An external review of Ireland’s forestry-licensing system is set to commence according to Minister of State for Forestry, Senator Pippa Hackett.
Minister Hackett has confirmed that “a preferred bidder” has been selected to undertake the review.
“A contract for the regulatory review will be awarded in the coming days,” she said.
“The wider stakeholder consultation on the vision to 2050 on Irish forestry is also commencing in some detail and I hope all groups and stakeholders will engage on this.
This external regulatory review is one of two recommendations set out in the first Project Woodland interim report.
The second recommendation related to conducting a public consultation process on the new Forest Strategy.
On the issue of licensing, the minister confirmed that there will be a renewed focus on afforestation licensing output as the planting season approaches.
She said the immediate priority is to resolve licensing difficulties, adding that the work being done to achieve this is “bearing fruit with significantly increased output”.
The membership of the Forestry Policy Group is as follows:
| Organisation | Nominee |
| FII | Mark McAuley |
| FII | Brian Murphy |
| FII | Peter O’Brien |
| FII | Marina Conway |
| IFA | Vincent Nally |
| Coillte | Mark Carlin |
| AIFC | Dermot Houlihan |
| ACA | Tom Canning |
| Teagasc | Nuala Ni Fhlatharta |
| ITGA | Donal Whelan |
| Pro Silva | Paddy Purser |
| NPWS | Jenni Roche |
| EPA | Bernard Hyde |
| None So Hardy | Teige Ryan |
| Environmental Pillar | Andrew St Ledger |
| An Taisce | Elaine McGoff |
| SWAN | Mark Boyden |
| Irish Wildlfe Trust | Pádraic Fogarty |
| Birdwatch Ireland | Oonagh Duggan |
| Woodlands of Ireland | Joe Gowran |
| Irish Rural Link | Seamus Boland |
| COFORD | Eugene Hendrick |
| FCI | Michael Moroney |
| FOCS/LTWO | Kathryn O’Donoghue |
| IFO | Nicholas Sweetman |
| Irish Green Building Council | Pat Barry |
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