Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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365. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the most recent COFORD advice on afforestation rates necessary on an annual basis from 2020 to achieve climate change targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35100/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The COFORD Council is currently preparing a range of papers which examines the important role of forests in climate change mitigation and adaptation. These papers will also examine the important role of wood products , carbon storage and substitution of materials made from fossil fuels.

I understand that these papers will be published shortly and submitted formally to the Department.

Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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366. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the annual afforestation rate necessary to achieve the carbon sequestration and other objectives for forestry as identified in the Teagasc MACC curve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35101/21]

Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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367. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the annual afforestation rate Teagasc has identified in order that forestry will not remain a carbon sink in the MACC curve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35102/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 366 and 367 together.

The Teagasc Greenhouse Gas Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) for Irish Agriculture published in 2018 quantifies the opportunities for abatement of agricultural greenhouse gases and visualises the abatement potential of GHG mitigation measures, and the relative costs associated with each of these measures.

The afforestation rate used in the development of the MACC uses an afforestation rate of 7,000 hectares per year over the period 2021 to 2030. Afforestation is clearly the largest opportunity in the land use sector to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Forests planted now from 2021 to 2030 will make a significant contribution to removing greenhouse gases, particularly post 2030 as these forests get older. Forests planted within the last 30 years currently make up the majority of accountable removals in the land use sector. However, as forests mature the rate of sequestration reduces and therefore increasing afforestation rates of new young forests is important. The net greenhouse balance of the estate is strongly dependent on the level of harvest, deforestation and afforestation rates.