The Climate Action Plan 2023, which was published yesterday (Wednesday, December 21) has set out a number of actions to be taken to increase forestry cover and restore peatlands.

These areas come under the land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector.

Unlike agriculture, transport, energy and other sectors, the LULUCF sector does not yet have its own sectoral emissions reduction target.

However, a target for the sector is due to be set in 2023.

The key measures to be taken in the sector are summarised in the plan as follows:

The period to 2030 is covered by two carbon budget periods: the first up to 2025, and the second from 2026 to 2030.

As well as the actions listed above, the measures to 2025 will include: increasing the store of carbon in harvested wood products; increasing the inclusion of cover crops in tillage to 25,000ha; and increasing the incorporation of straw to 35,000ha of the tillage (cereal) area.

In order to build on these measures for the second carbon budget period, the following measures will be implemented:

The Climate Action Plan document says that the government is committed to peatland rehabilitation and enhanced delivery of afforestation.

This, the plan says, will be achieved in the following ways:

"We [the government] will establish a pathway for our LULUCF sector to become a long-term sustainable net sink making a positive contribution to combating climate change, and supporting our transition to a carbon neutral economy and society no later than 2050," the plan states.