asked the Minister for Lands if his attention has been directed to a statement made recently at a monthly meeting of the Kerry County Council Committee of Agriculture regarding the unsatisfactory position of forestry development in County Kerry; and if he will give the following information to the nearest possible date in regard to the forestry activities of the forestry division in County Kerry, if possible, in order of each rural district where applicable: (a) the number of areas and total acreage of land acquired in particular during the financial years 1956-57, 1957-58, and 1958-59, (b) the area already planted, (c) the plantable reserve at present on hands, (d) the portion of plantable reserve scheduled for planting during the current planting season, (e) the number of areas, with total acreage, now on offer to the forestry division, (f) if agreement has been reached to purchase additional areas, the particular localities and their extent, and (g) if preliminary negotiations are now in progress for the purchase of further areas, the total acreage involved; and if his Department will consider offers of suitable lands to an unlimited extent.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Forestry Development in Kerry.
Certain statements in regard to the position of forestry development in County Kerry made at a recent meeting of the County Committee of Agriculture were brought to my notice by the chief agricultural officer and by the Deputies for the county and a full statement on the matter has been issued to the committee.
In regard to the last part of the Deputy's question about the Department's preparedness to consider offers of land, I can only repeat what has been said so often — the Department will be most happy to receive and consider offers of land to any extent in County Kerry or in any other county.
The statistical information sought by the Deputy is in the form of a tabular statement which, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I will circulate with the report.
Following is the statement:—
STATE AFFORESTATION IN COUNTY KERRY—POSITION ON 30TH SEPTEMBER, 1958
|
ACQUISITION PROGRESS |
ACQUISITION PROSPECTS (b) |
|||||||||||||
|
FOREST |
Total Productive area |
Total Planted |
Plantable Reserve(a) |
1956-57 |
1957-58 |
1958-59 (To-Date) |
Planting Programme 1958-59 |
Agreement Reached |
Negotiations in Progress |
|||||
|
Number of Cases |
Area(acres) |
Number of Cases |
Area (acres) |
Number of Cases |
Area (acres) |
Number of Cases |
Area (acres) |
Number of Cases |
Area (acres) |
|||||
|
Brosna |
915 |
617¾ |
297¼ |
1 |
4½ |
3 |
197 |
1 |
135¾ |
82¾ |
2 |
166½ |
31 |
3,372 |
|
Castlegregory |
329 |
— |
329 |
— |
— |
1 |
610 |
— |
— |
100 |
— |
— |
||
|
Kenmare |
1,899 |
1,216¾ |
682¼ |
4 |
227¼ |
2 |
179¼ |
3 |
336¼ |
260 |
11 |
591½ |
||
|
Kilgarvan |
1,996¾ |
1,890 |
106¾ |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
64½ |
2 |
184½ |
||
|
Killarney |
3,254¾ |
2,321¾ |
933 |
— |
— |
3 |
1,700 |
— |
— |
34¾ |
— |
— |
||
|
Killorglin |
1,099¾ |
726 |
373¾ |
2 |
12½ |
3 |
182 |
— |
— |
205¾ |
2 |
727¾ |
||
|
TOTALS |
9,494¼ |
6,772¼ |
2,722 |
7 |
244¼ |
9 |
2,868¼ |
4 |
472 |
747¾ |
17 |
1,670¼ |
31 |
3,372 |
NOTES.—(a) Parts of the reserve are not immediately available for planting.
(b) In addition there are 140 cases involving a total area of 15,950 acres at the preliminary investigation stages.