The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's (DAFM) spent a total €73.2 million on "forest activities" in 2024, according to the Minister of State with responsibility for Forestry, Michael Healy-Rae.

This included afforestation, maintenance grants, annual premium payments and grants for forest road infrastructure, however overall total expenditure on forest activities in 2024, according to DAFM, "decreased by €0.6 million on the previous year".

Minister Michael Healy-Rae said the DAFM's annual Forest Statistics Report for 2025, published today (Thursday, June 26) also shows that a total 1,573 hectares of new forest was created last year.

The majority of afforestation took place in Co. Cork where 166 hectares was developed followed by Co. Kerry, with 128 hectares.

The percentage of broadleaves in new forests created during 2024 was 54%, which was the same as the previous year, DAFM outlined. 

Last year 358 seed collection permits were also issued for "home collected forest reproductive material" which is an increase of 48% over 2023.

DAFM has confirmed that these permits are issued for the collection of seed from approved sources, including broadleaf species such as downy birch, pedunculate and sessile oak, common alder, and conifer species such as Scots pine and Sitka spruce. 

Separately the latest report also outlines that during 2024, funding was provided to construct 77 km of new private forest roads.

The latest Forest Statistics Report details that last year felling licences were issued for the thinning of 3,798 hectares and the clearfelling of 18,053 hectares.

These amounted to a total 509,612 hectares licensed for thinning since 2010 and 202,134 hectares licensed for clearfell over the same period.  In general according to Minister Healy-Rae there has been an increase in the number of private landowners "who have accessed grants to establish new forests".

According to Minister Healy-Rae the new DAFM report also affirms that there has been an increase in the number of private landowners "who have accessed grants to establish new forests".

The latest annual forest statistics report shows that between 1980 and 2024 over 24,000 private landowners got government grants to establish new forest developments, which were an average size of 8.5 hectares.

The DAFM report shows that farmers have accounted for 82% of afforestation on private lands.

"The percentage of land afforested by farmers during 2023 was 57%, with non-farmers accounting for 43%," it stated. 

According to the latest DAFM report over the period 2006 to 2024, 40% of the area afforested was by people aged 60 years or more.

Last year 51% of the area afforested was by those aged 60 years or more and for those in receipt of premium payments while 62% were aged 60 years or more.  

Minister Healy-Rae said: "With the increased financial supports made available under the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 and the real improvements in the efficiency of the licensing processes, I believe forestry is becoming a more attractive and viable option for farmers and landowners across the country.

Although there may have been an increase in the forest areas DAFM also acknowledged in its Annual Forest Statistics Report for 2025 that the census of Ireland showed that employment in the forestry sector fell from 2,468 in 2016 to 2,138 in 2022.

However in the logging and manufacture of wood and wood products employment grew from 4,000 in 2016 to 4,274 in 2022.

One other key issued highlighted by DAFM today is in relation to the role forests and forest products play "in mitigating climate change by sequestering and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2)".

The department highlighted that the national forest estate "is an important carbon reservoir, amounting to 323 million tonnes of carbon in 2022".

DAFM added: "In 2023 Ireland’s forests removed almost 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, an increase of 0.27 million tonnes compared to 2022".