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Forestry Sector

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 November 2020

Thursday, 5 November 2020

Ceisteanna (340)

Darren O'Rourke

Ceist:

340. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the report FRL 2021-2015: Ireland, a National Forestry Accounting Plan published by his Department showing forestry is a net source of CO2; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34418/20]

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Freagraí scríofa

Ireland’s forests and harvested wood products play a significant role in climate change mitigation by removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. The national forest estate is an important store for carbon, estimated at over 312 million tonnes. Ireland’s total forest area is not a net emitter of greenhouse gases and is a substantial sink for carbon dioxide compared to other land uses.

As part of the implementation EU Regulation 2018/814, Ireland, like all EU Member States, had to submit a National Forestry Accounting Plan which sets out the emissions and removals resulting from older forests. These forests for the purposes of greenhouse gas accounting under the regulation are referred to as “managed forest lands”. The regulation also requires that a forest reference level is set for the period 2021-2025. This reference level is needed in order to account and report greenhouse gas changes from 2021-2025 against this land category, representing about 60% of the forest estate. Ireland’s forests in this category include all forests that are older than 30 years of age during the period 2021-2030. While the Managed Forest Lands (MFL) area, because of particular circumstances and timing, will be a small emitter over the upcoming period, the amount in question will be far outweighed by what the rest of the estate is storing and sequestering.

Forests that are less than 30 years of age during the period 2021-2030 must also be accounted for under EU regulation 2018/841 and are referred to as the “Afforested Land” category. Over that period, these forests will be a significant sink for carbon dioxide, sequestering on average between 1 and 2 million tonnes of CO2 per year, when harvested wood products are included and depending on the levels of afforestation and deforestation.

The important point to note is that the entire forest estate under long term projections is and will remain a net sink for carbon dioxide up to 2050 as outlined in the National Forest Accounting Plan. Detailed modelling, projections and sensitivity analysis will be required to estimate carbon removals post 2050 in conjunction with the level of harvest, afforestation and deforestation in the coming decades.

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