Ireland will 'grossly fail' to meet target of planting 22 million trees a year, climate watchdog warns

Latest annual review from the Climate Change Advisory Council says the Government’s commitment to achieve the 18% tree cover is growing 'increasingly unrealistic' and the forestry sector remains a 'particular concern'. Picture: Denis Minihane

Ireland will “grossly fail” to meet its annual target of planting 8,000 hectares — 22 million trees — without radical change, a watchdog has warned.

A climate action plan set out by the Government in 2019 proposed planting 8,000 hectares every year, which would see an 18% increase in forest cover by mid-century.

However, the Government missed its 2025 target by 68%, planting only 2,527 hectares across the country. This translates to about 6.9 million trees. 

In 2024, only 1,573 hectares were planted; 2023 saw 1,652 hectares, while 2022 saw the figure stand at 2,273 hectares. 

The latest annual review from the Climate Change Advisory Council says the Government’s commitment to achieve the 18% tree cover is growing “increasingly unrealistic” and the forestry sector remains a “particular concern”. 

It added the agricultural sector as a whole did not meet its target to reduce emissions by 10% last year, and without a “stronger push” it would not meet its 2030 targets.

When looking at this year, as of June, only 777 hectares (about 2.1 million trees) had been planted when compared to 1,513 hectares (about 4.2 million trees) by the same time last year.

The council said the reduced planting this year “may reflect less favourable weather conditions during the planting season". 

It also criticised the Forestry Programme, which would see farmers and landowners compensated for the number of trees they planted.

However, the council said while the new adjustments to the scheme placed a “strong emphasis on increased funding”, past enhancements to financial supports suggest “economic incentives alone do not necessarily lead to higher planting rates". 

“Behavioural research repeatedly highlights non-economic barriers farmers and landowners experience in accessing the Forestry Programme schemes, including administration burdens, and the replanting obligation resulting in the irreversibility of the farmer’s decision to plant,” the report said.

“Furthermore, farmers strongly believe that prime agricultural land should be used for producing food,” it added.

The council said even though licenses had been approved, with 1,748 hectares issued up to June this year, “planting activity has not kept pace”. 

The watchdog said it indicated landowners were engaging with the application process but ultimately choosing not to proceed with planting. 

The council recommended that the next Forestry Programme due in 2028 addressed the challenge of achieving 18% of national forest cover by 2040 and recognised the urgency of meeting this goal.

However, it expressed increased concern failure to do so would prevent achieving both EU and national targets and weaken Ireland’s response to the Paris Agreement.

Meanwhile, the council also said a decline in the number of domestic horticultural producers and local production increased “the country’s vulnerability to external shocks and represents a missed opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint of Ireland’s food supply and distribution". 

It also expressed concern about the impacts of prolonged and intense winter rainfall events and summer heat stress on agricultural activities.

This includes impacts on grazing, crop yields, fodder reserves and animal welfare, management of animal waste and run-off from lands.

“Restoring soil, water, and ecosystem functions on farmland has a key role to play in supporting farmers to absorb shocks from extreme weather events and maintain agricultural productivity,” the council added.