Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
1292. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the plans, if any, to reform the Forestry Act 1988 and the remit of Coillte; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38125/23]
View answerI welcome the opportunity to address Coillte's mandate and how it relates to the implementation of Government policy both as a commercial semi-state organisation and of course on our land-use and environmental priorities.
As a company, Coillte's role has evolved over time to reflect its important role in addressing the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the forestry sector and our rural economy. It was established under the 1988 Forestry Act to become custodian and manager of the national forest estate. The focus at that time was to put the estate in the charge of a company which would realise its potential and primarily support wood production. These are still important functions, but much has changed since then, both in terms of public policy and in terms of Coillte's own activities and remit.
The current Programme for Government includes commitments to embark on an ambitious programme of afforestation on state-owned lands and to ensure that Coillte’s remit supports the delivery of climate change commitments and the protection of biodiversity. These commitments were outlined to Coillte in the last Shareholder Letter of Expectation issued by Minister of State Pippa Hackett and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in June last year.
In it, the company was specifically tasked with delivering actions which would help to achieve the goals outlined in the Climate Action Plan and the National Biodiversity Strategy. It was also asked to continue to provide safe and sustainable public access to the nation's forests, and to invest in the creation of further recreational areas in support of local communities and tourism. The letter also highlighted the need for Coillte to be viable, and to supply wood products to grow the bio-economy.
This letter is published on my Department's website so that all interested stakeholders are aware of its contents and so that the mandate outlined is transparent to all.
Coillte has responded to this in its new Strategic Vision. In this Vision, it has indicated that its afforestation ambition is to enable the creation of 100,000 hectares of new forests by 2050, providing a carbon sink of 18 million tonnes of CO2.
Coillte will also manage the existing forest estate to capture an additional 10 million tonnes of CO2 by 2050. The intention is to increase the area of forest being managed primarily for nature from 20% to 50% in the long term, by enhancing and restoring biodiversity and planting new forests, half of which will be native woodlands.
Coillte now has a division, Coillte Nature, solely devoted to managing the delivery of nature and biodiversity initiatives within Coillte forests. These initiatives include planting native woodlands, restoring important biodiversity areas, regenerating urban forests for the benefit of people and nature, and rehabilitating ecosystem services on sensitive lands, such as peatlands. Today 90,000 hectares of the forest estate is managed primarily for biodiversity.
I believe that the current legislation governing the mandate of Coillte together with Government policy, along with Coillte's own Strategic Vision, ensures that climate actions and the protection and enhancement of biodiversity are integral to its role and operation. I therefore have no plans to reform the Forestry Act 1988 and the remit of Coillte.
Our collective focus should now be on the achievement of these targets and I will continue to work intensively with Coillte on their achievement.
