asked the Minister for Lands whether he proposes to initiate a social forestry scheme as recommended by Mr. D. Roy Cameron, F.A.O., technical adviser, in his report, dated 15th February, 1951, on forestry conditions in this country, and, if so, when.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Social Forestry Scheme.
I am now having social forestry, as I conceive it, pushed forward.
Mr. Roy Cameron's report recommended that this country should not attempt to meet more than half of its requirements of commercial timber from its own resources but should undertake a social forestry programme of similar dimensions calculated to promote employment without regard to the quality of the timber produced.
This particular view of Mr. Cameron on commercial forestry is unacceptable. It is, and must remain, the policy of my Department to seek to expand commercial forestry operations to a level adequate to meet any foreseeable national requirements of timber without recourse to imports.
In the matter of social forestry I cannot fully agree with Mr. Cameron's approach. When I first became responsible for forestry, I encouraged my Department to pursue active steps towards development of sub-marginal lands for forestry purposes. These areas are to be found in the main in the West and in the areas where increased employment is most urgently necessary. To enable the possibilities of planting these lands to be fully and fairly explored, new machinery and new techniques were introduced and a start was made in planting in 1950. Expansion and exploration has gone ahead actively since then and so far the results are promising. Already, forestry operations of this kind are making a useful contribution towards providing employment in backward areas and the time has now come when I can announce with confidence and certainty that with the steady future expansion I have in mind forestry will ultimately be the main solution to emigration from these parts of the country. Thus, the objective of Mr. Cameron's social forestry programme will be attained while preserving the fundamentals of good forestry.
Would the Minister be more specific? Is he prepared to introduce this social forestry scheme as recommended by Mr. D. Roy Cameron to the West of Ireland?
I would point out to the Deputy that I have been fairly specific and I said that I am having the social forestry scheme, as I conceive it, pushed forward. I should have pointed out that all areas offered to the Forestry Department are not plantable and some of them will never be plantable. Where the social programme envisaged by Mr. Cameron can be implemented without danger of the taxpayers' money going down the drain, through planting on ground that will never grow trees or will only grow weeds, we will do that.