Minister of State with responsibility for land use and biodiversity at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Pippa Hackett, has today (Wednesday, March 20) made a pledge for Ireland in support of the European Union’s ‘3 Billion Trees’ initiative.
This initial pledge for Ireland is based on the number of native trees planted under the department’s afforestation schemes since May 20, 2020.
Minister Hackett said: “I am delighted to be able to say here in Brussels today that five million native trees have been planted under my department’s afforestation schemes since May 2020.
“The EU’s ‘3 Billion Trees’ pledge is an important tool for countries to help support climate, sustainability and biodiversity goals across the EU.
“Between now and 2030, under our ambitious new Forestry Programme and through Ireland’s CAP [Common Agricultural Policy] Strategic Plan, and indeed under their successor programmes, I am confident we will contribute millions more native trees towards the three billion goal.”
3 Billion Trees pledge
Minister Hackett also noted the importance of planting a range of tree species and the importance of appropriately sited and sustainably managed conifers for producing timber.
The European Green Deal sets out commitments and targets, reinforced in the EU’s Biodiversity and Forest Strategies, for protecting and restoring nature.
One of these commitments is the pledge to plant at least three billion additional trees in the EU by 2030.
This pledge aims to roughly double the forest expansion rate in the EU achieved over the period 2005-2020 with three billion additional trees planted by 2030.
It includes the expansion of existing forests, and also focuses on new planting on agricultural land and the use of agro-forestry.
It also supports urban greening through additional planting in urban and peri-urban areas.
As well as being good for the climate, the initiative is said to help improve forest health, strengthen rural areas, and contribute to urban greening.
It comes with a roadmap to ensure that all tree planting efforts have positive impacts on the climate, environment and cities, and on the health and wellbeing of all EU citizens.
To be counted in the pledge, the tree must:
- Already be planted;
- Have been planted or sprouted after May 20, 2020;
- Must be an additional tree, not a tree that would have been planted or would have grown anyway;
- Must be a tree that benefits biodiversity and the climate, and in particular must not be an invasive alien species.
Forestry Programme
Ireland’s new Forestry Programme 2023-2027 offers a wide range of schemes to support the establishment and management of tree-planting by private landowners and public bodies.
The annual broadleaf target for this programme has increased from 30% to 50% of total annual planting.
According to DAFM, this is reflected in a substantial increase of 66% in premium rates for the establishment of native forest, with €1,103/ha available to plant native forests and €1,142/ha for native forest with water over a period of 15 or 20 years.
Minister Hackett also advised: “The Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is the most ambitious to date, and supports landowners to plant trees in a manner that provides lasting climate, biodiversity and wider societal benefits.”