Forestry Act 2014
Number 31 of 2014
FORESTRY ACT 2014
REVISED
Updated to 13 October 2023
This Revised Act is an administrative consolidation of the Forestry Act 2014. It is prepared by the Law Reform Commission in accordance with its function under the Law Reform Commission Act 1975 (3/1975) to keep the law under review and to undertake revision and consolidation of statute law.
All Acts up to and including the Historic and Archaeological Heritage and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 (26/2023), enacted 13 October 2023, and all statutory instruments up to and including the European Union (Restrictive Measures Concerning Syria) Regulations 2023 (S.I. No. 516 of 2023), made 11 October 2023, were considered in the preparation of this Revised Act.
Disclaimer: While every care has been taken in the preparation of this Revised Act, the Law Reform Commission can assume no responsibility for and give no guarantees, undertakings or warranties concerning the accuracy, completeness or up to date nature of the information provided and does not accept any liability whatsoever arising from any errors or omissions. Please notify any errors, omissions and comments by email to
revisedacts@lawreform.ie.
Number 31 of 2014
FORESTRY ACT 2014
REVISED
Updated to 13 October 2023
Introduction
This Revised Act presents the text of the Act as it has been amended since enactment, and preserves the format in which it was passed.
Related legislation
Forestry Acts 1988 to 2020: this Act is one of a group of Acts included in this collective citation (Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 (15/2020), s. 7(2)(b)). The Acts in the group are:
• Forestry Act 1988 (26/1988)
• Forestry (Amendment) Act 2009 (40/2009)
• Forestry Act 2014 (31/2014)
• Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 (15/2020), s. 5
Annotations
This Revised Act is annotated and includes textual and non-textual amendments, statutory instruments made pursuant to the Act and previous affecting provisions.
An explanation of how to read annotations is available at
www.lawreform.ie/annotations.
Material not updated in this revision
Where other legislation is amended by this Act, those amendments may have been superseded by other amendments in other legislation, or the amended legislation may have been repealed or revoked. This information is not represented in this revision but will be reflected in a revision of the amended legislation if one is available.
Where legislation or a fragment of legislation is referred to in annotations, changes to this legislation or fragment may not be reflected in this revision but will be reflected in a revision of the legislation referred to if one is available.
A list of legislative changes to any Act, and to statutory instruments from 1972, may be found linked from the page of the Act or statutory instrument at
www.irishstatutebook.ie.
Acts which affect or previously affected this revision
• Historic and Archaeological Heritage and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 (26/2023)
• Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (4/2022)
• Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 (15/2020)
• Minerals Development Act 2017 (23/2017)
• Horse Racing Ireland Act 2016 (2/2016)
All Acts up to and including Historic and Archaeological Heritage and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 (26/2023), enacted 13 October 2023, were considered in the preparation of this revision.
Statutory instruments which affect or previously affected this revision
• Forestry (Native Tree Area Scheme) Regulations 2023 (S.I. No. 484 of 2023)
• Forestry (Amendment) Regulations 2023 (S.I. No. 445 of 2023)
• Forestry (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 319 of 2022)
• Forestry (Licence Application and Submission Fees) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 417 of 2020)
• Forestry (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 416 of 2020)
• Forestry (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 39 of 2020)
• Forestry (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 31 of 2020)
• Forestry (Amendment) Regulations 2017 (S.I. No. 498 of 2017)
• Forestry Regulations 2017 (S.I. No. 191 of 2017)
• Forestry Act 2014 (Commencement) Order 2017 (S.I. No. 189 of 2017)
• Climate Action and Environment (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2016 (S.I. No. 393 of 2016)
All statutory instruments up to and including European Union (Restrictive Measures Concerning Syria) Regulations 2023 (S.I. No. 516 of 2023), made 11 October 2023, were considered in the preparation of this revision.
Number 31 of 2014
FORESTRY ACT 2014
REVISED
Updated to 13 October 2023
CONTENTS
Preliminary and General
Section
1. Short title, collective citation, construction and commencement
Administration of Forestry Sector
5. General functions of Minister
6. Specific functions of Minister
6A. Minister not authorised to dispose of State minerals
7. Granting of licences, etc. by Minister
8. Minister may appoint committees
9. Prohibition on unauthorised disclosure of confidential information
Protection of Environment
11. Role of Minister in safeguarding environment
12. Where forest is destroyed or removed
13. Minister may require information
14. Removal or destruction of vegetation on land
Felling of Trees
17. Application for licence under section 7 to fell trees
18. Time period for decisions on applications for felling licences
21. Registration under Act of 2006 of conditions and replanting orders
Afforestation, Forest Road Works and Aerial Fertilisation of Forests
22. Granting of licences by Minister for afforestation and certain other activities
22A. Scheme to facilitate the planting of native tree areas
Enforcement
24. Powers of authorised officers
25. Power to charge and recover fees, etc.
Replanting Orders
Offences and Penalties
29. Offences by body corporate
Regulations
Miscellaneous
31. Repeal of Forestry Act 1946, etc.
32. Compensation for refusal of felling licence, etc
Amendment of Agriculture Appeals Act 2001
Acts Referred to
Agriculture Appeals Act 2001 (No. 29)
Companies Acts
Electronic Commerce Act 2000 (No. 27)
Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011 (No. 20)
European Communities Act 1972 (No. 27)
European Communities Act 2007 (No. 18)
Forestry (Amendment) Act 2009 (No. 40)
Forestry Act 1946 (No. 13)
Forestry Act 1988 (No. 26)
Freedom of Information Act 1997 (No. 13)
Local Government (Sanitary Services) Acts 1878 to 2001
Local Government Act 2001 (No. 37)
Local Government Acts 1925 to 2012
Local Government Reform Act 2014 (No. 1)
National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1987 (No. 17)
National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994 (No. 17)
National Monuments Acts 1930 to 1994
Planning and Development Act 2000 (No. 30)
Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2013
Registration of Deeds and Title Act 2006 (No. 12)
Wildlife Act 1976 (No. 39)
Wildlife Acts 1976 to 2000
Wildlife Acts 1976 to 2012
Number 31 of 2014
FORESTRY ACT 2014
REVISED
Updated to 13 October 2023
An Act to make further and better provision in relation to forestry, to provide for the development and promotion of forestry in a manner that maximises the economic, environmental and social value of forests within the principles of sustainable forest management, to confer power on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to make regulations for the effective management of the forestry sector, to make further provision for the giving effect to acts of the institutions of the European Union by regulation made by that Minister in respect of forestry and forestry-related activities, to repeal the Forestry Act 1946, to amend the Wildlife Act 1976, to amend the Agriculture Appeals Act 2001, to amend the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011 and to provide for related matters. [26 th October, 2014]
Be it enacted by the Oireachtas as follows: