To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (i) whether the trees on the former drill site in Woodburn Forest are showing above average mortality; (ii) when was the last inspection of the site carried out; (iii) whether any areas of concern were noted; and (iv) if so, what actions have been put in place to address those areas of concern.

Your queries relate to the condition of the re-established woodland at Woodburn forest, previously used as a drill site:

The site was replanted in 2017 with a mixture of native broadleaves and conifer species. Forest Service’s operational practices include assessments of survival of recently planted trees through which the Woodburn site is deemed to meet an adequate level of growing trees to reconstitute a woodland.

The most recent assessment of the site was carried out in March 2021.

This assessment identified the need for some remedial work to control herbaceous weed species and a small number of dead trees to be replaced.

This is normal practice during the early years of re-establishing forests and is not a cause for specific concern.