The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) made headlines last week by issuing a total of 16 afforestation licences, covering over 150ha of land. This achievement marked a “record” weekly performance for the year 2024, as confirmed by the Social, Economic and Environmental Forestry Association of Ireland (SEEFA). According to the latest forestry dashboard released by the department, a total of 309 afforestation licences corresponding to 2,590ha have been issued since the beginning of the year. Additionally, the data reveals that the department has received 415 afforestation applications as of last Friday, August 2.
The department reported that up to last Friday, a total of 909ha of land had been afforested, representing an increase of nearly 40ha compared to the previous week. It is important to note that the figures for afforestation planted in 2024 only account for afforestation that has been paid at the first grant stage this year, including under the Native Area Tree Scheme (NTAS) Licences. SEEFA highlighted that last week also saw the year’s “best [forest] road licencing performance,” with the department issuing 25 road licences. As of August 2, DAFM had received 439 applications for forest roads, with a total of 526 licences issued year-to-date (YTD) covering 195km of roads.
While acknowledging the progress made, SEEFA expressed concerns about the industry’s overall growth trajectory. The association pointed out that despite the positive developments, the current pace of afforestation licences falls short of the necessary requirements to meet the year-to-date targets. SEEFA called on the government to leverage the recent improvements as a springboard for further enhancements in the sector. However, the association also noted that last week witnessed a decline in private felling licences, with only 9 issued. To date, the department has issued a total of 647 private felling licences, with 558 applications submitted. Notably, 30 Coillte felling licences were issued last week, bringing the total number of such licences issued YTD to 515.
SEEFA emphasized that despite Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue’s assertion that the department has the capacity to issue sufficient licences to meet the annual target of 8,000ha of new forests, challenges persist. The association highlighted the need for holistic growth across all aspects of the industry. The data also revealed that 522 licences have been granted for the Reconstitution of Ash Dieback Scheme, covering 1,900ha, while 268 permits have been issued for the NTAS (293ha) and 118 for the Woodland Improvement Scheme (WIS) covering 557ha. Additionally, the department has received 35 afforestation appeals, 16 tree felling appeals, and 6 appeals related to forestry roads so far this year.
