Forestry Sector

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 April 2022

Wednesday, 6 April 2022

Questions (259)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

259. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which conifers with a capacity to sequestrate up to four times the level of carbon-related emissions are likely to become a feature of afforestation in the future. [18648/22]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The rate of carbon sequestration by forests depends on a number of different factors which includes the soil present, species and age. Ireland's Afforestation Programme provides financial supports to land owners to plant a range of species. The current requirement under the Forestry Programme is that there is a mix of species and places a target of 30% broadleaves and 70% conifers. Last years afforestation programme in 2021 resulted in 41% of the 2,016 hectares afforested planted with broadleaves.

The recently developed Teagasc Forest Carbon tool, funded by my Department, provides a range of indicative figures for carbon sequestration for different species and soil types.

For example a productive Sitka spruce forest growing on a mineral soil will sequester 8.32 tonnes of CO2 per hectare per year. The total CO2 removed from the atmosphere for these forests is estimated at 444 tonnes of CO2 per hectare over its lifetime. Similarly a slower growing oak forest on mineral soils will remove 2.31 tonnes of CO2 per hectare per year. The total CO2 removed from the atmosphere for the oak forest is estimated at 535 tonnes of CO2 per hectare over its lifetime. These examples illustrate that although the rate at which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere is different for different species the overall carbon removed over the lifetime of each forest can be broadly similar.

Although certain species will remove CO2 at a faster rate as we approach our 2030 and 2050 climate targets we must take into account the wider ecosystem services that forests provide. A mix of forests of different species will provide a balance between a range of services which include climate, biodiversity employment and the provision public goods.