Climate mitigation options through afforestation

Abstract

The establishment of new forests has a highly significant role to play in addressing our climate challenges and ensuring that we can build a significant future carbon sink by mid-century. Net removals of carbon dioxide from afforestation is the largest land-based mitigation option available and the main contributor towards the 26.8 MtCO2 EU Effort Sharing emission reduction target 2021 – 2030.Teagasc, in conjunction with FERS Limited and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), have developed an online Forest Carbon calculationtool (www.teagasc.ie/forestcarbontool). This tool provides a non-technical and user‑friendly way to estimate how much carbon can potentially be removed through various forest establishment scenarios and other climate mitigation pathways, such as through harvested wood products (HWP). To achieve accurate estimations, users of the Forest Carbon Tool need to familiarise themselves with the range of assumptions, methodologies and system boundaries described within the tool assumptions description, as well as the requirements and scope for future tool enhancements.