Vol. 486 No. 1
255 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the potential danger and possible damage to the rural environment by unplanned forestry; and the plans, if any, he has to introduce a land policy. [1736/98]
257 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources if he will outline the scientific evidence available to his Department in relation to forestry; and if he will commission an independent environmental impact study to allay fear in the community that unplanned forestry is a serious threat to our environment. [1738/98]
258 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources if the Central Fisheries Board has carried out scientific investigation in County Leitrim to ascertain if it is suitable to have large scale forestry plantations. [1739/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 255, 257 and 258 together.
Compatibility of forestry development with the environment is the essential element of the Government's afforestation programme, and indeed is a basic principle of grant aid. Virtually all forest planting in Ireland is subject to grant aid and this mechanism ensures that environmental concerns are fully taken into account. A variety of measures are taken by my Department in this context, including: prior consultation with relevant State agencies on listed environmentally sensitive areas; the publication of guidelines on forestry development and the landscape, fisheries and archaeology; minimum distances that forestry development must be kept back from occupied houses, roads, fisheries, etc. and grant incentives for diversity in planting, with a particualr emphasis on broadleaves.
Moreover, the threshold at which planning permission and environmental impact assessment — EIA — are required for afforestation has been reduced, with effect from October 1996 from 200 hectares to 70 hectares. In addition planning permission and EIA are also required for cumulative afforestation which results in a total area planted exceeding 70 hectares.
Environmental controls are regularly reviewed as a matter of course and work is ongoing at present on the revision of the existing guidelines on forestry development and the landscape, fisheries and archaeology and the introduction of additional guidelines on bio-diversity, harvesting and the use of herbicides. All these controls ensure that afforestation does not happen in an unplanned, environmentally destructive manner.
I understand from the Central Fisheries Board that the board has not carried out any scientific investigation with regard to large scale forestry plantations in County Leitrim.
256 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the reason the rules governing the Operational Programme for Forestry are only guidelines rather than directives as in other EU schemes. [1737/98]
The rules governing the forestry programme are in fact set out in Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2080/92.
259 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the number of environmental impact studies carried out in relation to the Operational Programme for Forestry in each of the years 1994 to 1997. [1740/98]
No environmental impact assessments are required to be carried out under the Operational Programme for Forestry. There is a requirement under planning and development legislation to carry out such assessments in respect of proposals for afforestation of 70 hectares or more. While I have no responsibilities under planning and development legislation, I am aware that one environmental impact assessment in relation to afforestation was carried out in each of the years 1996 and 1997.
