9 months average wait for licence to plant forestry
Minister Charlie McConalogue said forestry will play an important role in meeting environment, biodiversity and Climate Action Plan objectives outlined in the Programme for Government. File Picture.
Despite staff costs reaching €7,083,882 in 2020, it takes the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s forestry divisions nine months on average to process a licence application for planting forestry.
“Decisions that issued for afforestation licences in the last 12 months [March 2020 to February, 2021] were in the system for an average time of nine months,” said Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue in the Dáil last week.
“The MacKinnon report which is now being implemented through our recently announced Project Woodland has made some key recommendations on this.
\One of the main targets will be to bring down the average timeframe from nine months.
“We have now set ourselves a target of issuing 4,500 forestry licences in 2021, which includes afforestation, roads and felling.
Responding to a Dáil question from Tipperary Fianna Fáil TD Jackie Cahill, Minister McConalogue reiterated his commitment to support afforestation and encourage farmers to look at tree planting as a complementary income stream to a productive farming enterprise.
He said forestry will play an important role in meeting environment and biodiversity and Climate Action Plan objectives outlined in the Programme for Government.
He revealed his Department will focus on afforestation licence applications as a priority in the coming weeks, because of the seasonality associated with planting trees.
He said 4,500 hectares is already licensed and approved and available to plant immediately.
“It is up to landowners to decide to plant, once they have received approval to do so, and I would encourage anyone that has approval to arrange financial approval, which is a straightforward process completed by their registered forester, and to commence planting.”
Also in the Dáil last week, responding to questions from Wexford Fine Gael TD Paul Kehoe, Minister McConalogue said the pay costs of the three forestry divisions in his Department increased from €5,682,991 in 2018, to €6,210,749 in 2019, and €7,083,882 in 2020.
Staff increases include five full-time ecologists hired last summer on a one-year contract with an option to extend for a further two years. If the contract runs for three years, its total potential cost will be €1.5m.
In other contracts signed in February, 2021, in relation to five independent ecologists, the average daily rate is €330.
Ecologists are part of the forestry licencing team, which also includes archaeologists, forestry inspectors, and administrative staff.
“The targets set for this team collectively are the overall licencing targets for the Department which are 4,500 new licences this year,” said the Minister.
The number of licence applications for planting forestry on hand in the Department is 1,500, covering 9,600 hectares, said the Minister, replying to a Dáil question from Cork East Labour TD Seán Sherlock.
And the Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) last week had 298 licence appeal applications on hand (82 for planting).
These are licences approved by the Department but appealed by members of the public.
Minister McConalogue said it is extremely important that applicants and their forestry companies notify the FAC in advance on scheduled appeals, so that appeals are only heard on licences that are genuinely going to proceed, if granted.
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