Ireland as some kind of green paradise really has to be one of the biggest myths about our country.
Quite depressing really but our government don’t seem to care. We’ve had 5 years of the Green Party in power and hardly any real steps have been taken to truly rectify this.
OneSalientOversight on
If Ireland wishes to engage in [Reforestation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reforestation), it’ll have to either purchase a whole lot of agricultural land or pay farmers to grow trees to create permanent forests.
This means that there will be a drop in agricultural production, which means that Irish farmers will have to increase productivity. This can be achieved through lots of investment, but this money will have to come from government as well.
In short, it will cost a lot of money. I’m all for reforestation all over the world, but it’ll require government spending and possibly increased taxes to achieve.
Hard to believe its that high, wonder if they’re including hedge rows and the like?
Shuggana on
First study??? I’ve been hearing this exact thing for 20 years. A simple Google search of Irelands forests would tell you this exact figure and has done for a long time.
I can’t keep up with how often this country repeats itself and then changes nothing.
Forest cover has increased in the past 100 years by I don’t think that would be included above figure. There is very little ancient woodland left in Ireland which is what the article in the post is looking at. Most of the damage was done about a 1000 years ago and were finished off in the 19th century. Building nature reserves would be about as popular now as it would be in the 18th/19th century.
6 Comments
Ireland as some kind of green paradise really has to be one of the biggest myths about our country.
Quite depressing really but our government don’t seem to care. We’ve had 5 years of the Green Party in power and hardly any real steps have been taken to truly rectify this.
If Ireland wishes to engage in [Reforestation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reforestation), it’ll have to either purchase a whole lot of agricultural land or pay farmers to grow trees to create permanent forests.
This means that there will be a drop in agricultural production, which means that Irish farmers will have to increase productivity. This can be achieved through lots of investment, but this money will have to come from government as well.
In short, it will cost a lot of money. I’m all for reforestation all over the world, but it’ll require government spending and possibly increased taxes to achieve.
An excellent book on the history of deforestation in Ireland which started with the Neolithic people of Ireland is [Island of Woods: How Ireland Lost Its Forests and How to Get Them Back; Paul McMahon](https://www.thesecretbookstore.ie/products/island-of-woods-how-ireland-lost-its-forests-and-how-to-get-them-back-paul-mcmahon?srsltid=AfmBOoqn6U9iaysj-v4uh5pC2snt1RmHfRI6jW7w5PgkTd7ppI6FHCDk) and it dispels the commonly held myth that “the Brits chopped down our forests to build their navy”.
Hard to believe its that high, wonder if they’re including hedge rows and the like?
First study??? I’ve been hearing this exact thing for 20 years. A simple Google search of Irelands forests would tell you this exact figure and has done for a long time.
I can’t keep up with how often this country repeats itself and then changes nothing.
I read quite a good piece on the history of forestry in Ireland by Teagasc [here](https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/forestry/advice/general-topics/history-of-forestry-in-ireland/)
Forest cover has increased in the past 100 years by I don’t think that would be included above figure. There is very little ancient woodland left in Ireland which is what the article in the post is looking at. Most of the damage was done about a 1000 years ago and were finished off in the 19th century. Building nature reserves would be about as popular now as it would be in the 18th/19th century.