Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 May 2022
801. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department is engaging with local authorities with regards to the implementation of tree strategies for local authority areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27250/22]
View answerThe development of Ireland’s next Forest Strategy and shared national vision for trees and forests is currently underway.
Project Woodland, established by my Department has made significant progress in the last 12 months preparing the ground for a wide range of public and stakeholder engagements. The purpose of this consultation is to provide the basis for drafting a shared national forest strategy.
An online public consultation on the vision for forestry was launched on 16th March and closed on the 27th April 2022 with over 3,000 responses received. These responses are currently being examined and will provide important feedback on a range of areas which will help shape the next forest strategy.
A Deliberative Dialogue of 100 people, representative of the general demographics of the population, took place on 10th and 14th May 2022. This event provided a platform for a diverse group of people to learn about forests and to discuss the future of Irish forests.
A forest public attitudes survey and a community engagement survey have also been completed.
Bilateral meetings have been ongoing with key stakeholders and as part of this process my Department will be meeting with the County and City Management Association to hear the views of local authorities on the draft shared national vision and the development of the new forest strategy.
The Department will examine all the different consultations that have taken place and provide a summary of the main findings which will be publicly available. It is expected that this work will be completed before the end of June.
It is worth noting that the Department, in association with the Tree Council of Ireland, has published a comprehensive Guide for Landowners to Managing Roadside Trees. This is aimed at landowners in ownership of roadside trees and should help local authorities as the information provided will contribute to the mitigation of possible risks associated with such trees, while promoting their benefits.
