Dr. Gary Lanigan:

No. LiDAR is incredibly valuable for getting a handle on above ground biomass, be it hedgerows or forestry. It can be done in other ways but LiDAR is probably the best way to get a handle on the above-ground biomass. In the project we are doing at present we are doing direct measurements of hedgerows in respect of the above-ground carbon stocks, the below-ground carbon stocks in terms of what is in the roots and also the extra carbon that is inputted into the soils. Looking across the literature, the rate of sequestration, including the above-ground and below-ground stocks, is approximately 3.5 tonnes per hectare, although it can vary quite significantly depending on the management. A hedgerow that is trimmed very tightly will sequester far less carbon than a hedgerow that is allowed to grow either in width or height. The estimate for the per kilometre sequestration rate is anything from about 0.85 tonnes of CO2 per kilometre up to about 2 tonnes of CO2 per kilometre, depending on the management. The 10,000 hectares mentioned by the Deputy will be sequestering anything from 10,000 tonnes of CO2 up to perhaps 20,000 or 30,000 tonnes of CO2. It depends on how the hedgerow is managed.