Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
3350. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way his Department determined the proposed area crop to be greater than 25 years old; when the forest became greater than 25 years old; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39133/21]
View answer3351. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way his Department determined the proposed area and crop to be greater than 25 years old in relation to an ash dieback scheme application (details supplied); when the forest became greater than 25 years old; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39146/21]
View answer3352. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department changed or modified or in any way deviated from its process for calculating the age of a forest in an instance (details supplied) from the previous ash dieback reconstitution scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39147/21]
View answer3353. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the date on which the current ash dieback reconstitution and replanting scheme was launched (details supplied); the date that owners of ash plantations could lodge an application for the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39148/21]
View answer3354. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the date in which the previous ash dieback reconstitution and replanting scheme was closed off to applicants whose ash forests are fatally affected by ash dieback; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39150/21]
View answer3355. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of days between the date his Department closed off the previous ash dieback reconstitution scheme and the date the present ash dieback RUS scheme was launched and open for applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39151/21]
View answer3356. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way his Department catered for forest owners with forests that exceeded 25 years of age in the timeframe between the closing off of applications on the previous ash dieback reconstitution scheme and the opening of the existing ash dieback RUS scheme for those owners that want to reconstitute the area with a different species; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39152/21]
View answer3357. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total area of Ash in the country that exceeded 25 years of age in the timeframe between the closing off of applications on the previous ash dieback reconstitution and replanting scheme and the opening of the existing ash dieback RUS scheme on a per county basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39153/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 3350 to 3357, inclusive, together.
The Reconstitution Ash Dieback Scheme closed to new applications from 12th April 2018. At the same time, my Department began a review of the national response to Ash Dieback Disease as it was increasingly evident from experience and the latest scientific advice that eradication of Ash Dieback disease was no longer feasible. Pending completion of the review, the Department moved away from a mandatory sanitation requirement approach while continuing annual premium payments to affected forest owners. While the main scheme was closed to new applications, Circular 6 of 2018 advised that any applications received after the date of the circular would be brought forward to the new scheme. The Woodland Improvement Scheme (WIS) also remained available to plantation owners.
The focus of the review was on the policy approach and associated support schemes, considering the move away from Ash Dieback eradication and bringing ash plantation management into focus. The review included further consideration of damage level evaluation together with inclusion of a broader range of silvicultural and management options. This new approach was circulated for stakeholder consultation in December 2019 and a total of 18 submissions were received in reply.
All submissions were carefully considered, and meetings held with stakeholders to finalise a revised scheme document. The Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS) (Ash Dieback) was announced on the 10th June 2020 and applications could be submitted from the 22nd June 2020.
To date, the Department has received 339 applications for RUS for 1,364ha, of which 83 have been approved for 280ha.
The objectives of the scheme are to encourage the active management of ash plantations, to promote the vigorous growth of ash through thinning and, where appropriate in young plantations and in cases of high disease infection, to support the removal of the affected ash crop and replacement with alternative species. The Scheme also aims to build resilience and diversity into plantations and possibly identify tolerant or resistant individuals. The scheme provides a suite of options that will give owners the opportunity to recover the maximum economic value possible from their affected ash plantations.
As the Scheme has been in operation for a year, it is timely to assess the response to the Scheme. One question which has arisen is the availability of management options for plantations greater than 25 years of age. After careful consideration I have now revised these management options as set out in Circular 12/2021 of 23rd July 2021, which is published on gov.ie. All ash plantations which exceed 7m top height with a medium level of stem infection are now eligible for under-planting and with high level stem infection are now eligible for reconstitution. This change brings sites over 25 year of age into the Scheme. In addition we will now review any applications that have been received since 22nd June, 2020 and have been refused as they were over 25 years of age, and a fresh decision will issue. This will include a review of the application of the person named whose application was outside the 25 years threshold.
The age of a forest is described as the number of growing seasons since initial planting or natural regeneration, in accordance with the definition provided in my Department’s latest Ireland’s National Forest Inventory from 2017. Statistics provided in this inventory indicate that nearly half of the stocked forest estate in Ireland is less than 20 years of age with a higher proportion of broadleaves in young forests due to higher levels of broadleaf afforestation over recent decades and natural regeneration. Approximately 70,000 ha of Ireland’s total broadleaf forests are over 30 years of age. The statistics do not provide a breakdown of broadleaf species per age class.
