Fianna Fáil TD for Sligo-Leitrim Marc Mac Sharry says adequate increase in resources for forestry appeals board are needed to ensure efficient turnaround time for assessment and decision on any appeals particularly for felling
Earlier this week, the Cabinet approved the Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2020, which aims to reform the way appeals lodged against forestry licences are processed.
Deputy Mac Sharry said: “I support the right to object and indeed the need for it but in everyone’s interest we must have a short and defined time frame for assessments to be made and decisions to be turned around so that communities and the timber industry can have certainty.
“Together with colleagues Cllr Sean Mc Gowan and Cllr Paddy Farrell, I visited Masonite in south county Leitrim where continuity of timber supply is crucial to their business.
“If the new legislation is to be successful to assist companies like Masonite , who employ 140 people , pay annual wages in excess of 8m and are very substantial rate payers at 0.5m per year we must immediately increase resources in personnel to ensure both applicants and appeals alike are afforded due process as quickly as is necessary for all concerned.
“Sawmills and other companies nationwide are rightly concerned at disruption to supplies due to the delay in issuing of felling licences. It is simply crucial that the legislation being passed in the Oireachtas this week is immediately followed up with the provision of adequate resources to ensure the efficient turnaround of forestry appeals for both planting and felling.
“We support the right to and indeed need for forestry appeals and support the rights for communities to do so. Equally we support forestry dependent industries such as Masonite in south Leitrim and others through the country.
“Leitrim has suffered over afforestation in areas due to poor planting policy and dismissal of community concerns. New planting applications should be handled sensitively, listen to and accept local concerns but above all other Counties must play their part on forestry rather than an over concentration in some communities.”
