Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1455. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when it is proposed to amend legislation and regulations in relation to forestry taking into account the widespread concerns of communities regarding power outages which have occurred as a direct result of trees falling on power lines and telecommunication lines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59849/25]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Under current legislation, the ESB and its representatives 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. Requirements in relation to the establishment of corridors are incorporated into my Department’s Forestry Standards Manual, which informs its licensing process.

In recognition of the additional challenges presented by the recent storm events, on 29th July, the Government approved the drafting of the Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Bill 2025 which will enhance the resilience of the electricity grid. The purpose of this Bill is to enable proactive measures, such as the establishment and maintenance of designated forestry corridors within existing forestry and the maintenance of clear land around existing infrastructure.

The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment has overall responsibility for this new piece of legislation.

The legislative provisions relating to forestry and powerlines reside in section 98 of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1927, as amended by Section 45 of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999.

My Department has inputted extensively to the framework for the draft legislation, which amongst other things is intended to ensure that the ESB will be fully empowered to better manage this issue in the future.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1456. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures he proposes to implement to ensure that forestry plantations are properly maintained; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59850/25]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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The Forestry Programme 2023-2027 provides a range of schemes to support the maintenance and management of forests.

The afforestation grant scheme is structured in a way that all the maintenance costs in the first four years are covered by a maintenance grant paid at year 4. My Department's forest roads scheme is available that facilitates the construction of new forest roads to facilitate thinning and harvesting, and provides access for other forest maintenance operations.

Before the end of the year I will launch a new forest management plan scheme (called iPLAN). Funding will be provided to forest owners to prepare plans which will support certification and applications for tree felling licences.

The Forestry Programme contains a Woodland Improvement scheme, which provides financial support to existing forest owners to manage and maintain their forests, it has five elements: Thinning and Tending, Agroforestry Maintenance, Continuous Cover Forestry, Coppice and Coppice with Standards and finally Seed Stand Management.

The protection and restoration of ancient woodland through close to nature schemes such as the Native Woodland Conservation scheme, aims to support the appropriate restoration of existing native woodland. Forest owners who are planning to clearfell can also avail of the Climate Resilient Reforestation Grant.

I will also be introducing a Windblow Reconstitution Scheme for private forest owners effected by the storms last winter, subject to approval from the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services, Reform and Digitalisation.

Overall, the Forestry Programme 2023- 2027 recognises and financially supports the benefit to the environment that long term management and maintenance bring to existing woodland owners.