Mr. Paddy Purser:

I thank Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan for his questions. We cannot ignore that Sitka spruce is far and away the most productive forest species in Ireland. It is incredibly efficient at sequestering carbon because of its growth rates. The difficulty we have with Sitka spruce is not with the species itself but the management of it. Growing it monoculturally causes difficulties for biodiversity and resilience, which is a point I will come back to. The forestry management system which clear-fells trees like a crop means that 50% of the resulting volume does not go into long-term carbon storage, and is instead turned into sawdust, sawmill waste, etc. Some of that is used to substitute for other fuels in drying and heating, so it has its benefits from a carbon perspective but it is not going into long-term carbon sequestration.

After clear-felling there is a release of soil carbon because much of the carbon is held in the forest soil. This is highly dependent on the soil type. Mineral soils are less carbon-emitting than more organic soils. It is the forest management type which is important. Even though planting a new monocultural forest of Sitka spruce is incredibly efficient at locking up carbon for the duration of the rotation, the problem is what happens at the end.

The position is similar with regard to biodiversity. Removing the forest sets back all the biodiversity gains which were slowly achieved in that forest over time. Biodiversity does adapt. Thinning a forest increases biodiversity levels. Continuous coverage forestry carries that process on ad infinitum, effectively. Therefore, instead of removing the forest and having to start again - biodiversity has to start again after a carbon release - the CCF approach allows species to adapt slowly. There is gradual enrichment and accumulation of carbon, and natural processes come into play. CCF therefore has economic and climate benefits.

Returning to the monocultural aspect and biodiversity, if we plant these forests as monocultures, there is a major risk factor involved. We witnessed this in central Europe. I do not know if members are aware of this but climate change is already having a devastating effect on European forests. That is particularly the case with monocultural forests, which have been pushed outside their normal range because the timber production function has been prioritised. Climate change has resulted in drought stress in those forests. The bark beetle, a secondary pest, is destroying large areas of these forests right across central Europe, in Czechia, Germany, France, Belgium and Slovakia. All those countries are suffering huge losses to the ravages of the bark beetle. Once those-----