4.1 Overview

In Ireland, the area under forestry is estimated to be 808,848 hectares or 11.6% of the total land area, according to data collected for the fourth National Forest Inventory (NFI), which was completed in 2022. This compares to an EU-27 average of 38%. Forest cover is estimated to be at its highest level in over 350 years. Of the total forest area, 50.9% is in private ownership, with public forests occupying the remaining 49.1%. The forest estate is comprised of 69% conifers and 31% broadleaves.

The age-profile of our forests is increasing with 40% of stocked forests being less than 20 years of age and 30% between the ages of 21 and 30 years. Since the previous NFI was carried out in 2017, 39,640 ha of forests were thinned for the first time, which is a positive for wood mobilisation.

Forests play an important role in mitigating climate change by sequestering and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. The results of the NFI indicate that the national forest estate is an important sink for carbon, at 323 million tonnes of carbon. Irish forests are also a rich resource of biodiversity providing important and abundant habitats for many species.

The principal objective of DAFM in relation to forestry between now and 2030 is to radically expand the national forest estate on both public and private land in a manner that will deliver lasting benefits for climate change, biodiversity, wood production and rural economies.

Figure from page 157