asked the Minister for Lands the acreage of planting in the present financial year.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Forestry Planting.
24.
The area scheduled to date for planting in the current season is 22,800 acres but the actual area planted will not be know until final planting maps are made and the individual areas are computed.
Does the Parliamentary Secretary anticipate that he will reach the target of 25,000 acres?
The area scheduled to date for planting in the current season is 22,800 acres.
Does the Parliamentary Secretary anticipate that he will reach the intended target of 25,000 acres?
No. It is mainly a problem of not being able to acquire sufficient land.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary not agree that the reason is that when the Forestry Branch receive an offer of land they wait for months before they do anything about it?
That is not my information.
And they wait for years before they pay for it.
25.
asked the Minister for Lands the projection for the year 1968-69 of the acreage it is proposed to afforest.
Provision for a programme of 25,000 acres will be made in the Forestry Estimate for 1968-69 but it is not possible at this stage to say whether a programme of that extent will be practicable.
Assuming that the acreage will be the same— 25,000 acres for the ensuing year—am I to take it that there will be no reduction in employment in the State forests?
I cannot say that at this stage.