EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Chapter 5: Land and Soil In 2018, forestry represented 9.5 per cent of the national area. There has been a general upward trend in the percentage of the national area covered with forestry since 1990, with a 0.02 per cent increase since 2012. Most of this growth relates to an increase in commercial coniferous plantations. The aim is to increase forest cover to 18 per cent by the year 2050. There is clearly a need to accelerate afforestation levels to meet this target. It is important, however, that the right types of forest are planted in the right places and are managed correctly. Semi-natural and low vegetation areas have increased in area by about 7030 hectares since 2012. The summers were particularly dry in 2017 and 2018, with many forest and peatland fires during this period. These burnt areas represent the major change of land cover to the semi- natural and low vegetation class. While artificial surfaces accounted for only 2.4 per cent of the 2018 national land cover, they have increased in area by 65 per cent since 1990. Most of this increase occurred between 1990 and 2006, with it slowing between 2006 and 2012 (probably linked to the economic recession) and showing signs of increasing again in 2018. The primary changes have been increases in discontinuous urban development, commercial/industrial areas, transport infrastructure, and sports and leisure facilities. These changes have mainly resulted in losses of agricultural areas, with some smaller losses of forestry and wetland areas. Improving Data and Knowledge A high-resolution mapping project is under way in Ireland to produce more detailed land cover maps that could be used for a range of environment work, including on climate change, biodiversity, air quality and water quality. The quality of the CORINE data varies significantly. This is because of its poor resolution (25 hectares) and the varied data mapping methods used over the time series. Often more detailed sectoral data exist, and these should be used ahead of the CORINE data, as previously documented for the forestry sector (Black et al. , 2008). Previous EPA state of the environment reports for Ireland have highlighted the need for more detailed data on land. In response, a national land cover mapping programme has begun. Since 2018, Ordnance Survey Ireland has been developing a high-resolution land cover map in partnership with the EPA. The project will present baseline data for 2018 and is due to be delivered in 2021. Integration of sectoral data will allow for a more consistent representation of national land cover and land use. Additionally, the EPA aims to develop a national land use map for application in reporting under the LULUCF regulations [Regulation (EU) 2018/841]. This will be directly related to the outputs of the national land cover mapping programme. The importance of the programme to produce more detailed land cover maps cannot be overstated. Once complete, it will transform our understanding of national land cover and land use. High-resolution data, at a minimum of land parcel scale, will provide detailed information on the status of the land. It will form the basis for assessing past and future changes and will enable detailed environmental assessments and research. From an environmental perspective it will directly improve our understanding of climate change, biodiversity, air quality and water quality and responses to these challenges. County Wicklow is the first area to be mapped using this approach and the detail and quality of the data are very encouraging, as outlined in Figure 5.3. 107