Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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231. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the new afforestation scheme will be announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40771/23]

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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232. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the action his Department is taking to increase afforestation in view that there has been almost an 80% drop in all new forestry plantings since 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40772/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 231 and 232 together.

I am pleased to advise that the Afforestation Scheme for the 2023-2027 period opened for applications on the 6th of September 2023. This new Afforestation Scheme offers landowners a choice of 12 Forest Types which cover a broad range of planting options. It provides generous incentives to farmers in particular to re-engage with forestry. This can be seen in our increased premia rates for Afforestation. These increases range from between 46% to 66% , along with a longer premia term of 20 years for farmers, compared to 15 years for non-farmers across most Forest Types.

Agroforestry has also been revised significantly to facilitate uptake. Agroforestry was first introduced to Ireland’s forestry support schemes in 2015, and the new Afforestation Scheme will increase the period for premiums from five to 10 years. To date, support has targeted the establishment of silvopastoral systems which combine forestry and pasture, including grazing and the growing of fodder. It is proposed to expand this in the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 with pilot schemes for both silvoarable and forest gardening systems.

Emergent Forest is a further new Forest Type offered under the Afforestation Scheme. This will support the retention and appropriate management of suitable areas of ‘scrub’, which represent an important biodiversity feature within the landscape, with the potential for delivering many ecosystem services.

The Programme also contains a new Native Tree Area Scheme, which builds on a recent amendment to the Forestry Act 2014 that removed the licensing requirement for the planting of native woodland in areas not greater than one hectare. It is our objective to increase and encourage interest in small-scale planting, and I am confident that this change to the Act will remove a barrier to such planting. This Native Tree Area Scheme will be open for applications shortly.

I would like to assure the Deputy that I am committed to working with all our stakeholders to substantially increase our afforestation rates over the next decade. I am confident that the diverse range of forest types on offer, coupled with attractive grants and premiums in the new Forestry Programme, will support landowners to plant trees in a manner that will provide lasting climate, biodiversity, wood production, employment and wider societal benefits.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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233. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine under the new Forestry Programme 2023-2027, if preference will be given to support the preservation of certain habitats over others like open hill, depleted upland bog and heathland, even if native woodland was the original habitat in a given area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40773/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to say that the new Afforestation Scheme, which offers an increased establishment grant and increased premiums for up to 20 years, opened on 6th September 2023, and that we are now in a position to grant afforestation licences and scheme approvals under the new 2023-2027 Forestry Programme.

Under the Programme, there will be much improved incentives to create new native woodlands and to restore existing native woodlands.

All new afforestation licence applications will, of course, be subject to a comprehensive assessment process, to ensure compliance with environmental legislation.

In regard to the preservation of certain habitats - and in accordance with Ireland's obligation to comply with EU State Aid and environmental requirements - afforestation under the new Programme will be avoided on environmentally unsuitable sites. Afforestation will be adapted to environmental sensitivities, such as habitats and species (including Natura sites, Freshwater Pearl Mussel and Hen Harrier, Breeding Curlew, open habitat birds, Annex I habitats), high nature value farmland, peat soils, hedgerows, water quality (including fisheries sensitive areas, waterbody status, acid-sensitive areas), archaeology, landscape, and local sensitivities.

For example, in relation to Curlew, an exclusionary buffer zone of 1.5 kilometres around Curlew nest sites is applied, within which no afforestation may take place. Other restrictions apply to protect other breeding waders. Afforestation is also ruled out within the boundary of all Special Protection Areas and within other defined areas to protect threatened bird species. Sites that are now Annex 1 habitats may not be planted, whether designated or not. Sites that are defined as wetlands are also excluded from the scheme. These and other exclusions are applied in response to the current ecological characteristics and designations, even if native woodland was the original habitat in those same areas, as was the case historically over the majority of Ireland.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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234. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the action his Department is taking to increase native woodland establishment targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40774/23]

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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235. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the action his Department is taking to ensure that the native woodland establishment scheme is a viable options for investors, in view that the current allowable land for planting this schedule is priced above the financial return from the premiums; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40775/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 234 and 235 together.

The Forestry Programme 2023-2027 replaces the previous Forestry Programme of 2014-2020 (extended to 2022) which expired at the end of 2022. This €1.3 billion Forestry Programme was created in alignment with Ireland’s new Forest Strategy and as such is designed to provide lasting benefits for many key areas including climate change and biodiversity,

The annual broadleaf target in this Programme has increased from 30% to 50% of total annual planting. This is reflected in a substantial increase of 66% in premium rates for the establishment of a native forest with €1,103 per hectare available to plant native forests and €1,142 per hectare payable for native forests for water over a period of 15 or 20 years.

The Programme seeks to provide incentives for all landowners while at the same time placing farmers firmly at the centre of a suite of new and improved forestry schemes. There is, however, also a role for non-farmer investors in helping to achieve our ambitious afforestation targets and the Forestry Programme provides for this. This includes support for the creation of new forests in Ireland through the harnessing of funding and assets from private and public sources, including afforestation grants and premiums, to provide long term social returns for all stakeholders. In other words, where land is in private ownership, whether farmer or non-farmer, it will be eligible for grants and premiums under the new Programme. I am committed to working with all of our stakeholders to substantially increase our afforestation rates over the next decade.

My Department also intends to launch the Native Tree Area (NTA) Scheme shortly. An amendment to the Forestry Act removed the licensing requirement for the planting of native woodland in areas not greater than one hectare, and the NTA Scheme will, through its eligibility criteria, ensure that all tree planting works are undertaken in a legally compliant and sustainable manner. It is my objective to encourage and increase interest in small-scale planting, and I am confident that this change to the Act and the launch of the NTA Scheme will remove a barrier to such planting.

I am confident that the schemes we are offering for native woodland establishment will support all landowners who wish to provide lasting benefits to society, especially in terms of biodiversity, through the planting of native trees.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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236. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if environmental impact assessments thresholds have been reviewed before the implementation of the new Forestry Programme 2023-2027 in view that the current mandatory EIA thresholds can be extremely costly having resulted in the abandonment of potential native woodland planting applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40776/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The EIA Directive requires that certain classes of projects, including afforestation and forest road works, must be assessed to determine the likely environmental effect of the project, before a licence can be granted. The licensing system operated by my Department, the statutory framework for which is set out in Forestry Act 2014 and the Forestry Regulations 2017 (SI. No. 191 of 2017) (‘the Regulations’), provides for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be carried out in certain cases.

An EIA is mandatory for afforestation project of 50 hectares in size or more, and for forest road works of 2,000 metres in length or more. Applications for such projects must be accompanied by an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR), to enable the undertaking of the requisite EIA. In addition, the Regulations provide that all proposed afforestation and forest road works below the mandatory thresholds must be screened for EIA, to consider whether or not significant effects on the environment are likely.

Those mandatory thresholds are carried over from and in the first instance prescribed in Part 1 and Part 2 of Schedule 5 of the Planning and Developments Regulations 2001, as amended. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, has overarching responsibility for the implementation of the EIA Directive in spatial planning systems in Ireland. The current 50 hectares threshold was introduced into national law in 2001 by the Department of Environment and Local Government, in order to address a ruling of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) from September 1999 in Case C-392/96.

As part of the process of transposing the most recent amendment to the EIA Directive (Directive 2014/52/EU) into the land use planning and EPA licencing systems, in May 2017, the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, prepared a “Key Issues Consultation Paper” and engaged in a stakeholder consultation. Amongst other matters considered as part of that process were the current thresholds at or above which projects of different classes are required to be made subject to a mandatory EIA and a determination was made at that juncture not to amend the thresholds.

Furthermore, and perhaps most critically, the decision of the European Commission to approve the funding under State Aid rules of the new Forestry Programme 2023-2027, is predicated on the requirement that all afforestation projects involving an area of 50 hectares or more are required to be accompanied by an EIAR to enable my Department undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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237. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration is being given under the new Forestry Programme 2023-2027 to a comparison of the value of biodiversity and flora and fauna of native woodland verses the current habitat’s representation of number and volume of species; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40777/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The new €1.3 billion 2023-2027 Forestry Programme is closely aligned with the 2030 Forest Strategy, and is designed to provide lasting benefits for many key areas, including climate change, biodiversity, water quality, wood production, employment and the provision of amenities.

All applications for approval under the new Afforestation Scheme, which opened for applications on 6 September, will be subjected to a detailed environmental assessment to ensure that any project that is approved will be compatible with the protection and enhancement of the environment. This includes the ruling out of afforestation on sites where the current onsite ecology and biodiversity merit retention as open habitat.

This assessment process includes the application of the Land Types for Afforestation procedures to rule out afforestation on certain peat soils and infertile sites, which overlap considerably with important upland habitats. A number of ecological checks are carried out in relation to onsite ecology, and the potential overlap with ecologically sensitive areas, such as SPAs, SACs, Annex 1 habitats, certain High Nature Value farmlands, and Breeding Wader (including Curlew) sites.

Particular procedures required by environmental legislation – namely Appropriate Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment – are also applied. Furthermore, any project that is approved must adhere to the Environmental Requirements for Afforestation, which set out a number of design and operational safeguards to protect onsite and adjacent habitats, include streams and rivers, hedgerows and areas of scrub.

This assessment process involves the input of my staff, consultation with other statutory bodies and a regime of pre- and post-planting inspections undertaken to ensure that the site details are accurately captured, and that the project is realised in accordance with the terms and conditions set.

The assessment outlined above incorporates new environmental requirements set out as part of the State Aid approval of the new Forestry Programme.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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238. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration is being given under the new Forestry Programme 2023-2027 to a more compacted and applicant friendly planting licensing process, in view of the ever-lengthening licence application process for approval to attract more applicants and investors going forward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40778/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The new Forestry Programme 2023 - 2027, which was launched on 6th September, supports the largest, most farmer-friendly investment in forestry in the history of the State, and the Afforestation Scheme is now open to applications.

It is the case that changes in regulatory requirements in relation to forestry licensing has necessitated additional information sometimes being required by landowners when applying for a licence. Furthermore, environmental considerations which must be complied with as part of our State Aid approval will require a detailed assessment process and consideration by applicants of the impact of afforestation on peats, birds and high nature value farmland. While this brings some complexity to applying for a licence, I am confident that the diverse range of forest types, coupled with attractive grants and premiums, now on offer under the new Programme will encourage landowners to plant trees.

My Department operates an on-line application system (iNET) to facilitate the submission of forestry applications by registered foresters, on behalf of the landowner. Having access to iNET spatial layers aids data entry of pertinent spatial information by the registered forester and allows for the consideration of environmental receptors such as nearby rivers, streams or European and nationally designated sites (NHAs, SPAs, NHAs SACs etc).The system ensures that registered foresters have access to the most relevant and up-to-date environmental, ecological information and scheme related layers when compiling and submitting their afforestation licence application.

We are providing training and guidance to registered foresters to assist them in submitting valid applications and furthermore we are providing an environment report grant to help landowners apply for afforestation licences.

I can assure the Deputy that my Department is committed to continual improvement and will continue to work to ensure that our systems are as accessible as possible in order to facilitate a well-functioning licensing system.