Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 October 2018
465. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of hectares planted annually with Sitka spruce in each of the years 2007 to 2017, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39398/18]
View answerMy Department’s afforestation scheme offers landowners twelve different planting options and the most popular is made up of Sitka spruce planted with a second species. Sitka spruce grows well in Ireland because it is suited to our soils and climate. It has been grown successfully for over 80 years and it has proven itself to be one of the most productive coniferous species grown in Ireland and as such has become the industry’s mainstay in terms of timber processing and end markets. As one of our fastest growing tree species, Sitka spruce has an important role to play in carbon sequestration. A typical productive plantation of Sitka spruce will result in removals of 10 tonnes of CO2e per annum per hectare on average over a full rotation.
The table below shows the area planted under Sitka spruce from 2007 – 2017, by County.
|
County |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
|
Cork |
465.85 |
487.92 |
364.9 |
505.01 |
536.87 |
636.07 |
460.58 |
503.39 |
490.66 |
489.01 |
351.21 |
|
Clare |
389.44 |
388.86 |
445.65 |
226.73 |
297.9 |
344.08 |
275.38 |
329.61 |
452.9 |
470.79 |
439.99 |
|
Cavan |
130.07 |
69.79 |
100.37 |
95.02 |
100.56 |
113.79 |
124.9 |
171.22 |
212.2 |
332.59 |
236.86 |
|
Carlow |
26.01 |
9 |
8.41 |
23.09 |
17.69 |
19.41 |
14.46 |
12.03 |
60.96 |
31.01 |
49.94 |
|
Dublin |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.9 |
7.02 |
5.96 |
8.15 |
0.00 |
8.87 |
6.91 |
1.13 |
6.89 |
|
Donegal |
214.02 |
181.33 |
93.78 |
85.82 |
43.56 |
75.08 |
29.45 |
23.29 |
52.79 |
26.72 |
37.76 |
|
Galway |
240.67 |
123.92 |
160.68 |
273.5 |
157.15 |
220.48 |
283.45 |
243.13 |
274.59 |
246.12 |
300.15 |
|
Kildare |
2.27 |
4.6 |
8.88 |
11.04 |
11.34 |
33.32 |
15.64 |
8.85 |
3.01 |
0.00 |
6.11 |
|
Kilkenny |
126.72 |
51.13 |
88.09 |
150.88 |
137.52 |
150.11 |
109.73 |
142.56 |
123.84 |
98.36 |
65.60 |
|
Kerry |
307.56 |
310.53 |
320.91 |
452.5 |
369.91 |
243.17 |
351.72 |
454.4 |
319.41 |
284.32 |
234.10 |
|
Longford |
29.28 |
18.86 |
12.67 |
68.64 |
71.53 |
88.28 |
114.41 |
125.94 |
155.18 |
165.59 |
141.98 |
|
Louth |
0.00 |
7.78 |
17.92 |
13.22 |
10.75 |
29.11 |
2.67 |
0.00 |
2.94 |
34.25 |
3.80 |
|
Limerick |
177.07 |
238.88 |
168.62 |
239.14 |
242.52 |
182.22 |
191.26 |
91.79 |
158.87 |
262.98 |
83.20 |
|
Leitrim |
102.91 |
218.18 |
267.04 |
89.55 |
171.24 |
185.33 |
262.89 |
219.1 |
440.06 |
336.41 |
453.07 |
|
Laois |
76.93 |
47.57 |
9.33 |
73.47 |
24.95 |
69.95 |
54.33 |
93.82 |
127.06 |
115.66 |
75.85 |
|
Meath |
3.26 |
20.86 |
12.88 |
47.47 |
16.44 |
39.5 |
101.2 |
27.06 |
43.03 |
40.62 |
42.62 |
|
Monaghan |
36.23 |
43.86 |
30.54 |
48.01 |
37.36 |
63.75 |
41.59 |
96.18 |
33.65 |
70.72 |
45.05 |
|
Mayo |
225.27 |
211.49 |
279.73 |
303.21 |
203.53 |
220.38 |
255.27 |
330.53 |
341.74 |
345.42 |
436.14 |
|
Offaly |
80.74 |
12.58 |
32.08 |
22.92 |
2.04 |
10.39 |
7.98 |
21.46 |
14.12 |
28.03 |
17.53 |
|
Roscommon |
199.47 |
161.09 |
217.97 |
230.38 |
210.45 |
184.7 |
345.1 |
365.42 |
254.56 |
321.13 |
314.11 |
|
Sligo |
123.74 |
52.29 |
267.49 |
51.09 |
55.02 |
125.33 |
263.15 |
309.04 |
222.61 |
245.49 |
153.96 |
|
Tipperary |
176.62 |
190.13 |
216.63 |
184.76 |
220.01 |
285.68 |
277.19 |
189.39 |
264.89 |
227.3 |
139.16 |
|
Waterford |
143.32 |
52.26 |
113.94 |
95.69 |
102.29 |
82.96 |
95.41 |
80.51 |
84.84 |
234.41 |
146.95 |
|
Westmeath |
18.95 |
12.63 |
29.63 |
47.52 |
41.94 |
55.44 |
40.45 |
19.62 |
40.6 |
88.28 |
33.86 |
|
Wicklow |
30.31 |
72.59 |
64.38 |
32 |
55.59 |
108.11 |
96.56 |
152.07 |
109.34 |
142.31 |
97.13 |
|
Wexford |
43.02 |
21.71 |
0.00 |
168.85 |
149.12 |
82.06 |
121.95 |
86.01 |
94.02 |
56.39 |
71.74 |
