The Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM) made headlines last week by issuing a significant number of afforestation licenses, covering a total of 220 hectares. This marked a notable increase from the previous week, which saw only seven licenses granted. The first week of March was even slower, with just three afforestation licenses issued. The Social, Economic, and Environmental Forestry Association of Ireland (SEEFA) expressed surprise at the sudden surge in license approvals, stating that it set a new standard for the issuance of afforestation licenses.
According to SEEFA, this recent uptick in approvals comes after a period of consistently poor results, highlighting the existing demand and capacity for afforestation. However, the association noted that consistency in issuing licenses remains a challenge. SEEFA emphasized the significance of this positive development, labeling it as the best performance in years and urging it to be used as a benchmark for future results.
In 2025, DAFM has issued a total of 130 afforestation licenses, covering 1,025 hectares of forestry. The department received 91 valid applications in this period. Notably, 627 hectares of forestry have been planted so far this year, with over half of this area (364 hectares) planted in March alone. The latest forestry data from DAFM indicates that the figures for afforestation planted in 2025 reflect only afforestation that has been paid at the first grant stage this year, including the Native Area Tree Scheme (NTAS).
In comparison, 2024 saw 1,573 hectares of forestry planted, a slight decrease from the previous year’s figure of 1,652 hectares. To meet climate targets, the government has set an annual target of 8,000 hectares of new forestry. Last week, DAFM issued 16 private felling licenses and 11 Coillte felling licenses. This was a notable increase from the previous week, which saw 10 private felling licenses issued and none for Coillte. Additionally, three licenses were granted for forest roads, down from nine in the previous week.
As of March 28, DAFM had issued a total of 187 private felling licenses and 92 Coillte felling licenses, covering a combined area of 3,529 hectares. The department has received 213 private felling license applications and 173 Coillte felling license applications so far this year. A total of 118 licenses have been issued for the construction of 43 kilometers of forestry roads, with 33 kilometers of roads already completed in 2025.
DAFM has also issued 85 licenses for the Reconstitution of Ash Dieback Scheme this year, covering 312 hectares. Additionally, 50 licenses have been approved for the NTAS (56 hectares), 17 for the Woodland Improvement Scheme (109 hectares), and 24 for the Deer Tree Shelter scheme (112 hectares). A single license has been issued for the Native Woodland Conservation Scheme in 2025, covering 5 hectares.
