Forestry fall-off is a national disgrace

AS the level of afforestation in Ireland falls to a 20-year low, the Department of the Environment must immediately examine the barriers to afforestation erected on very dubious scientific grounds.

It is a national disgrace to witness such low levels of afforestation when there is such a massively underutilised land bank surplus to agricultural requirements and ideally suited to forestry.

Ireland’s new wood chip and wood pellet industries are supplying energy at up to 60% saving on dirty, imported oil. Our vibrant rural-based sawmilling and timber-processing industries need more sawlogs, so it is imperative that the level of new forest planting be increased massively.