A draft bill to align the forestry licensing and appeals system with other similar planning processes is to be published by the end of this week for public consultation, Minister of State with responsibility for Forestry Pippa Hackett has confirmed.

The bill, which will be made available on the Department of Agriculture’s website and after consultation, will be presented to the Oireachtas for consideration after the summer recess.

Minister Hackett said: “Early action by Government is designed to build a sustainable licensing and public participation model, and to engage public bodies in the drive to plant more native woodlands.

Forestry commitments

On the initiatives detailed in the programme for government, Minister Hackett said: “As a nation, we need to plant more of the right trees in the right places. The programme commits to an ambitious afforestation plan, and a robust system is a critical part of that objective."

These commitments include:

  • A proposal to amend the Agriculture Appeals Act, 2001 to align the forestry licensing and appeals processes with the planning processes.
  • The development of a new scheme for the creation of native woodlands on state and other public lands.
  • The development of a new a portal to enhance public participation in forestry decision making in Ireland.
  • The appointment of an independent chair, to lead the implementation of the MacKinnon report.

    • Concluding, the minister said these actions are being further enhanced by the recruitment of a significant number of ecologists by the Department.

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