Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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93. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of hectares of new afforestation in each of the years 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; and the projected total for 2023. [25192/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Government has committed €1.3 billion to the new Forestry Programme, which is the biggest and largest funded Forestry Programme ever introduced by any Government here. It has been designed to contribute to our climate change and biodiversity objectives and is aimed in particular at re-engaging farmers in order that we can reach our ambitious afforestation target of 8,000 hectares per year. It has an emphasis on close to nature forestry, and also provides for small scale planting of up to one hectare by farmers without the need for a licence.

Planting levels in recent years include 2,434 hectares planted in 2020, 2016 hectares in 2021, 2,273 in 2023 with 441 hectares planted in 2023 to date.

In order to ensure that planting continued during the Spring planting season, and to fill the lacuna created by the end of the Forestry Programme on 31st December, 2022, I launched an interim afforestation scheme. To date we have granted approval for over 1,600 hectares under this scheme with work commenced on over 1,300 hectares.

I am confident that the unprecedented incentives and variety offered under the new Programme will result in a significant increase in afforestation in the coming years. We intend to increase premiums for planting trees by between 46% and 66% and to extend the premium period from 15 to 20 years for farmers.

We will be asking all across the forestry sector to support this new and exciting vision for forestry in Ireland.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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94. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of hectares planted for 2023; the number of licences issued; the target for licences issued in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25297/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As Deputies may be aware the new and ambitious €1.3bn Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will replace the previous Programme which expired at the end of 2022.

The new Programme will benefit farmers, rural communities and the overall climate and environment.

Subject to State Aid approval from the European Commission and the completion of the ongoing Strategic Environmental Assessment/Appropriate Assessment (SEA/AA) process, this will support the largest, most farmer-friendly investment in forestry in the history of the State.

In recognition of the need for forestry activity to continue, and pending the launch of the new Programme, my Department engaged with the Commission last December to secure an interim solution which has led to the introduction of an Interim Afforestation Scheme, an Interim Forest Road Scheme and an interim Ash Dieback Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme via General De Minimis. This ensured that those with valid afforestation licences issued before the end of 2022 could avail of the current planting season under the higher grant and premium rates proposed under the new Programme. Likewise those with valid road licences and approvals under the Ash Dieback Scheme at the end of 2022 could avail of the higher grants and enhanced payment rates as proposed under the new Programme.

In terms of planting there are 797 approved afforestation licences with 5,819 hectares ready for planting and to date over 1,692 hectares have been approved for planting under the Interim De Minimis scheme. 441hectares has been planted and paid for to date in 2023. Furthermore 39,721 m have been approved under the interim Forest Road Scheme, while 74 hectares has been approved under the interim RUS scheme.

Looking at progress to date in 2023 my Department has issued 1,278 forestry licences overall. This can be broken down into 1,229 felling licences, 43 forest roads licences and six Afforestation licences, this reflects the fact that we cannot approve grant-aided road and afforestation licences until we receive State Aid approval from the EU Commision to the new Programme. While we await State Aid approval, the Department is continuing to process all applications that are in the system in the normal manner, progressing to the point just before certification and approval. The aim is to have processed as many grant aid applications as possible so that approvals will be ready to issue as soon as allowable

There is obvious 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.

My Department has been engaging intensively with the Commission over the last few months and expect to hear from the Commission shortly. Both myself and Minister of State Pippa Hackett, who has overall responsibility for the sector, are absolutely committed to delivering a forestry programme for the benefit of farmers, landowners, the climate, rural communities and the overall economy.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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95. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he is going to implement the commitment in the programme for Government to review and reform the Forestry Act 1988; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25303/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the opportunity to discuss Coillte's mandate and how it relates to the implementation of Government policy both as a commercial semi-state organisation and of course on our land-use and environmental priorities.

It is essential that its mandate continue to be flexible, multi-purpose and responsive to the issues of the day as part of a long-term land-use strategy. In my role as Minister, I am one of two shareholding Ministers in Coillte along with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

As a company, Coillte's role has evolved over time to reflect the company's important role in addressing the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the forestry sector and our rural economy. It was established under the 1988 Forestry Act to become custodian and manager of the national forest estate. The focus at that time was to put the estate in the charge of a company which would realise its potential and primarily support wood production. These are still important functions but much has changed since then both in terms of public policy but also in terms of Coillte's own activities and remit.

The current Programme for Government includes commitments to embark on an ambitious programme of afforestation on state-owned lands and to ensure that Coillte’s remit supports the delivery of climate change commitments and the protection of biodiversity. These commitments were outlined to Coillte in the last Shareholder Letter of Expectation issued by both myself and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in June last year.

In it the company were specifically tasked with delivering actions which would help to achieve the goals outlined in the Climate Action Plan and the National Biodiversity Strategy.

I have published this letter since so that all interested stakeholders are aware of its contents and so that the mandate outlined is transparent to all.

We further asked that Coillte continue to provide safe and sustainable public access to the nation's forest and that they invest in the creation of further recreational areas in support of local communities and tourism.

The letter also highlighted the need for the company to be viable and to supply wood products to grow the bio-economy.

Coillte has responded to this in its new Strategic Vision. In this Vision, Coillte has indicated that their afforestation ambition is to enable the creation of 100,000 hectares of new forests by 2050 providing a carbon sink of 18 million tonnes of CO2.

Coillte will also manage the existing forest estate to capture an additional 10 million tonnes of CO2 by 2050. It intended to increase the area of forest being managed primarily for nature from 20% to 50% in the long term, by enhancing and restoring biodiversity and planting new forests, half of which will be native woodlands.

Coillte now has a division, Coillte Nature, solely devoted to managing the delivery of nature and biodiversity initiatives within Coillte forests. These initiatives include planting native woodlands, restoring important biodiversity areas, regenerating urban forests for the benefit of people and nature, and rehabilitating ecosystem services on sensitive lands, such as peatlands. Today 90,000 hectares of the forest estate is managed primarily for biodiversity.

I reiterate that the current legislation governing the mandate of Coillte together with Government policy along with Coillte’s own Strategy Vision, ensures that climate action and the protection and enhancement of biodiversity are integral to its role and opera­tion. Our collective focus now should be on the achievement of these targets and I will continue to work intensively with Coillte on its achievement.