Forestry owners want licence backlog cleared

Demostrators say Government is missing opportunities to remove carbon

Pictured outside the Dail today are members of the Social, Economic, Environmental Forestry Association of Ireland (SEEFA), who are protesting against what they claim is the demise of the private forest sector. Photograph: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

PRIVATE forestry owners have taken to the streets to highlight the growing crisis in their industry which employs over 12,000 people.

They claim the sector has been devasted by a backlog in granting afforestation and felling license and are calling on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to intervene.