Minister Publishes Annual Forest Statistics Report for 2024

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Pippa Hackett, today announced the publication of the Annual Forest Statistics Report for 2024.

This annual report, prepared by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, provides an annual compilation of statistics on Ireland’s forest sector and the forest industry. These forest statistics provide stakeholders with a repository of reliable and transparent information about the forest sector over the past year.

The Minister said:

“As an annual report, Forest Statistics Ireland 2024 is an essential publication for anybody interested in a detailed overview of our forestry sector. This annual report provides vital information for researchers, students and practitioners who wish to understand where the sector sits in our overall national economic picture. Clearly the pace at which we are expanding our forest estate needs to increase substantially. The impact of the length of the State Aid approval process for the new Forestry Programme is reflected in the afforestation figures for last year, with afforestation under the new Forestry Programme only beginning in September 2023. Notwithstanding that, over 4,000 hectares have been made available for planting by the Forest Service since then, which I expect to result in increased afforestation figures for 2024. While afforestation is ultimately a voluntary land use choice and there is much competition for land in the current market, the significantly increased funding in place for the new Programme - combined with efficiencies in the licensing process - make afforestation a highly attractive option for farmers and landowners, and I expect that the pace at which we continue to expand the forest estate will increase significantly over the remainder of the Programme to 2027.”

The report highlights that total expenditure on forest activities, including maintenance grants, grants for forest road infrastructure, annual premium payments and supports for the afforestation of 1,651 hectares, was €73.8 million in 2023. Minister Hackett commented:

“The percentage of broadleaves in new forests created during 2023 was 54%, which is the first time that the proportion of broadleaves planted exceeded conifer tree planting. My Department also supported the construction of 78 km of private forest roads during 2023, an increase of 8 km over 2022. This will be essential to mobilising the projected increase in harvesting, which is expected to double by 2030.”

The continuation of the National Forest Inventory is essential to monitor change in Ireland’s forest estate, in terms of extent composition and health. Later this year, the Department will begin the planning for the fifth National Forest Inventory, which is due to commence in 2025. The recent proposal by the European Commission of a new forest monitoring law will make it mandatory for Member States to report national level information about their forests, emphasising the benefit of ongoing forest monitoring in Ireland.

The Minister concluded:

“The production of statistics by my Department on a weekly, monthly and annual basis is essential to evaluating progress towards the implementation of Ireland’s Forest Strategy (2023 – 2030).”

Ten key statistics from Forest Statistics - Ireland 2024 include:

1. Total expenditure in 2023 by DAFM on forest activities including afforestation, maintenance grants, annual premium payments and grants for forest road infrastructure was €73.8 million.

2. The area of new forest created during 2023 totalled 1,651 hectares with the greatest afforestation taking place in Co. Roscommon with 189 hectares followed by Co. Galway with 139 hectares. The percentage of broadleaves in new forests created during 2023 was 54%, which was up from 43% in the previous year. This is the first time that proportion of broadleaves planted exceeded conifer tree planting.

3. Between 1980 and 2023, over 24,000 private landowners have accessed the grants available to establish new forests, with an average size of 8.6 hectares. Farmers have accounted for 82% of afforestation on private lands. The percentage of land afforested by farmers during 2023 was 47%, which was up from 23% in the previous year.

4. Over the period 2006-2023, 40% of the area afforested was by those aged 60 years or more. In 2023, 57% of the area afforested was by those aged 60 years or more and for those in receipt of premium payments, 61% were aged 60 years or more.

5. In 2023, a total of 3.5 tonnes of Pedunculate Oak seed was sown in forestry nurseries, equating to over 3.4 million plants. The other main broadleaf species were Downy Birch and Common Alder. The main conifer species included Sitka spruce, Scots pine and, lodgepole pine.

6. The construction of 78 km of private forest roads was funded during 2023, an increase of 8 km over 2022. This reflects the projected increase in timber and wood to be harvested, which is expected to double by 2030.

7. During 2023, felling licences were issued for the thinning of 8,144 hectares and the clearfelling of 24,444 hectares. These sum to a total 505,814 hectares licenced for thinning since 2010 and 184,081 ha licenced for clearfell over the same period.

8. Approximately half of Ireland’s forest estate is certified by international non-governmental organisations to promote good forest practice. The vast majority of this area is in the public forest estate, with 33,064 hectares of private forests currently certified.

9. In 2022 Ireland’s forests removed 2.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, an increase of 0.34 million tonnes compared to 2021.

10. The Census of Ireland has shown that employment in the forestry sector fell from 2,468 in 2016 to 2,138 in 2022. While in the Logging and Manufacture of wood and wood products employment grew from 4,000 in 2016 to 4,274 in 2022.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

The Report is available on the Department’s website at: https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/15b56-forest-statistics-and-mapping/#annual-forest-sector-statistics