Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 6 Mar 2003

Vol. 562 No. 6

Written Answers - Afforestation Programme.

Marian Harkin

Question:

113 Ms Harkin asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the reason promises made to farmers in County Leitrim and elsewhere in the 1980s to provide loading bays and access roads to facilitate the abstraction of thinnings have not been kept; the reason these farmers have not received parity of treatment, in relation to grants and taxation, with more recent growers; and the reason his Department is not taking steps to prevent plantations from being left unthinned due to the fact that the cost of thinning under existing extraction conditions will not be met by returns from the sale of thinnings. [6849/03]

Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (Mr. D. Ahern)

Funding for forest roads, which would include features such as loading bays as appropriate, has been available from the forest service since 1984. This funding is intended to facilitate the extraction of thinnings and final harvesting of the woodland. Application forms are available from the local forest service inspector or from the Forest Service, Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Johnstown Castle Estate, County Wexford.

There has always been parity of treatment for farmers in relation to grants. Although it is acknowledged that grant levels under the current operational programme are higher than under earlier programmes such as the western package, I am not aware of any lack of parity in relation to taxation.

I would point out that the economic viability of first thinnings is a factor of crop quality, plantation size, or area, species, forest-owner knowledge, market availability and proximity, labour – harvesting-haulage – availability, geographic location and ground conditions. I recognise the value and importance of early thinning. Distance to market is the critical factor in determining if the grower will make an economic return on early thinning. My Department is currently working on developing local markets for early thinnings, particularly in the area of wood energy. In this context three potential sources of wood energy have already been identified, viz. early thinnings, forest-harvesting residues and short-rotation forestry.