Paula Butterly (Louth, Fine Gael)
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1750. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to develop a framework that enables local authorities to identify and make publicly owned land available for community led native tree planting and natural regeneration projects. [45585/25]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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My Department is committed to ensuring that public land can play a role in delivering community benefits through native tree planting and nature restoration.

Under the Afforestation Scheme in the Forestry Programme 2023-2027, my Department introduced Forest Type 3 – Forest Creation on Public Lands (FT3), a scheme specifically designed to enable all public bodies, including local authorities, that have suitable landholdings to establish new forests on their lands. This scheme provides 100% establishment grants and 15 years of annual tax-free premium payments. The scheme is open to all public bodies with suitable landholdings and represents a structured framework through which publicly owned land can be made available for community led native tree planting.

Through FT3, public bodies are encouraged to identify sites within their control that are suitable for afforestation.  My Department provides technical support, site assessment, and guidance throughout the application process. The framework allows for native forests to be designed with community access, biodiversity, climate resilience and water protection in mind, ensuring that the outcomes meet both local and national objectives.

This year I wrote to these public bodies with suitable landholdings, inviting them to take this opportunity to work with my Department on this initiative. This engagement is proving to be a huge success and my Department have already hosted several meetings with local authorities and public bodies across the country helping them assess land availability and progress towards afforestation projects. 

This combination of a tailored scheme, dedicated financial supports, and structured engagement, provides a clear framework to make publicly owned land available for community led native tree planting and natural regeneration projects.