Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
932. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what measures will be implemented by his Department to promote sustainable forestry practices and minimize the environmental impact of the forestry industry in Ireland through the Forestry Programme 2023-2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36378/23]
View answer933. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an overview of the funding specifically allocated to forest conservation and management programmes in Ireland; how these funds are utilised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36379/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 932 and 933 together.
The new and ambitious €1.3bn Forestry Programme 2023-2027 which is currently being assessed for State Aid approval will replace the previous Programme which expired at the end of 2022. My Department intends to offer attractive supports through the Programme to forest owners to assist them in the creation, management and conservation of their forests. Over €90 million has been budgeted for support measures relating to management and conservation of forests between 2023-2027 including for the development of skills that allow owners and their foresters to sustainably manage their forests.
These proposed measures include but are not limited to:
The Woodland Improvement: Continuous Cover Forestry Scheme which supports the conversion of forests to Continuous Cover Forestry, an alternative forest management approach where the forest canopy is maintained at one or more levels without clearfelling
The Woodland Improvement Thinning and Tending Scheme for broadleaves aims to improve the quality and value of retained trees by removing poorer quality stems and redirecting growth onto better quality ones.
A new iPLAN scheme for Forest Management Plans which will promote more active forest management resulting in forests that have greater capacity to deliver eco-system services, climate resilience, roundwood value and forest health vitality than those that are not subject to forest management planning practices.
Forestry Knowledge Transfer roups (KTGs) whose aim is to increase the level of forest management activity amongst participating forest owners. The target group are those forest owners that require additional knowledge to help them undertake one or more management activities in their forests. KTGs provide the mechanism for gaining this expertise and empower them to manage their own forest over its rotation.
Climate Resilient Reforestation Scheme will offer supports to forest owners at reforestation that incentivise species diversity and structural diversity.
The Native Forest Conservation Scheme aims to conserve existing native woodland and help to convert conifer stands to native woodland at key locations.
The sustainable management of our existing forests has the potential to make an effective contribution to climate change mitigation and resilience. I am confident that the proposed supports that my Department intends to offer will encourage forest owners to adopt optimum forest management and conservation practices.
