Benefits of forestry are taking root

IT’S not so long since Irish people thought trees were for the birds — a century ago, a miserly 1% of our land had trees on it, the nadir of 1,000 years of plundering and chopping for which we can blame the Vikings, the Normans, the English and ourselves.

Now, thanks to more enlightened times, a realisation of trees’ contribution to reducing the carbon footprint, Irish State policy, private planting backed by EU grants, and a small stand of designated groups like Coillte, the Tree Council, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, forestry is at a more respectable 10% (the European average is 37%) of land cover. We’re aiming for 17% by 2030.

Last week’s column touched on the benefits of walking, urban or rural; this week, we’re looking at greener days out, in glorious surroundings, and there’s options to walk, run, orienteer, camp, canoe, sail or picnic — and to forage and hunt too.