Forestry plantings remain stagnant and have failed to recover over the first half of 2022.

It is now likely that the total area of afforestation this year will struggle to surpass 2021’s low levels.

The latest figures published on the Department of Agriculture’s forestry dashboard show that plantings through the first six months of 2022 totalled 1,222ha.

The corresponding figure for 2021 was just 21ha higher at 1,243ha.

Given that total afforestation levels in 2021 collapsed to just over 2,000ha, the latest data indicates that the sector’s fortunes are not set to bounce back this year.

Worryingly, the area of land on which afforestation licences have been granted over the first six months of the year is well back on the same period last year. Licences for 1,978ha of new plantations were issued up to the fourth week of June this year. The figure for the corresponding period in 2021 was 2,700ha. This is a reduction of close to 720ha, or 27%.

The Department is also struggling to meet its monthly target of issuing more than 200 afforestation, road and felling licences – with ecology input – to the private forestry sector.

The dashboard figures show that while 231 licences were issued last September, the 200 threshold has only been surpassed once since then.

A total of 207 licences were issued in January, but figures for February to May have ranged from a low of 148 to a high of 170. The figures for the first four weeks of June show that just 40 afforestation licences were issued.

The number of road licences issued for the first four weeks in June was 79, while the number of felling licences issued to private foresters was 111. The number of felling licences issued to Coillte last month was 124.

The Department figures also confirm that less than 50% of the afforestation licences issued are acted on and converted into actual forestry plantings.

There are suggestions in the industry that many farmers and private forestry investors are holding off planting this year due to the launch of a new forestry regime in 2023, which is expected to offer more favourable premiums for longer durations.