Fleming has expressed concern about the figures in the report, which show that 337ha of new forests have been established at a cost of €1,239,949. This is a decrease of 30% on the area planted from this date last year.

Fleming said this is “worrying” given the importance of forests and afforestation in our national climate change strategy.

The Forestry Programme 2014 - 2020 aims to establish over 6,600ha of forest in 2016.

But based on the figures in the report, “the planting programme could be less than 4,500ha this year if the trend continues,” according to Fleming.

At the recent climate change conference, which took place in Paris in December 2015, strong recognition was giving to the role of forests in mitigating climate change.

Fleming said the continuing decline in the afforestation programme is “a worrying development”, especially considering the strong recognition given to forests at the Paris conference last year.

“Afforestation is accepted as the most significant mitigation option against climate change that is available to Ireland’s land-use sector,” he said.

Ireland’s forest policy is to plant approximately 10,000ha of new forests each year over the programme period from 2015 to 2020. The climate change mitigation capacity of the forest sector is strongly dependent on having young forests to balance out harvest and other decreases in carbon stock.

Fleming said the falling levels of forestry are related to a number of barriers faced by farmers in terms of planting forestry.

These include the 8% cut to the forest premium and the ongoing mapping issues that are reducing the payable area. “These have led to insecurity about forest premiums,” Fleming said.

He said that other key issues leading to a reduction in productive forest area are environmental requirements under the afforestation scheme, as well as restrictions on the land type eligible under the afforestation programme.

He added that the IFA has campaigned for the last few years that land, which has the productivity capacity and is not environmentally sensitive, should be eligible under the afforestation scheme.

“This land should also receive a grant and premium rate that compensates the farmer for income foregone,” Fleming said.

Ensuring payment of the second forestry instalment grant

Forestry area established down 30% on this time last year

Michael Fleming, IFA farm forestry chair, has voiced concern about falling afforestation figures included in the latest Forest Service report, which show area established is down 30% on last year.