The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has recently issued a total of 163 planting licenses since the commencement of the new Forestry Programme 2023-2027. Last week alone, six afforestation licenses were granted, allowing for 44ha of new plantings. The latest data from the Forestry Licensing Dashboard for the week ending on Friday, March 1, sheds light on these developments. This brings the total number of planting licenses issued by the DAFM this year to 87, enabling 710ha of new plantings. As of now, an area of 153ha has already been afforested in 2024.
While the new Forestry Programme 2023-2027, valued at €1.3 billion, was initially announced in November 2022, it faced delays in obtaining EU State Aid approval. It wasn’t until September 2023 that the program was finally approved by the Cabinet. In addition to planting licenses, the DAFM has also been active in issuing forestry licenses this year. So far, 213 private felling licenses, 192 Coillte felling licenses, and 172 road licenses have been granted. The number of applications received for these licenses were 157, 0, and 121 respectively. Last week, the DAFM issued 22 licenses for new forest roads, as well as 25 private felling licenses and 14 Coillte felling licenses.
The Social, Economic Environmental Forestry Association of Ireland (SEEFA) has expressed concerns over the slow progress in meeting afforestation targets. According to SEEFA, February 2024 was deemed “another poor month” with less than half of the afforestation target being achieved. To meet the government’s annual planting goal of 8,000ha set under the Climate Action Plan, the DAFM would need to issue licenses for 667ha per month. The latest dashboard data indicates that only 326ha of plantings were licensed last month, falling short of the required monthly output. In comparison, February 2023 saw licenses issued for just 39ha.
Earlier this week, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, disclosed the amounts and number of payees per county under forestry schemes in 2023. These payments encompass grants and premiums under afforestation schemes, as well as grants under support schemes. They also include payments made under interim schemes for afforestation, forest roads, and reconstitution of ash dieback introduced in 2023 prior to the new Forestry Programme. The breakdown of total county spend and the number of payees per county are as follows:
– Carlow: €633,257.29 (108 payees)
– Cavan: €3,176,526.33 (508 payees)
– Clare: €4,849,541.91 (917 payees)
– Cork: €7,776,432.32 (1390 payees)
– Donegal: €1,006,184.96 (186 payees)
– Dublin: €212,524.87 (25 payees)
– Galway: €4,239,376.01 (767 payees)
– Kerry: €5,066,045.78 (905 payees)
– Kildare: €842,453.25 (151 payees)
– Kilkenny: €2,425,802.11 (438 payees)
– Laois: €1,492,552.89 (238 payees)
– Leitrim: €3,342,755.22 (469 payees)
– Limerick: €2,963,091.46 (503 payees)
– Longford: €2,201,205.50 (418 payees)
– Louth: €488,131.39 (69 payees)
– Mayo: €4,130,088.02 (792 payees)
– Meath: €1,551,974.44 (259 payees)
– Monaghan: €754,380.37 (180 payees)
– Offaly: €2,312,192.93 (362 payees)
– Roscommon: €4,310,175.24 (715 payees)
– Sligo: €2,255,362.04 (460 payees)
– Tipperary: €4,376,137.41 (661 payees)
– Waterford: €1,495,061.62 (290 payees)
– Westmeath: €3,191,664.40 (395 payees)
– Wexford: €1,828,564.44 (554 payees)
– Wicklow: €2,144,694.48 (557 payees)
– Total: €69,066,176.68 (12,317 payees)
Source: DAFM
