The Department offers a generous suite of establishment grants and annual premiums under the Afforestation Grant and Premium Scheme, with grant and premium categories and species to suit most land types. At present, there is 4,300 ha of land approved to plant forestry where planting has not yet commenced. I encourage anyone that has an approved afforestation site, to arrange financial approval and to go ahead and plant. That way, they can avail of the annual premiums. Financial approval is a straightforward process that usually only takes a few days and is arranged by the landowner’s Registered Forester.
Some 2,488 new hectares were planted in 2020. From 1st January to 31st December, 2020, the Department issued financial approval for 304 sites, totalling 2,355 ha. A total of 271 of those sites have advised my Department that planting has been completed for an area of 1,889 ha. Thirteen financial approvals were withdrawn for an area of 77 ha, with 20 contracts outstanding at 389 ha. Some of these sites were approved in late December, with an expiry date of 31st March, 2021, so it may well be the case that planting has gone ahead, but documentation is awaited by the Department.