Forestry Policy Group concludes 'too little forestry activity' going on as it looks at licencing

The meeting heard just 4% of people said there was "too much" forestry activity in Ireland while 11% said there was "just the right amount". 

The draft report also showed 89% of respondents said that they would like to see more wood used in the construction sector while 72% would like to see more wood used for energy production. File photo: Denis Minihane

85% of respondents to a review expected to shape Ireland's future forestry policy said they felt that there was "too little forestry" activity happening in Ireland. 

Irish Rural Link (IRL) presented the findings of its report ‘Assessment of Attitudes by Communities and Interested Parties on Forestry and Woodlands’, at the ninth meeting of the Forestry Policy Group (FPG).

Seamus Boland of Irish Rural Link advised members of the working group that the main purpose of their assessment was to gather the views and attitudes of people and communities towards forests and woodlands which will help to inform a ‘Shared National Vision’.

Mr Boland told the meeting just 4% said there was "too much" forestry activity in Ireland while 11% said there was "just the right amount".  The draft report also showed 89% of respondents said that they would like to see more wood used in the construction sector while 72% would like to see more wood used for energy production. 

Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity, Senator Pippa Hackett, who chairs the group, welcomed the Irish Rural Link report. “Hearing the views and attitudes of people and communities towards forests and woodlands is essential to inform a ‘Shared National Vision’ on Forestry," she said.

"These results show the potential for growth that exists and the final report will provide a lot of very valuable information to bring forward into the development of our new Forest Strategy."

Project Woodland is the Minister’s initiative to improve the forestry licensing system and to reform forestry policy in Ireland. The draft report is now open to members to respond to before it will then be finalised and published.

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During the meeting, Alice Whittaker of Philip Lee and Associates also presented a comprehensive draft report reviewing the Irish Forestry Licensing regime. The report was commissioned under Project Woodland to provide practical advice to the Department on how to work more efficiently within the existing EU legal framework.

Minister Hackett said: “Improving the output of forestry licences is a key objective of Project Woodland and our Forestry Licensing Plan outlines our ambitions to significantly increase output this year.

"I am pleased to say that we are meeting the overall target in the plan and that output across all categories of licence is well above 2021 levels which will be reflected in the Quarter 1 update to be published next week. We have recently recruited additional ecologists, which I am confident will have a further positive impact, particularly on the number of afforestation licences issued by the end of May.”

The recently launched public consultation survey on the future of forests in Ireland can be accessed on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s website until April 27.

Minister Hackett confirmed that over 1,000 responses have already been submitted.