Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 May 2021
294. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question Nos, 359 and 358, of 20 May 2021, if any proposed planting of trees less than 0.1 hectares is considered a plan or a project and is subject to screening and appropriate assessment in the same manner as forestry currently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28990/21]
View answer295. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question Nos, 359 and 358, of 20 May 2021, if the private forestry sector and specifically the foresters registered with his Department and registered ecologists and an organisation (details supplied) will be involved in developing the scheme terms and conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28991/21]
View answer296. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question Nos, 359 and 358 of 20 May 2021, if he plans to exclude mandatory Department registered professional forester and ecologist involvement from the scheme to plant trees along rivers and watercourses to act as carbon sinks and interceptors of nutrients currently being prepared by the Minister of State in cases in which any proposed planting of trees is less than 0.1 hectares; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28992/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 294, 295 and 296 together.
Any proposed planting of trees that is 0.1 ha or over in area is currently considered afforestation and must have an afforestation licence which must be applied for by a registered forester. The planting of small numbers of trees in an area less than 0.1 hectare is however is not a consented development and does not require to be treated as a plan or project under the Habitats Directive.
This means that tree planting in agri-environment schemes, such as REAP, are below this threshold and do not require a forestry licence. REAP participants and REAP Advisors who have submitted applications on behalf of their clients will receive sufficient training and support to allow them to carry out all works involved in the scheme including tree planting where it is identified as a beneficial complementary action.
Plans by my colleague Minister of State Hackett to explore the introduction of a scheme to promote, at scale, the planting of trees along riparian margins are at an early stage. Any scheme development will involve the normal consultation process with relevant stakeholders.
