The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has been busy in the forestry sector, with a significant number of afforestation licences being issued in recent weeks. In the first week of September alone, DAFM granted 20 afforestation licences, paving the way for the planting of 132 hectares of new woodland. This surge in licensing activity comes on the heels of a record-breaking August, during which the department issued 70 afforestation licences covering a total of 560 hectares – the highest monthly area approved so far this year.
According to the latest forestry dashboard released by DAFM, a total of 383 afforestation licences have been issued in 2024, encompassing 3,237 hectares of land. Additionally, 458 afforestation licence applications have been submitted to DAFM thus far this year. The data also reveals that 1,122 hectares of land have been afforested in 2024, reflecting only those plantings that have received initial grant payments this year, including projects under the Native Area Tree Scheme (NTAS).
The Social, Economic and Environmental Forestry Association of Ireland (SEEFA) has welcomed the recent uptick in afforestation licensing activity. SEEFA noted that the 20 licences issued in the past week represent the highest number seen in some time, demonstrating a welcome level of consistency. The association highlighted that the weekly average of afforestation licences issued over the past four weeks stands at 17, showing positive momentum in the sector. SEEFA urged the department to continue building on these improvements to bolster confidence in the forestry licensing system.
In other forestry-related news, DAFM issued 34 licences for Coillte felling and 16 licences for private felling last week. This brings the total number of felling licences issued so far this year to 718 for private plantations and 686 for Coillte sites. Additionally, 14 licences were granted last week for forestry road construction, contributing to a cumulative total of 628 road licences issued by September 6, covering a combined distance of 238 kilometres. DAFM reported that 50 kilometres of forestry roads have been completed this year.
The latest data also indicates that 559 licences have been approved in 2024 for the Reconstitution of Ash Dieback Scheme, relating to a total of 2,017 hectares. Furthermore, there have been 278 licences issued for the NTAS (covering 304 hectares) and 134 licences for the Woodland Improvement Scheme (WIS) encompassing 758 hectares. The Deer Tree Shelter (DTS) scheme has seen 184 approvals granted, corresponding to 808 hectares of land. To date this year, DAFM has received 40 appeals related to afforestation, along with 18 appeals concerning tree felling and six appeals regarding forest roads.
The forestry sector in Ireland is experiencing a flurry of activity, with DAFM at the forefront of regulating and facilitating key initiatives. The recent surge in afforestation licences and other forestry-related approvals signals a positive trend for the industry, with stakeholders like SEEFA advocating for continued progress and improvements in the forestry licensing system. As the year progresses, it will be important to monitor these developments and their impact on Ireland’s forestry landscape.
