Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1101. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 323 of 17 November 2022 and 601 of 22 November 2022, the additional measures that have been implemented to ensure that there is an adequate inspection programme concerning maintenance of forests, both in public and private ownership; if the Forestry Standards Manual 2015 was reviewed and updated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1337/25]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1102. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will convene as a matter of urgency a working group comprising of officials from his Department and other Departments and statutory agencies to deal with the recurring problems of fallen trees causing damage to ESB transmission lines, resulting in power outages and huge inconvenience, costs and hardship to communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1338/25]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1101 and 1102 together.

There are in place long standing forest design requirements and legislation to protect the electricity network where it interacts with forestry land, at different scales of supply, and protection of utilities is considered and applied during afforestation approval processes.

Under Section 98 of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1927, as amended by Section 45 of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999, the ESB and its representatives, taking due care and attention to avoid unnecessary damage, are empowered to lop or cut any tree, shrub or hedge which obstructs or interferes with electrical wires or to do the same where the tree, shrub or hedge interferes with the erection or laying of any such electrical wires or with the survey of the proposed route of any transmission or distribution lines. Such works are a matter between the ESB and anyone acting on their behalf, and the landowner in question, and do not require a felling licence from my Department.

These works may also be subject to terms of the agreement entered into between the Irish Farmers’ Association / ESB agreement in September 1992 (or any successor thereto) as regards ESB lines interacting with grant-aided forest areas.

As set out in the revised Forestry Standards Manual 2023 (www.gov.ie/en/publication/640f49-forestry-standards-manual/) it remains the case that whilst such ESB corridors are intended to be left unplanted at the initial afforestation stage where naturally regenerated trees do colonise the area, the trees are not to be allowed to grow to a height of more than 3 metres above the ground and the landowner is responsible for cutting or lopping the trees to ensure this. The landowner is also responsible for keeping a minimum corridor of at least 4 metres in width totally clear of regenerating trees for ESB maintenance access.

The cutting or lopping of naturally regenerated trees inside these corridors to the required height and the removal of naturally regenerated trees to maintain totally clear the 4-metre-wide access for ESB maintenance are de facto conditions of all initial afforestation consents and licences and thus not subject to any requirement for a Tree Felling Licence. All grant-aided afforestation is subject to an inspection regime during the payment period.

My Department will be engaging with the ESB to see if any further measures are required.