Vol. 352 No. 5
asked the Minister for Finance if it has come to his notice that most of the tree population in the Phoenix Park will have to be replaced in ten to 15 years; and if a tree-planting programme has been arranged to replace the old and dangerous trees.
164.
asked the Minister for Finance the number of tree surgeons employed in the Office of Public Works in the Phoenix Park.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 163 and 164 together.
A large proportion of the trees in the Phoenix Park are now mature but there are no grounds for believing that most of the tree population will have to be replaced in ten to 15 years. In the past five years about 700 trees have had to be felled due mainly to the incidence of Dutch elm disease.
In the same period a tree planting programme has been put in hands and over 700 trees have been planted. I hope to increase the rate of planting in the coming years. There is a staff of six in the arboricultural unit in the park, three of whom are skilled in tree surgery techniques.
