The Government's forestry policy as set out in Growing for the Future – A Strategic Plan for the Development of the Forestry Sector in Ireland, is to increase Ireland's forest cover from its current level of 9% of land area to 17% by 2030. This strategy is to be achieved by planting approximately 20,000 hectares of forestry per annum. The planting programme is supported by a generous grants and premium package co-financed by the European Union.
My Department is committed to the achievement of a 30% broadleaf planting target by 2006. However it is a question of the right tree in the right place. My Department's guidelines to the industry underline that soil and site as well as species determine the rate of forest growth and, consequently, the potential for carbon storage. There is also a positive bias in favour of broadleaves in that they attract higher rates under the current grants-premium package.