More than 600,000 native trees are to be planted across 1,500 hectares of bogland that is no longer used for peat production.

The woodland project announced today will focus on growing a mix of native Irish trees such as downy birch, scots pine, alder and other broadleaves like hazel and holly, on Bord na Móna land in Offaly, Laois, Westmeath and Tipperary over the next three years.

The project, a collaboration involving Coillte and Bord na Móna, is part of the government’s Climate Action Plan which has committed to planting 440m trees by 2040 - that’s 22m trees a year for the next 20-years.

Bord na Móna also plans to rehabilitate some 35,000 hectares of its peatlands by 2025.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Richard Bruton said our land is one of our most powerful tools in responding to the climate challenge.