Latest news with #ForestryProgramme
Agriland
4 days ago
- Politics
- Agriland
Healy Rae encourages ash forest owners to apply for grant aid
The Minister of State with responsibility for Forestry, Michael Healy-Rae, has urged landowners with ash forest to apply for support under the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's (DAFM) Reconstitution Scheme for Ash Dieback. The scheme supports forest owners to clear dead ash trees and replant with another species, and to make themselves eligible for the additional Climate Action Performance Payment (CAPP) of €5,000/ha. Minister of State Healy-Rae welcomed the fact that DAFM has paid out €23 million in total since 2013 on ash dieback affected forests. According to DAFM, a total of €4.5 million has been paid out this year so far on clearance and replanting grants, and a further €4 million has been paid since last September on the CAPP to those who have cleared their lands and replanted. In July 2023 DAFM launched the latest ash dieback scheme, the Reconstitution Scheme for Ash Dieback, under the new Forestry Programme with enhanced features that included: A 100% increase in the site clearance grant rate, to €2,000 per hectare. Enhanced replanting grant rates of between €3,858 and €8,555 per hectare, depending on the forest type replanted. According to the minister, this means that for clearing and replanting, the range of payment to ash forest owners entering the scheme is between €5,858-€10,555/ha, and they can also avail of the additional €5,000/ha CAPP payment. In addition, for those still in receipt of the farmer rate of yearly premium, they can receive a once-off top-up payment to the new premium rates within the new programme. Minister of State Healy-Rae has encouraged farmers to "engage" with the enhanced scheme as soon as possible. He said: "I welcome the fact that over a third of the total spending on ash dieback has occurred since last September (2024), and that the CAPP payment has been instrumental in encouraging ash forest owners to take action. "There are still many ash forest owners who have not yet applied to reconstitute their ash forests and avail of this payment." "I want to encourage ash forest owners to engage with the enhanced reconstitution scheme as soon as possible, as the quickest and most effective way to clear and reconstitute affected sites, and to avail of the Climate Action Performance Payment Scheme," Minister of State Healy-Rae added.
Agriland
29-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Heydon: ‘Hopeful signs' on forestry planting this year
There are 'hopeful signs' on forestry planting this year which is up 'nearly 150% on the same period last year' according to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon. 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'.
