Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 June 2022
318. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the efforts that are being made to provide greater clarity to forestry licence applicants with regard to the evaluation and application processes, specifically among small and medium operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35052/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine gives detailed guidance on how to apply for licences to plant trees, build road and carry out felling and this guidance is clearly laid out on the forestry page of the Department's website.
In addition forestry related circulars are issued to the forestry sector on a regular basis throughout the year to clarify or amend Department policy, and these are published on the website.
Department staff also provide online and in-person webinars and training courses to registered foresters on an ongoing basis including recent courses in ecology, biodiversity and habitat mapping and Continuous Cover Forestry.
Furthermore, under Project Woodland, an initiative of my colleague Minister of State Pippa Hackett, who has responsibility for the sector, there has been a focus on improving the licensing system. A pilot scheme for pre-application discussions on afforestation licence applications has been completed across six regions and it is now planned to roll this out nation-wide.
Work has also commenced on a training needs analysis for forestry licensing and a report is expected in August. This work will consist of a review of the current training being provided, identify any gaps and will make recommendations aimed at improving the quality of licence applications.
We also intend to provide access to forestry licence applicants to the status of their application, within the licensing system. This facility is already available to registered foresters who submit forestry applications on behalf of clients.
