Forestry 'falsely inflating' farmland prices contributes to rural decline

The Save Groups told the Oireachtas that the use of state aids is favouring investor-led afforestation over more balanced and diverse forestry land uses

According to the submission of the Save Groups to the Oireachtas: ‘Ongoing inappropriate afforestation and forestry activity combined with forestry legacy issues is having an enormous detrimental impact on our areas and counties.’

Forestry has contributed to the “decline of farm families” in rural areas “by falsely inflating the price of farmland”, an awareness group has said.

According to the submission of the Save Groups to the Oireachtas, in some areas, there are “very high cumulative levels of afforestation, felling and replanting which is not sustainable”.