Trevor Sargent
Question:72 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the means by which increased forestry, especially in private ownership, is sensitive to the landscape.
Written Answers. - Forestry Programme.
Compatibility of forestry with the environment, including the landscape, is now a major consideration, and is in fact a condition of grant aid under the forestry programme. This is implemented through a variety of measures which include — prior inspection to identify environmental considerations — consultation with the local authority if the area is a scenic area listed in the county development plan or the 1977 Inventory of Outstanding Landscapes — Forest Service Guidelines on Forestry and the Landscape, compliance with which is a condition of grant aid. The guidelines, which were introduced in 1992, cover shape, diversity, scale, margins, views and open spaces. These guidelines apply to Coillte Teo as well as to the private sector, but will not, of course, have applied to forests planted in earlier times.