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Minister Healy-Rae launches Forest Statistics Ireland 2025

Minister of State with responsibility for Forestry, Farm Safety and Horticulture, Michael Healy-Rae TD, has today announced the publication of the Department’s Annual Forest Statistics Report for 2025.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Healy-Rae said:

“The Forest Statistics Ireland 2025 annual report is a comprehensive and vital resource to serve anyone interested in our forestry sector, from forest owners, stakeholders, policymakers and farmers, to researchers. This annual publication builds a detailed picture of the forest sector over the past year. I wish to congratulate my Department on producing this essential publication to a high quality again this year.”

Total expenditure on forest activities in 2024 was €73.2 million on maintenance grants, grants for forest road infrastructure, annual premium payments and supports for the afforestation of 1,573 hectares. This increase in forest area has also meant an increase in the number of private landowners who have accessed grants to establish new forests, to 24,121 since 1980. Speaking on afforestation, the Minister added:

“We know that afforestation is ultimately a voluntary decision for landowners, and with growing pressures on land for food production, housing and biodiversity, planning new forests is essential. With the increased financial supports made available under the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 and the real improvements in the efficiency of the licensing processes, I believe forestry is becoming a more attractive and viable option for farmers and landowners across the country. The long-term nature of forestry is supported by the design of the Forestry Programme to incentivise a future of climate-resilient and economically sustainable forests.”

The Minister also drew attention to the importance of wood mobilisation and highlighted:

“During 2024, funding was provided to construct 77 km of new private forest roads. The commitment by the sector to construct these roads is essential to access the timber in the private estate as it reaches harvesting stage.”

Ten key statistics from Forest Statistics - Ireland 2025 include:

  1. The area of new forest created during 2024 totalled 1,573 hectares, with the greatest afforestation taking place in Co. Cork, with 166 hectares, followed by Co. Kerry, with 128 hectares. The percentage of broadleaves in new forests created during 2024 was 54%, which was the same as the previous year.
  2. Between 1980 and 2024, over 24,000 private landowners have accessed the grants available to establish new forests, with an average size of 8.5 hectares. Farmers have accounted for 82% of afforestation on private lands. The percentage of land afforested by farmers during 2023 was 57%, with non-farmers accounting for 43%.
  3. Over the period 2006-2024, 40% of the area afforested was by those aged 60 years or more. In 2024, 51% of the area afforested was by those aged 60 years or more and for those in receipt of premium payments, 62% were aged 60 years or more.
  4. Total expenditure in 2024 by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on forest activities including afforestation, maintenance grants, annual premium payments and grants for forest road infrastructure was €73.2 million.
  5. In 2024, 358 Seed Collection Permits were issued for home collected forest reproductive material which is an increase of 48% over 2023. These permits are issued for the collection of seed from approved sources, including broadleaf species such as downy birch, pedunculate and sessile oak, common alder, and conifer species such as Scots pine and Sitka spruce.
  6. The construction of 77 km of private forest roads was funded during 2024, contributing to an average of 80 km per year since 2020. This reflects the projected increase in timber and wood to be harvested, which is expected to double by 2030.
  7. During 2024, felling licences were issued for the thinning of 3,798 hectares and the clearfelling of 18,053 hectares. These sum to a total 509,612 hectares licensed for thinning since 2010 and 202,134 ha licensed 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 33,947 hectares of private forests currently certified.
  9. In 2023 Ireland’s forests removed almost 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, an increase of 0.27 million tonnes compared to 2022.
  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.

Note 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