Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 593: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the carbon sequestration capacity of the forestry sector both public and private here; the most efficient species in this regard; the extent to which she intends this species to play a role in the elimination of greenhouse gases in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11085/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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All new forests established since 1990 qualify under the Kyoto Protocol in terms of helping us meet our emission reduction targets. New forests established within the first Kyoto commitment period, from 2008-2012, will also contribute to the total sequestration capacity.

The best current estimate of total sequestration capacity over this period amounts on average to 10.3 million tonnes of CO2. Of this some 8.1 million tonnes is accounted for by private forests and 2.2 million tonnes by public forests.

The potential of different tree species to sequester or trap carbon dioxide from the atmosphere depends mainly on their rate of growth. Some conifer species establish rapidly and over the first ten years will begin to sequester considerable amounts of carbon. Others, including some broadleafs, are slower to establish and do not make the same positive contribution over the first ten years or so. After that time, however, they will also begin to trap similar amounts of carbon dioxide. As trees reach maturity over a period of decades, there is little difference in the total amounts of carbon dioxide sequestered when all species are compared.