Forestry Sector

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 May 2021

Tuesday, 25 May 2021

Questions (523)

Paul Kehoe

Question:

523. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 476 of 13 May 2021, the way forestry projects, irrespective of type, size and location, will impact on hen harriers considering the low and sparse population of the species, and given the fact that in parts of Ireland it is proven hen harrier numbers have increased in landscapes where forestry of different ages and rotations exists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27457/21]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The natural habitat of the Hen Harrier is open bog and heather moorland, with rough grassland also favoured.

Hen Harriers find young forest plantations attractive to breed in, and the population is thought to have increased in the 1960s and 1970s in Ireland due to new afforestation. However, breeding success is compromised by the loss of open space as forest canopies close. After 10 years, a forest is of little habitat value for Hen Harrier until clearfelling takes place.

Second rotation forestry is only suitable for the species for a minority of its life cycle, and as the plantation matures, its suitability declines. Nesting pairs may also be disturbed if sited near forests where work is being carried out. A national Hen Harrier threat response plan is currently being developed led by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.