Project Woodland has failed to make any progress since the publication of the independent regulatory review report last June, according to the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA).

Expressing his frustration, IFA farm forestry chair Jason Fleming has said the lack of progress has brought the forestry sector to its knees.

He said: “The report commissioned by Project Woodland gave few recommendations to improve the forestry licensing system or to address the concerns of farmers.

"But what is equally frustrating is the ongoing lack of progress made in addressing the key issues in the forestry sector, which has brought the whole sector to its knees,” Fleming said.

Issues

Project Woodland was established in February 2021 with the objective of identifying and overcoming issues affecting the forestry sector in Ireland and increasing the level of trees planted.

“It has been a year and a half since Project Woodland was set up. But in those 18 months, we have seen little progress, with the very same issues relating to the licensing system continuing to cause huge problems,” he said.

Fleming argued that if farmers are to be encouraged to plant trees, the licensing system needs to be fully reformed to reduce delays in licence approval, allow for exemptions for general management practices such as thinning, introduce a single consent system and change the current screening process including the 15km radius zone, which there is no legal requirement for.

“Restoring farmers’ confidence in forestry is the only way we will see a reversal in the downward trend of forestry planting in Ireland.

"The Government has set out ambitious forestry planting targets as part of the climate action plan. They have absolutely no hope of achieving these unless the fundamental problems affecting the sector are addressed,” Fleming concluded.