asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry the value of the State forests now owned by the Government.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Written Answers. - State Forests.
304.
A precise assessment of the value of the State forest estate, which now comprises upwards of 300,000 hectares, is not readily available. In any case such an assessment would inevitably be subject to a wide range of assumptions involving, inter alia, variety of tree species, variations in rotation lengths and current and prospective land and timber prices and it would also have to take account of the fact that some two-thirds of the estate, being under 20 years of age, are not as yet producing marketable material to any significant extent. However, a rough estimate of the current value of the estate, including standing timber and the land, would be of the order of £500 millions but the Deputy will appreciate that, for the reasons mentioned, such figure must be treated with considerable reserve.