Following the COP21 Paris Climate Conference, forestry has remained a central element in strategies to combat climate change, particularly in countries such as Ireland where agriculture is a dominant source of emissions. As of 2025, agriculture accounts for roughly 35% of Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions, reinforcing the need for effective mitigation measures. Forestry continues to offer significant potential through carbon sequestration, removing CO₂ from the atmosphere while also supplying renewable materials for construction and energy. However, the role of forestry has become more complex in recent years, as low afforestation rates and the ageing forest estate have reduced its effectiveness as a carbon sink. Ireland’s updated forest policy, including the Ireland’s Forest Strategy 2023–2030, now emphasises a more balanced and sustainable approach, focusing not only on increasing forest cover but also on biodiversity, climate resilience, and long-term productivity. While earlier policies recommended ambitious planting targets of up to 15,000 hectares annually, current progress has fallen well short of these goals, limiting forestry’s ability to offset agricultural emissions. Consequently, Ireland’s climate strategy now recognises that a combination of improved agricultural efficiency, sustainable land use, and renewed efforts in afforestation is necessary to achieve national emissions reduction targets.

Following global climate agreements such as the COP21 Paris Climate Conference, forestry continues to be recognised as a key tool in climate mitigation.