Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 February 2024
228. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what action he is taking to ensure proper maintenance of forestry plantations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5476/24]
View answerThe Forestry Programme 2023-2027 provides a range of schemes to support the maintenance and management of forests.
Recognising the importance of managing forests the €1.3 billion Forestry Programme provides a range of measures to support forest owners. For example, my Department has launched a forest roads scheme that facilitates the construction of new forest roads to support forest management. This will provide opportunities for forest owners to create and improve access to forests to facilitate maintenance, harvesting of timber and the monitoring of and protection of forests. Forest roads also provide access to utility companies and forest owners to manage trees adjacent to powerlines.
We will also launch later this year a forest management plan scheme to provide funding to forest owners to prepare plans which will support certification and applications for licensing.
My department, recently opened the Woodland Improvement scheme which provides financial support to existing forest owners who wish to manage and maintain their forests to benefit the environment and the ecosystem services they provide. The Woodland Improvement Scheme has five elements; Thinning and Tending, Agroforestry Maintenance, Continuous Cover Forestry, Coppice and Coppice with Standards and finally Seed Stand Management. These schemes support forest owners to manage their forests in keeping with the principles of sustainable forest management and the protection of the environment, including water.
The protection and restoration of ancient woodland through close to nature schemes such as the Native Woodland Conservation scheme, aims to support the appropriate restoration of existing native woodland.
The Forestry Programme will also introduce on a Pilot basis, a payments for Ecosystem Services for particular schemes with a range of premium payments over a seven year period. Scheme’s that come with an ecosystem payment for forest owners who successfully enter these schemes include: Continuous Cover Forestry, Seed Stand Maintenance and Native Woodland Conservation.
Overall the Forestry Programme 2023- 2027 recognises and financially supports the benefit to the environment that long term management and maintenance bring to existing woodland owners.
