My Department as the competent authority for the granting of tree felling licences must take into account a number of considerations when assessing an application to thin or harvest trees.
General Guidelines and Assessments
All forestry licence applications undergo a comprehensive vetting process to ensure that inter alia the landscape, environment and the archaeological heritage are protected. Every application is treated on its own merits and is examined with regard to its effect, if any, on its surroundings. There are a number of guideline documents, such as Forestry and Water Quality Guidelines; Forestry and the Landscape Guidelines which are available on my Department’s website. Further, the Code of Best Forest Practice is a listing of all forestry operations and the manner in which they should be carried out to ensure the requirements for Sustainable Forest Management in Ireland are maintained.
Since the commencement in May 2017 of the Forestry Act, 2014, applications must be advertised to provide for 30 days public consultation. The public consultation process is assisted by the erection of site notices for all afforestation and forest road works licence applications.
In addition to this, referrals may be made to the local authority, Inland Fisheries Ireland, National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and An Taisce depending on the specific characteristics of the site concerned. These can include its proximity to water courses, designated European sites, or sensitive landscapes as defined by the local authority. Where an application wholly or partly falls within a designated site, no decision may be made until an opinion is received from NPWS.
The introduction of the associated appeals process and more complex Appropriate Assessment requirements following an EU court judgement have resulted in increased processing timeframes for forestry licences. In recognition of this and of the complexity involved, training both internally and with registered foresters took place in January and April this year.
Additional resources have been provided to undertake the archaeological review with two new archaeologists employed and significant work has been done to clear backlogs arising for this reason. In terms of ecology, the recruitment process for a new ecologist has been completed and should be appointed shortly.
I should also point out that there has been a doubling in the number of felling licences applied for from 2017 to 2018, from 3,300 to 6,600.
In 2018 and to end July 2019, 8,764 felling licences have been issued, 80% of which were issued within four months, with 90% issued within six months. The number of felling licences issued this year (3,639) has doubled when compared to the same period in 2018 (1,819).
In relation to the felling licence application for the person named, following a review by the district inspector and because of the specifics of the site in question, my Department’s archaeology and ecology services were required. This is because the proposed felling site contains an archaeological monument and is also near to a Natura site. Further, if a site is within a Special Area of Conservation or a Special Area of Protection, the input of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) must be obtained before a decision may issue. All information from referrals and submissions must be carefully considered before an approval issues and this means that the process is somewhat longer for those cases.
My Department is fully aware that access to ecologists or other professionals with the required expertise can be difficult. Therefore, a Directory of Professional Ecologists for Forestry Projects has been made available on my Department’s website and may be found at this link,
www.agriculture.gov.ie/media/migration/forestry/grantandpremiumschemes/2019/DirectoryProfessionalEcologistsForestryProjects310519.pdf.
Once the Natura Impact Statement is received, it will be reviewed by my Department’s Ecologist. The Ecologist’s comments will be returned to the Forestry District Inspector, who will combine them with his own recommendations. These will form the decision on the application, which will be issued to the person named, when available.
