% of our expected output for the year. The backlog in licences overall was reduced from 6,000 in August 2021, to 3,700 in January 2022 to 1,983 at the end of 2022. We are issuing more licences than applications received, and this means that the backlog continues to drop over time, with faster turnaround times for new applicants.The Forestry Programme 2023-2027 requires EU State Aid approval to implement and my Department is engaging intensively with the Commission so that approval is granted as soon as possible. Once approval has been given the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will commence in earnest. Currently, the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is subject to an ongoing Strategic Environmental Assessment/Appropriate Assessment (SEA/AA) process.

My Department has put in place an Interim Afforestation Scheme and an Interim Forest Road Scheme to provide an option of immediate planting and/or roading from January 2023 for those with existing valid approvals. A circular on these arrangements issued to the sector on 22nd December 2022.

I am acutely aware of the urgency with which planting and roading activity must take place, given both our ambitious targets and the need to ensure an active pipeline of work for the sector. In this light, my Department has worked intensively with the European Commission to pursue transitional arrangements for the use of valid Forestry Scheme approvals from January 2023. I assure you that the launch of the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is a matter of the utmost priority.

I see great merit in signalling to forest owners, landowners, and the forest sector our intentions as regards licensing which is why I intend to publish a new Forestry Licensing Plan once the new Forestry Programme has been approved at national and EU levels.