My Departments systems allow for online submission of afforestation applications by registered foresters acting on behalf of applicants or landowners. This user system is referred to as iFORISINET or iNET.
My Department has made Environmental Considerations map layers relevant to afforestation applications available to registered foresters via the iNET mapping system. These maps help registered foresters to identify opportunities for further forest planting in Ireland, along with indicating areas where new forest planting may be inappropriate, for a variety of reasons.
It is important to note that whilst an area might be within an environmental considerations area such as a ‘breeding wader hot-spot’ or a ‘high nature value farmland’ area, this does not in itself rule out afforestation within this area.
While the different layers are well known and available on INET my Department is committed to publishing a composite map highlighting where the different constraints on afforestation are located as part of a plan led approach to forest creation. This will give a high level view indicating the areas of the country with little or no restrictions and those areas where more assessment is required before an application can be made.
However, for the purposes of determining the eligibility of specific projects for the afforestation scheme land owners and registered forester are advised to consult the relevant environmental consideration map layers on iNET and other afforestation scheme eligibility requirements which are detailed in the scheme documentation from my Departments website.
