Pippa Hackett (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I note that the average size of a forestry plantation is 7 ha. I own a young plantation and am very interested in this issue. I welcome the establishment of Coillte Nature and look forward to seeing how it pans out. There was some discussion around planting on cutaway bogs. I accept that some bogs are so cut away that they can only be planted on and cannot be re-wet. However, data suggests that drainage of peat soils for forestry has a negative effect on greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions into surface water. We should probably be avoiding draining such soils. However, Dr. Ní Dhúbhain indicated that planting on peaty soil no longer happens. I ask the representatives from the Department or Coillte to confirm that is the case. If not, should we consider discontinuing that planting practice? A decision not to drain peat soils for planting means that we need to increase planting on what could be described as better soils. What is the Department's view of this aspect of our forestry programme? Agroforestry has been mentioned a number of times today. I am a big fan of agroforestry and am staggered to hear that we have only 51 ha in the country under agroforestry. I do not know of any near my home but would love to have some on my own farm. It is a forestry model that the Department should be really getting behind because it facilitates farming animals along with growing forests.