Trees and Forestry
This Trees and Forestry policy encompasses native woodlands, hedgerows, parks, and urban trees, in addition to commercial forestry. Trees are a special part of our natural ecosystem in Ireland, but their numbers have declined drastically due to human pressures. Trees provide multiple benefits for people, for the environment, and to combat climate change by storing carbon. Natural woodlands and hedgerows are complex communities that take a long time to establish, and therefore should be cherished.
This Trees and Forestry policy encompasses native woodlands, hedgerows, parks, and urban trees, in addition to commercial forestry. Trees are a special part of our natural ecosystem in Ireland, but their numbers have declined drastically due to human pressures. Trees provide multiple benefits for people, for the environment, and to combat climate change by storing carbon. Natural woodlands and hedgerows are complex communities that take a long time to establish, and therefore should be cherished.
Trees should not be planted on unsuitable land, e.g., peatland, protected bird habitats.
Commercial trees are essential to the economy but must be grown sustainably, i.e., close-to-nature, continuous cover forestry of mixed species.
Hedgerows should be documented, protected, and rewarded for properly.
All people should have easy access to trees for amenity purposes,
-at least 10% tree canopy in every city, town, and suburb,
-and a publicly accessible woodland within 5km of every large town and city.
Landowners should have a viable option to allow their land to re-wild / naturally regenerate.
Trees should be protected.
-We should especially identify, protect, and promote expansion of our few remaining ancient woodlands, for their heritage value and genetic diversity.
-We should take advantage of our island status, by enforcing strict bio-security guidelines to avoid the importation of pests and disease from abroad.
Strict sustainability measures should be enforced on the sources of forest biomass.
Education about our native woodlands should be part of school curricula, and professional development of specialist foresters, etc.
There should be a forward-funded, multi-year national research programme to ensure the best practice in choosing the right tree in the right place for the right reasons. We need more research into the use of timber as a sustainable building material.
Policy passed: October 2024
UN Sustainable Development Goals: 3, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 15
