Can native woodland flourish without farmers? They also deserve a just transition [Video]

FARMERS HAVE BEEN declared as socially responsible in forestry expansion, yet forestry prominently remains a loaded concept in Ireland. It’s economically, politically and socially tortuous in a country struggling to increase its national forest cover.

With farming deeply embedded into communities and simultaneously serving as an economic power, it’s no surprise forestry integration would be seen as a threat.

Driving planting efforts for over 40 years, farmers have contributed 4% to the current national forest cover of roughly 11.7%. So, what’s keeping farmers from planting native woodland?

Introduced in 2001, the Native Woodland Scheme (NWS) – now called the Native Woodland Conservation Scheme – was releasedby the Department of Agriculture, Fishery and the Marine when under 2% of native woodland remained in Ireland. Funding is provided to participants who plant from a wide selection of native species (alder, arbutus, ash, aspen, birch, hawthorne, hazel, holly, oak, Scots pine, willow, yew; to name a few) while meeting specific parameters for preserving and protecting …