Afforestation licences increased from 1,205ha for the first four months in 2024 to 1,380ha for the same period this year.

In addition, the Department of Agriculture processed 216 applications amounting to 1,747ha under the Forestry Programme 2014-2020.

These were already approved but hadn’t commenced under that scheme but applicants “have now opted into the new Forestry Programme 2023- 2027,” a Department spokesperson said.

“While the afforestation licence increase is modest, actual planting carried out for the first four months is very encouraging, as it is up by 91%,” said Pat O’Sullivan, technical director of the Society of Irish Foresters. Planting output increased from 392ha up to April 2024 to 749ha for the first four months this year.

“Based on previous averages for the first four months, an afforestation programme of at least 2,400ha is achievable,” O’Sullivan said.

“While this is well below the minimum 8,000ha outlined in Ireland’s Climate Action Plan, it has at least halted the steady decline since 2010 when annual afforestation was 8,314ha.”

A spokesperson for the Social Economic Environmental Forestry Association (SEEFA) said progress was encouraging but uneven.

“While April as a whole was one of the strongest months for forestry licensing in recent years” he said “felling licences fell significantly”.

Up to April this year 4,920ha of felling licences were approved compared with 7,400ha last year and 12,052ha in 2023 for the first four months.

“This decrease illustrates the need for rapid licence approval for applicants with windblow as outlined in last week’s Irish Farmers Journal,” O’Sullivan said.

“Sweden adopted a felling notification scheme after storm Gudrun, which required a response from the Swedish Forest Agency within one week.”

He said the society was also concerned about the decrease in forest road licence approvals which were down from 117km up to the end of April last year to 65km so far this year.

However, he acknowledged the increase in actual road construction – 37km – for the first four months this year compared with 23km last year and 16km in 2023.