17 countries reported an increase in 2023 compared with the previous year. Ireland (+3.6%), Denmark (+3.2%) and Cyprus (+1.6%) reported the highest growth rates, while several countries experienced declines, including Lithuania (-1.8%), Czechia (-1.7%) and Estonia (-0.6%).
Considering our lack of forestation in the first place +3.6% isn’t a lot of trees
Useful_Engineer_1792 on
I wonder did they filter out the sika etc?
Also what’s +3.2% of next to nothing?
Spare-Buy-8864 on
Clear fell timber plantations are no more “forests” than a wheat farm is grassland
In reality we have no forests of any size at all in this country, a few small pockets of a few hectares scattered here and there but nothing that can sustain any sort of real natural habitat
yes_its_me_alright on
Just back from Australia, was chatting to the receptionist at the hotel, I asked him was he ever in Ireland. He said he was for a 2 week holiday last year. I asked him if he liked Ireland and his response was “why are there no trees in Ireland, I couldn’t believe the lack of trees, nowhere to be seen only fields”
yes_its_me_alright on
Is that native forest?
Clean-Ball-1371 on
It’s fairly easy to swiftly get big gains from a starting point of sweet fuck all.
GrouchyCustomer6050 on
You mean waxing isint as popular as it once was?
HugoZHackenbush2 on
Those figures are very misleading. Coillte, in my opinion, still can’t see the wood for the trees..
whooo_me on
Well, look at that.
Turns out forests do grow on trees.
SnooChickens1534 on
If thats non native spruce forestry, then it shouldn’t count
chytrak on
Give me the figure without sitka spruce.
3k3n8r4nd on
Forests or timber plantations?
Garth8888 on
Good to see Coolmore getting pulled up in Clonmel Court for replacing natural hedges with pretty ones.
Apprehensive_Ratio80 on
Am surprised at this we seem to have no forests at all these days.
locka99 on
The word “timber” in the graph suggests these forests are commercial trees planted equidistantly in a grid pattern and explode upwards blotting out all the light until they’re tall enough to be harvested. Such forests aren’t much good for biodiversity because its a mono culture and there is little undergrowth or wildlife to speak of.
A better metric would be actual re-forestation where native species of various kinds (trees, bushes, plants) are planted with the intent of establishing permanent woodlands and biodiversity.
I’m sure there is also a middle ground where there can be some commercial planting in a diverse native habitat providing that trees are felled and replaced in a sustainable way.
theoldkitbag on
Our percentage is so low, I could plant a tree in the morning and it would raise it.
GarlicGlobal2311 on
Its the quality of said forest that matters to me.
We aren’t growing natural forests, and the forests we do grow collite is selling out from under us to keep itself alive
Key_Duck_6293 on
Ireland coming from an embarrassingly low point compared to most, and most of this growth isn’t forests, its plantations that do next to nothing for biodiversity or carbon capture
bobbyg1234 on
All of our national parks are fragmented and poorly maintained, we are embarrisingly far behind Scotland and England on actual woodland conservation.
This figure means nothing. 3.6% of fuck all
LegionGold on
Denmark beating us again, one of these days we’ll get them!
FakeNewsMessiah on
Timber = trees

So does my kitchen table still count as a tree?
Fluffy-Republic8610 on
We suffered from a cultural problem for centuries. Esp after the famine. It was almost sinful to leave any land in your control “unproductive”. You’d get comments. People might think you were “lazy”.
And that resulted in every patch of Ireland being converted into a field below a certain altitude.
And now we are only beginning to wake up. Most people get to the top of a hill and look down over a landscape full of fields and think “ahh, isn’t nature beautiful” when in fact they are looking at a man made apocalypse.
sosire on
any day we beat denmark is a good day
Sciprio on
What type of trees though? Sitka spruce for timber isn’t exactly a plus. Not native trees on the other hand is.
26 commenti
17 countries reported an increase in 2023 compared with the previous year. Ireland (+3.6%), Denmark (+3.2%) and Cyprus (+1.6%) reported the highest growth rates, while several countries experienced declines, including Lithuania (-1.8%), Czechia (-1.7%) and Estonia (-0.6%).
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20251219-1
> Denmark
Considering our lack of forestation in the first place +3.6% isn’t a lot of trees
I wonder did they filter out the sika etc?
Also what’s +3.2% of next to nothing?
Clear fell timber plantations are no more “forests” than a wheat farm is grassland
In reality we have no forests of any size at all in this country, a few small pockets of a few hectares scattered here and there but nothing that can sustain any sort of real natural habitat
Just back from Australia, was chatting to the receptionist at the hotel, I asked him was he ever in Ireland. He said he was for a 2 week holiday last year. I asked him if he liked Ireland and his response was “why are there no trees in Ireland, I couldn’t believe the lack of trees, nowhere to be seen only fields”
Is that native forest?
It’s fairly easy to swiftly get big gains from a starting point of sweet fuck all.
You mean waxing isint as popular as it once was?
Those figures are very misleading. Coillte, in my opinion, still can’t see the wood for the trees..
Well, look at that.
Turns out forests do grow on trees.
If thats non native spruce forestry, then it shouldn’t count
Give me the figure without sitka spruce.
Forests or timber plantations?
Good to see Coolmore getting pulled up in Clonmel Court for replacing natural hedges with pretty ones.
Am surprised at this we seem to have no forests at all these days.
The word “timber” in the graph suggests these forests are commercial trees planted equidistantly in a grid pattern and explode upwards blotting out all the light until they’re tall enough to be harvested. Such forests aren’t much good for biodiversity because its a mono culture and there is little undergrowth or wildlife to speak of.
A better metric would be actual re-forestation where native species of various kinds (trees, bushes, plants) are planted with the intent of establishing permanent woodlands and biodiversity.
I’m sure there is also a middle ground where there can be some commercial planting in a diverse native habitat providing that trees are felled and replaced in a sustainable way.
Our percentage is so low, I could plant a tree in the morning and it would raise it.
Its the quality of said forest that matters to me.
We aren’t growing natural forests, and the forests we do grow collite is selling out from under us to keep itself alive
Ireland coming from an embarrassingly low point compared to most, and most of this growth isn’t forests, its plantations that do next to nothing for biodiversity or carbon capture
All of our national parks are fragmented and poorly maintained, we are embarrisingly far behind Scotland and England on actual woodland conservation.
This figure means nothing. 3.6% of fuck all
Denmark beating us again, one of these days we’ll get them!
Timber = trees

So does my kitchen table still count as a tree?
We suffered from a cultural problem for centuries. Esp after the famine. It was almost sinful to leave any land in your control “unproductive”. You’d get comments. People might think you were “lazy”.
And that resulted in every patch of Ireland being converted into a field below a certain altitude.
And now we are only beginning to wake up. Most people get to the top of a hill and look down over a landscape full of fields and think “ahh, isn’t nature beautiful” when in fact they are looking at a man made apocalypse.
any day we beat denmark is a good day
What type of trees though? Sitka spruce for timber isn’t exactly a plus. Not native trees on the other hand is.