Progress on felling licence approvals for storm-damaged forestry

The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Healy-Rae, has welcomed progress in approving felling licence applications for forestry affected by windblow.

Of 666 applications for clearfell received, 194 have been approved. Some 480 of these were new applications lodged after storm damage earlier this year. Of the 186 applications already in the system before the storms, 128 have been approved.

According to the Minister, new clearfell applications with a storm damage element are being approved in around 100 days, well within the targets set under the Farmers’ Charter. He said cases notified to the Department with windblow issues were being prioritised, including those under appeal to the Forestry Appeals Committee.

Currently, 65 per cent of the windblown area has a felling licence, with a further 11 per cent having applications in the system. The remaining 24 per cent of affected landowners are now being contacted to encourage them to apply.

The Windblow Taskforce, which includes the Department and sector stakeholders, is preparing an action plan to identify issues, bottlenecks and solutions.