Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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184. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he expects afforestation to affect climate change in the future with particular reference to the extent to which a hectare of various species of tree, deciduous or non-deciduous can be used in carbon sequestration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46439/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Our forests have an important role in climate action through the removal and storage of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and by supplying sustainable and renewable materials that support the decarbonisation of our economy. Under the Effort Sharing Regulation (EU 2018/842) covering the period 2021 to 2030, Ireland has the ability to account up to 26.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide removals by the land use sector towards our emission reduction targets. Removals of greenhouse gases by afforested land are forecast to amount to 22 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over this period. The Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry Regulation (EU 2018/841) lays out the required accounting rules for greenhouse gases in our forests and other land uses. Ireland relies on the National Forest Inventory, a forest survey conducted on permanent sample plots, to measure our forests for the purpose of greenhouse gas reporting and accounting. Forecasting of changes in carbon sequestration rates over the 2021 to 2030 period, and the subsequent accounting, is undertaken at the national level and not on individual hectares or individual species.