Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 January 2016
22. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware of suggestions and examples of other countries where reforestation of the uplands with native species is a key measure in mitigating flooding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2205/16]
View answerMy Department is aware of work done in other countries on the role of native woodlands, alongside other types of forests, in flood mitigation, in both upland and lowland areas.
My Department operates a Forestry Programme that provides funding for the creation and management of a wide range of forest and woodland types, in order to realise the variety of environmental, economic and social benefits and services forest development brings. This programme incorporates experiences gained in other countries across a range of areas, including flood control. Various measures under the programme can be used strategically as part of a wider response to control flood water within a catchment. These include the following:
- The Afforestation Scheme, available from my Department under the current Forestry Programme, can be used to deliver a variety of forest types, from more productive-focused forests to agro-forestry plantations to more biodiversity-focused native woodlands. Grant aid under the scheme is designed to cover the cost of establishment, and annual premiums are payable for up to 15 years. The Afforestation Scheme can deliver a range of forest and woodland types in both upland and lowland areas, delivering floodwater management as one of many 'eco-system services'.
- The Native Woodland Conservation Scheme, which can be used to convert conifer forests alongside watercourses, into native woodland. This scheme provides grant aid (along with a 7- year premium, for private woodland owners) to undertake the appropriate restoration of existing woodlands, and also, the conversion of conifer forest to native woodland, typically at reforestation stage. Converting existing conifer forests into native woodland at strategic points along watercourses, accompanied by drain-blocking and other site restoration measures, can help reduce the risk of flooding by providing areas for inundation during periods of high flow.
- The Environmental Enhancement of Forests Scheme, which is due for launch in 2016, will provide financial support to forest holders to enhance the environmental functioning of existing forests, by funding measures such as the creation and enhancement of water setbacks and the appropriate blocking-off of existing forest drains.
Various work abroad, such as the Pontbren Project and the Forest Research/Confor report on the role of productive woodlands in water management, demonstrate the role of appropriately sited, well-designed and managed woodlands and forests in the control of floodwater.
