‘Afforestation incentives need to be linked to climate change targets’

A NEED to link afforestation incentives to climate change targets in order to attract land owners and financial investors was highlighted at a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security.

Members were told the main obstacles to Coillte investing in forestry are high land prices and ineligibility for premiums, while the main impediment to farmers is competing land uses and long-term implications of afforestation.

Coillte, and Coford, the National Council for Forest Research and Development, appeared before the committee to discuss carbon sequestration, a key method of reducing greenhouse gas build-up.