asked the Minister for Lands if he will state whether (a) enough land will be available, (b) a sufficient number of plants will be available for transplanting, and (c) an adequate number of trained officers will be available to ensure that the decision to plant 25,000 acres annually will be implemented before 1953.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Forestry Target.
The implementation of the forestry programme depends on many factors: staff, intake of plantable land, availability of plants, labour, fencing material, tools, machinery, etc. Foresters take a considerable period to train and the necessary steps have been taken to ensure that adequate staff will ultimately be available to ensure the smooth working of the programme. Intake of land is necessarily slow because of title and other difficulties in almost all cases and also due to the fact that much of the acquisition staff's time is lost or wasted on the inspection of totally unsuitable offers. Plants available for any given acreage depend on the quantity of seed sown, the germination percentage, and the mildness or severity of the winters and periods of drought in the summers during the nursery stage. Suitable fencing, which is indispensable, is, I regret to say, yet in very short supply.
While it is much too early at this stage to give a definite reply to this question, some of the practical steps which I have taken will indicate the progress made. Acquisition staff of the Department has been increased from two to 11 and will shortly be increased to 15. Over 14,000 lbs. weight of seeds have been sown in each of the years 1949 and 1950. It was with great difficulty that we succeeded in securing even this quantity because of a world scarcity of seeds for some years past. Towards that end a very intensive drive has been made in the last few years for home collected seeds with very satisfactory results. All the fencing wire, net, barbed and plain, that could possibly be obtained has been purchased. The question of the purchase of suitable machinery for preparing what was hitherto regarded as unplantable ground has, as I informed the Deputy last week, been given consideration. The planting of any given acreage depends on these and other factors, and it is only by overcoming successfully the obstacles in all these that the desired result can be achieved. The planting programme does not depend alone on the three points raised in the Deputy's question, as the other important factors which I have outlined have also to be ironed out. While the general tone of this reply points out the difficulties, I wish to say that results in all fields of activity towards the achievement of the programme have been most satisfactory to date.
Will the Minister state what number of plants is available as a result of the seed sown in the year 1949?
I might say that a check carried out in the autumn of this year revealed that there were approximately 40,000,000 plants in the nurseries following the sowing the Deputy referred to. The number available for planting out depends on what way the coming winter may affect them. A blizzard might wipe out onethird of them, as happened in the winters of other years, when there was very heavy black frost. For that reason it would be difficult to give the Deputy the precise number that will be available. The check which takes place in the autumn of each year must not be regarded as an indication of the number that will be finally available for the reason that I have stated.
Are we to understand from the Minister's reply that he is unable to say whether sufficient land has been acquired, a sufficient number of plants will be available for transplanting and an adequate number of trained officers will be available? Is he able to say whether those things are so or not?
In my reply I have given a considerable amount of information. We have sufficient land, but everything does not depend on that alone. We have to take into consideration the availability of plants and of fencing, which is very important. These are very important factors and any one of them might seriously reduce the programme. I think the last sentence of my reply should clear up any doubts:—
"While the general tone of this reply points out the difficulties, I wish to say that results in all fields of activity towards the achievement of the programme have been most satisfactory to date."