The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has announced the closing date for submissions on the future of forests in Ireland, is set for 27 April, 2022. The DAFM has taken to Twitter to issue a reminder of the approaching deadline saying, “have your say on our public consultation survey on the future of forests in Ireland to help shape a new shared vision and develop a new strategy for forests and trees in Ireland.”
The department opened consultations on 16 March, as part of the development of a new Forestry Strategy for Ireland under Project Woodland. All citizens, private organisations, public authorities, communities and stakeholders are being urged to contribute.
The online questionnaire takes around 15 minutes to complete and features the following sections:
- Why forests are planted
- Where they are planted
- The types of trees involved
- How forests are managed
The survey can be accessed under ‘consultations’ through the government’s website.
Meanwhile the semi-state body Coillte launched a strategy of its own last week to create 100,000ha of new forests by 2050. According to Coillte the aim of the strategy is to deliver benefits from forests and bring more focus to climate action, as well as “setting ambitious new targets on biodiversity and recreation”. The forestry body says that it intends to consult widely with key stakeholders on the strategic vision.
Among the climate-related actions that Coillte proposes to deliver as part of the strategy are:
- Enable the creation of 100,000ha of new forests by 2050 and create a carbon sink of 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Manage its existing forest estate to capture an additional 10 million tonnes of CO2 in its forests, soils and wood products by 2050
- Redesign 30,000ha of peatland forests by 2050 through a programme of rewetting or rewilding