Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 11 December 2019

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action

Forestry and Climate Change: Discussion

Mr. Mark Carlin:

We are working our way through that. We are working with the Council for Forest Research and Development as well. More than ever, when we are doing forest operations like clear felling on peaty soils - deep peat, in particular - we are open to being really careful about what we do with the next rotation. In some areas, it is right to put the forest back in place. In other areas, it is a question of what makes sense from a commercial forestry point of view. In some cases, we decide to leave the biodiversity forest alone as part of an effort to recreate and protect the carbon store. In some areas in which we have taken trees away, we have rewetted over 3,000 ha. We have another 2,000 ha to look at. We are more conscious than ever that we have to be very careful with the reforestation of these areas. There is work to be done on the carbon equation.