Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 March 2026
242. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether increased grant rates for forest roads will be sufficient to address current delays in timber mobilisation from plantations. [22704/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am delighted to have recently published the results of my Department’s Mid-Term Review of the Forestry Programme 2023-2027. During this process, a thorough review of the existing Forestry schemes and measures, including Forest Roads was undertaken in conjunction with stakeholders.
The Forest Road Scheme provides grants to private forest owners to facilitate the construction of new forest roads. It provides opportunities for forest owners to create and improve access to forests to facilitate maintenance, harvesting and mobilisation of timber.
The Forest Road Scheme caters for optimal road provision, with a grant aid allowance of 25 linear metres of road allocated per hectare of forest served. Following the Mid-Term Review:
• the grant rate per linear metre has now been increased by 20% with Grant Aid now applied at a rate of €66 per linear metre.
• the Engineering Design Support grant for forest owners whose roads may require an entrance from a public road or the material widening of an Existing Entrance has been increased from €1,000 to €1,500
These increases will provide durable infrastructure that will not only cater for timber transport vehicles but will also cater for support vehicles during the lifetime of the forest, should these be needed.
I am confident that these improvements offered through the Mid-Term Review, will provide sufficient support for forest owners to access their forests and to support the mobilisation of timber in Forestry plantations.
