Mr. Fergus Moore:

No. A comprehensive assessment of all the hedgerows in Ireland has not taken place but the research is being carried out. Earlier, we mentioned the work that Teagasc is doing on hedgerows and trees outside forests. We will see much more detailed research in the next 12 months. There was much destructive sampling of hedgerows recently, where hedgerows were cut down and all the carbon above and below ground was measured. If we have more detailed information, it will allow us to make those assessments at a higher level. LiDAR is excellent technology but there is a significant cost associated with it. The researchers in the Department could make a call on the benefit and costs of doing those calculations about trees.