Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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529. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the age a forest plantation has to be to become compliant for carbon credits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32310/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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In terms of accounting carbon stock changes in forests under International agreements and EU Regulations, different rules will be employed for the period up to 2020 and between 2021 and 2030.  

In the present accounting regime afforestation refers to forests which have been established after 1990.  

For the period 2021 to 2030, accounting rules are laid out in the recently published Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry Regulation. For this period, afforested land will refer to land which has been converted to forest in the previous 20 or 30 years. Under both regimes, changes in both emissions and removals of greenhouse gases in biomass, dead organic matter, soils and harvested wood products are estimated during the relevant accounting period.   

During the 2021 to 2030 period, Irish forests are forecast to be an accountable greenhouse gas sink of 22 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, primarily as a result of afforestation in recent years, and will make a significant positive contribution to meeting our national emission reduction target.