530 applications made under ash dieback scheme

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed that 530 applications have been made to date under the ash dieback scheme.

The first confirmed finding of the ash dieback in Ireland was made in October 2012 at a forestry plantation site in Co. Leitrim.

The airborne fungal disease has now spread to all counties and DAFM told Agriland that “all of the evidence is pointing to the disease continuing to spread and affect most ash plantations in the country”.

It can affect ash trees of any age and in any setting. Death of the trees can occur, with younger smaller diameter trees succumbing more rapidly.

As a result of the outbreak, DAFM has not approved the planting of ash under any of its schemes for almost ten years now.

The department also stated that it has invested heavily in breeding ash trees for resistance to ash dieback.

Applications for Ash Dieback Scheme

The Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS) was launched in June 2020 and replaced a previous scheme which was established in 2013.

Through the RUS scheme, DAFM financial support can be made available for:

• Site clearance or partial clearance;
• Replacement of ash trees with alternative species following clearance;
• Underplanting – partial replanting of an ash plantation following partial clearance.

Since RUS was opened, the DAFM said that 530 applications have been made in total.

Applications have been made from every county in the Republic; Tipperary accounts for the highest number of applications at 62, while Dublin and Donegal have just one application each.

169 licences have been approved to date, which amounts to 513ha.

DAFM said that the remaining applications are “at various stages” from initial receipt through to awaiting further information from the applicant or assessment by officials before a decision is made.

The department said that it will refocus on the delivery of approvals from RUS this year.