Heydon: ‘Hopeful signs' on forestry planting this year
In response to a question tabled by the Sinn Féin spokesperson on agriculture, Martin Kenny, the minister added: 'There is more to come, with another 1,600 hectares already committed to or commenced planting, and a further 4,490 hectares licenced but not yet planted'.
According to Minister Heydon the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 'represents the largest ever investment by an Irish Government in tree-planting' and was put in place to incentivise farmers to see tree-planting as an additional income stream or diversification option.
Deputy Kenny had tabled a question in the Dáil requesting the minister to outline the number of 'recipients currently receiving afforestation premiums under afforestation schemes from 2005 to date'.
Forestry
Minister Heydon said that around 9,788 individual forest owners are due premia payments in 2025, for 87,893ha planted under afforestation schemes since 2005.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) also provided details to Deputy Kenny in relation to the number of hectares of forestry planted and the breakdown of the number of hectares of forestry, per forest types 1 to 12, under the current afforestation scheme.
Forest types/hectares of forestry planted Source: DAFM
Forestry licences
Separately the Sinn Féin TD for Cavan-Monaghan, Matt Carthy, also asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to specify the number number of forestry licences issued in each quarter one from 2019 to 2025.
Number of forestry licences issued in Q1 over the last 7 years Source: DAFM
According to Minister Heydon forestry licences should be processed within six months for screened-out applications (those not subject to appropriate assessment) and within nine months for screened-in applications (those subject to appropriate assessment).
He also told Deputy Carthy: 'My department will publish a Forestry Licensing Plan for 2025 in the coming weeks, taking account of developments on foot of the fallout from storms Darragh and Éowyn.
'Now that the satellite assessment of the extent of the damage is complete, my department can assess the information and plan in more detail accordingly.
'The plan will cover afforestation, roads, private and Coillte felling licences'.
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