This morning/afternoon.
Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Members of the Social, Economic, Environmental Forestry Association of Ireland (SEEFA) protesting against Government delays in granting licences, which SEEFA say, is forcing imports of timber while Irish trees cannot be planted or felled and threatening 12,000 industry jobs
‘Time for change’ – SEEFA stages protest in bid to save forestry sector (Agriland)
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Monoculture sitka plantations are rolling environmental catastrophes. Start cultivating mixed native species or go home you pampered entitled profiteering fools.
+ 1
spot on
Cant plant native species if you cant get felling licenses for existing sitka, or planting licenses for native species!
So don’t grant felling licenses without first banning all future plantations of non-native conifers and instead institute a system of replacing conifer plantations with native species appropriate to the areas or, in the case of boglands, leaving them the feck alone.
I’m in agreement here, but ultimately the blame lies with the forestry service for not taking action.
Theyre sitting on their hands doing nothing, when they have the power to push through native species planting instead. They need to issue licenses
This forestry is under the remit of Coillte, which is a commerical organisation. It needs to be abolished and reformed as an organisation centred around conservation and genuine sustainability. See also the OPW and the Drainage Act, which has utterly wrecked Irish waterways.
+1 On OPW, absolute buffoons who contribute far more to flooding than they “fix”
The OPW would drive anyone into a pure rage.
There’s a replanting obligation on all grant aided forestry. These mature forests would have been planted in the last century if they’re for clearfell and about 12 -15 years old if it’s for thinning. You can’t plant just Sitka Spruce alone anymore, there has to be a minimum of 10% broadleaves planted with higher premiums the higher the broadleaf content.
It’s pure token greenwashing. A screen of native deciduous to ineffectually block out the utter dead zone of the plantation itself and the appalling damage done when the sitka is harvested, assuming it’s actually done at all.
Must be the first time I’ve agreed with you on something, Nigel!
Additionally, the forests are so badly managed, with effectively no thinning, that the wood does not seem to be much use for the purposes for which the imported wood is being used.
I can seefa miles