There potentially will be a tipping point shortly where forestry will no longer be a carbon sink but a source of emissions, director general of the Environmental Protection Agency Laura Burke has said.

“There has been a considerable long-term decline in the area of land afforested annually, an increase in the level of harvest and increased emissions from forestry on organic soils, resulting in a reduction of the contribution of forest land sector, to the removal of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In addition, afforestation rates have declined from approximately 17,000ha annually in the 1990s to 1,650ha in 2023.

“This has resulted in a decrease in carbon sink in the land converted to forest, and we’re seeing that there potentially will be a tipping point shortly where forestry will no longer be a sink but a source of emissions,” she said.

Burke said that there is a high level of ambition with regard to use of Ireland’s land.

“Actions such as afforestation, rewetting, renewable energy, increased organics and tillage have the potential for land use activities to remove carbon from the atmosphere and supporting the move in the sector from being a net source to a sink,” she said.

The EPA boss added that critical decisions must be made on what we’re using our land for.

“I think that conversation about what are the priorities for our land use are going to be critical,” she said.