Cathal Crowe
Question:65. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to develop more broadleaf forestry in Ireland. [60768/21]
View answerThursday, 9 December 2021
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Written answers
The current Forestry Programme 2014-2020 (extended to end 2022) provides significant supports for afforestation and includes 12 different planting categories to promote a good species mix and covers 100% of the cost of establishing a forest.
Six of these 12 planting categories focus on the establishment of broadleaves. The main Afforestation Scheme aims at supporting biodiversity by facilitating a policy to increase species diversity within the national forest estate. It is a requirement that all new afforestation must include at least 15% broadleaves. In response to these incentives, over 30,000ha of new forests have been created since the start of the Programme in 2015 with an average of 27% broadleaves planted during the programming period. The incentives for planting broadleaves were increased upwards in 2018 during a mid-term review of the Forestry programme.
In addition we have a variety of additional support schemes in place that promote the planting of broadleaves, such as the Woodland Creation on Public Lands Scheme, the Woodland Environmental Fund, and the Neighbourwood Scheme.
Coillte, under its not-for-profit branch which aims to deliver on biodiversity through specific projects, is also actively promoting the planting of native species. For example, the recently launched ‘Nature Partners' initiative, aims to attract impact investors to help create new native woodlands across the country.
Looking to the future, as the Deputy may be aware, Project Woodland was launched in February this year and one of its key objectives is the creation of a shared national vision for forests in Ireland and the development of a new Forest Strategy. This includes an extensive and inclusive public consultation, which has recently commenced and which will consider issues such as diversity within the forest estate. The Strategy will in turn underpin the next Forestry Programme for the period 2023 to 2027. I would like to invite everybody with an interest in forestry in Ireland to actively contribute to this consultation process.