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The government has issued 570 new forestry licenses since the laws were changed in October to simplify the controversial permit system, according to Pippa Hackett, Minister of State for the Department of Agriculture.
In an attempt to quell anger over delays in handling forestry permit applications and appeals, Ms. Hackett said Wednesday that the Department of Agriculture has issued 570 new licenses since October and 2,330 overall this year.
He noted that there were 4,700 licenses in the system, but acknowledged that a backlog had accumulated in the last 18 months, where 2,000 of these were referred to ecologists for evaluation.
“These files are being managed through a specific project plan that was shared with stakeholders at its release in July,” he said.
Sawmills fear that delays in handling license applications and appeals will result in the Republic running out of wood, necessary for housing construction.
Forestry Indsutry Ireland director Mark McAuley noted that wood would become a conventional building material for homes and offices in the coming years.
He argued that the Sitka spruce forests in the Republic were going to play a key role in the fight against climate change, as they absorb the same amount of carbon dioxide each year as produced by 1.65 million cars.
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