The first interim report on Project Woodland, which began in late February of this year, has been published by Minister of State for land use and biodiversity Pippa Hackett.
The report was submitted to the minister by the Project Board, which oversees the implementation of the project.
The second and third interim reports will be in October and December of this year and then bi-monthly until the conclusion of the project.
The purpose of the interim report is to give feedback to members of the working groups across the project; to keep stakeholders and the general public appraised of developments; and to make recommendations to Minister Hackett.
The working groups oversee the four ‘workstreams’ of Project Woodland, which are: reducing the backlogs; developing a shared national approach; organisational development of the Department of Agriculture’s forestry resources; and improving the licencing process.
“I am pleased to receive this interim report and to publish it for the information of the public and all stakeholders. Transparency and open communication is central to the implementation of this project,” Minister Hackett said.
“The Project Board has met on nine occasions since its establishment in February and the working groups continue to meet intensively also. It’s important to capture all of their outputs and monitor closely the progress being made and any future recommendations.”
The report was published today (Wednesday, July 28), alongside the Project Charter which, according to the department, draws together the scope, objectives and responsibilities of the project participants and lays out a framework for management and oversight.
The interim report outlines a number of recommendations and the department says that progress on these will be closely monitored and updated in each of the follow-up reports.
The report highlighted two recommendations that required “immediate action”:
- The need for a regulatory review on forestry licensing in Ireland. A tender for a review team compromising legal, planning and environmental expertise is being published this week on the government’s eTenders website;
- A consultation plan for the development of a new National Forestry Strategy is also outlined. The department said it is working to put in place the structures for this to start now. This will also involve engagement with communities through Irish Rural Link.
Minister Hackett thanked the chairs of the working groups for their input into the report.
The interim report and Project Charter can be viewed here.