Q&A

I want to buy an acre and plant a forest

Q I’m interested in purchasing some land in the south-east (about an acre) to plant a small forest as a long-term investment and to become carbon neutral. Where is the best place to start looking for such a site and are there any special permissions required to use the land for this purpose?

A We put your query to John O’Reilly, whose Cavan-based forestry company, Green Belt, plants around 6,000 acres of new forests each year, predominantly for farmers. It also buys land suitable for planting for people who see forestry as an investment and plants and manages the new forest. His first observation was to note your association between trees and carbon.

Trees, he says, sequester carbon from the atmosphere and lock it away as the tree or indeed crop of trees grow and he would recommend to people who are “carbon conscious” to firstly reduce their carbon footprint by reducing emissions from their current carbon output and then to offset the rest by planting.

In relation to “special permissions” it is standard procedure to get approval from the Forestry Service, part of the Department of Agriculture, before one can establish a new plantation. The Forestry Service will screen the land for environmental sensitivities.

The only issue O’Reilly sees is the size – one acre – of the block. Small lots of land like this can be difficult to get for the reason proposed, as one-acre lots tend to sell as housing sites and are accordingly more expensive. You will also need specialist advice on the type of trees to plant and how to manage your forest.

Will renting affect mother’s pension?

Q My mother is interested in renting a room to a student. She lives alone and having someone coming in and out of the house seems a good idea. I estimate that the most she would make would be around €4,500. She is concerned about her income tax liability, but as rental income would be below the tax-free threshold of €10,000, I have reassured her that there won’t be any. However she is a pensioner with a non-contributory state pension and is worried that she might be means-tested and found to be over the limit given the rental income. What is the position?

A She needn’t worry on the means testing front. If you are getting means-tested social assistance from the Department of Social and Family Affairs then any rental income will be assessed as means and may effect payment. However, rental income will not be assessed as means for a person – such as your mother – getting a State pension and who would be living alone unless they rented out a room in their home. Look at www.citizensinformation.ie for information on the rent-a-room relief scheme.

As your mother is elderly, you might offer to assist her in screening potential tenants and working out some sensible house rules, ie minimum periods of notice if either party chooses to terminate the agreement.

Your questions

Send your queries to Property questions, The Irish Times, The Irish Times Building, 24-28 Tara Street, Dublin 2 or email propertyquestions@irish-times.ie. This column is a readers’ service and is not intended to replace professional advice.